December 17, 2010
Thursday, 1:55pm
Ran out the door last night to brave the rainy, sleety mess and to run some errands. Much to my surprise, a small opossum ran off under my car. He was right next to the steps when I came out. I couldn't figure out what on earth he was doing there? There was no food source..... He looked very much like the one who was on top of the coop about a week or so ago, rather small with long dark hairs versus some that are usually more white/gray.
I also noticed strange tracks in the snow in the driveway, I'll have to look them up. Some might be rabbit tracks, some probably the possum, some cat, some dog.... One set was in a triangle shape.
As for the first visit from the possum - I don't know why, but I had a strange feeling one night and thought something might be out at the coop. I opened the door and heard "something" running off through the leaves, it sounded big enough to be a fox or larger. There is a hole in the neighbors fence in the back which he has not patched and it allows several things to come in, like the border collie I found barking at my chickens one morning....
I shined my flashlight over towards the coop to make sure all was okay, when lo and behold, there was a possum on top of the coop. Out I stomped toward the coop, cane in hand, shaking it at him and yelling. All he did was climb the nearest small tree and the closer I got, the farther he climbed to the very tip of the smallest, most unstable branch in the tree. I tried shaking him out, but he wrapped his tail around the branch and wasn't budging. "Alright then" I yelled, "I'll fix you!" I went and turned on the water hose full blast and began spraying him. The chickens probably thought I had lost my mind. I thought he'd never let go and was completely drenched in the frigid weather. He finally figured out it was one heck of a rain storm and he let go, bounced off the metal roof of the coop and into the bushes and off he ran. I have to admit, it was kind of comical and looked like it could have been in a cartoon. I wondered if he would die of exposure, but apparently not, because he was at my front steps last night.
I dread the thought of taking more drastic steps, seems cruel, but if he ever gets into the coop and kills my chickens, that will be even worse. He now knows where they are so he will probably be a frequent visitor, unless anyone has any good ideas on how to get rid of him????
Hawkeye had laid a nice light green egg this morning when I went out to give them some feed and Farrah was sitting in the nest. Around noon, I went back out and brought them some spinach greens and some old whole wheat bread. Farrah laid, hopped out and devoured the spinach, along with the others. Her egg today was huge and heavy and olive green. I thought Ameracauna's didn't lay olive green eggs but tended more towards light green or blue???? She looks like your standard Ameracauna with the chubby face, etc.
Farrah's newest thing is to try and follow me out of the run. She is probably seeing that the "grass is greener on the other side!"
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
December 16, 2010: Snow....AGAIN!
December 16, 2010
Thursday, 12:28pm
Woke up early to a light dusting of snow which had turned to sleet, which has now turned to rain and created a slushy mess. Tree limbs are still frozen though. Our second snow event of the season, when we normally have no snow. Temperatures have been way below normal as well. I suppose the plus out of this is that I now know the standards and bantams can survive temperatures that go into the teens and might have gone single digit with the wind chill factor.
I went out this morning at 9 am to check on them and give them some food fuel in the form of leftover linguini noodles. They tore them up, fighting over the long noodles and tearing them away from each other. Farrah had laid an egg, probably very early this morning. Farrah and Hawkeye are so dependable in this cold weather, it surprises me.
I came back inside, shivering and proceeded to make a cup of coffee and something I rarely make....a bowl of steaming organic oatmeal to which I added honey from our neighbors hives, dates, walnuts, cranberries, raisins, a dash of coconut creamer, clove, cinnamon and nutmeg. Talk about sticking to your ribs!!!! I suppose it’s better than a Big Mac which always seems to stick to the thighs or buttocks!!!
Around noon, I peeked out the back window just in time to see a hawk swoop from one side of the yard to the next. I coated up and went to bring them a second meal of mixed grains. I walked closer to the big oak he was in and stood looking up at him (not an easy task through the rain/sleet mix coming down). I have found that birds of prey do NOT like you staring at them and usually will fly off. I couldn’t get a very good look at him, but he is not very big at all. Not sure what he is, peregrine falcon, some small breed of hawk??? He appears to be smaller than some of my chickens. I think I may need to invest in a pair of binoculars so I can get a better look at him and try to identify him in my bird book. He didn’t stay long and flew off two yards away into the pine trees. The chickens had not seen him and were out pecking in the run.
I went in and gave them the grains and stood there for awhile watching them. The heated water bowl I just got is working fine (hopefully the extension cord will not short out in this wet weather). However, the birds did not seem interested in the water bowl and instead were drinking out of a puddle, that had been their dust bathing spot the day before. In addition, I noticed an even more unusual behavior – they were eating the snow! More like slush, but they were eating all of it that was sitting on one of the baseboards of the coop. All their water bowls were full but they were still eating the slush. Interesting. I imagine this is what they would do in the wild if they could not find a running source of water, but they HAD an open source of water. Maybe they liked the taste of it better? Hard to say.
Chanel seemed in a sociable mood and crawled halfway up the ladder to the coop entrance and sat there looking at me as I talked to her. I swear, if she could speak English, she would carry on a conversation with me. She turns her head sideways and looks up at me thoughtfully with her big brown eyes, assessing the situation. She is now the biggest and is beginning to realize it. Since the sleeping quarters have shifted lately, she is pecking on Goldie Locks who in the past had mercilously pecked on her. Really a site to see, a tiny little yellow bantam pecking at the biggest standard chicken in the flock!!!! Well, not anymore. All of the chickens have been sleeping on the top of the nesting boxes now since the cold weather – all except the two that are laying who are still sleeping in the coop. Not sure why this change has occurred, cold weather or fear of some unknown predator, but they have rearranged their sleeping quarters and their pecking order yet once again. The chicken click, therefore, is a dynamic organism.... :-)
Oh, one more note before ending this.....Chanel looks like she will lay soon. Her comb and wattles are dark red and getting floppy. I’ve also noticed dark red skin on her cheeks and near her eyes, sort of like red hooded eyelids.... I do wonder, will it BE this year that she lays or not??? Will she be a Winter layer like Farrah and Hawkeye? I already know that Goldie, Raven and Ellie won’t be. Perhaps the smaller they are, the more they have to conserve energy for the colder months.
2:22pm
Mr. Hawk must have returned, the local birds were making a loud ruckus, led by the Blue Jays and the Mockingbirds. I stepped out onto the back deck but could not see the hawk. He must have flown off because after awhile the birds stopped squawking. You've got to admire the bravery of birds who will swoop a hawk, knowing he can kill them instantly.
I realized that today is the first day without health insurance, first time - ever.... It is an odd feeling. I pray that nothing will happen to us and we will be okay. I imagine I am far from alone in this, given the economy, but it is still a frightening place to be. I continue to post for jobs, but the market is bleak and no one is getting interviews according to some other former coworkers who were laid off as well and now run a weekly networking luncheon. We all see the jobs out there but no one is getting asked to interview, we are guessing either college grads are getting the openings or internal hires, but not older, experienced workers.... I refuse to give up though!!!! There are amazing lessons to be learned from all of this.....
December 12, 2010: Cold Weather Patterns
December 12, 2010
Sunday, 11:17 am
The other day, I pulled a large clump of grass up by its roots to give to the chickens, in the clump was a worm. I thought the chickens would be thrilled to have this nice bit of protein, however, the strangest thing happened when I tried to give it to them. It’s as if they had forgotten what a worm was and had no interest in it. A few pecked at it, then left it alone. So odd! In former times, they would have rushed it and fought over it. Do chickens forget???
The weather has been unseasonably cold, breaking a one week cold record. The news said the other day that we were the same temperature as Maine!!! The weather has caused the egg laying to be off kilter a bit as well. Dependable Hawkeye stopped laying in her normal three days on, one day off pattern and changed to two days on, one day off. Farrah is currently on a three day on, one day off pattern though.
Much to my surprise - another unusual thing I noticed since the cold weather set in – now only Farrah and Hawkeye are sleeping in the coop! Ellie and Goldie have moved up next to Chanel on top of the egg boxes and Raven is sleeping in Goldie’s nest box, sometimes both Goldie and Raven sleep in there together. The first time I noticed it, Goldie was huddled up close to Chanel (I’m guessing for warmth since Chanel has tons of bulk and feathers and Goldie barely any) – so here the two arch enemies were sleeping cuddled up together. I suppose warmth and survival trumps all differences.... The next night, Goldie and Raven were cuddled up together in one of the boxes and Ellie and Chanel were on the very top. It could also be that a predator is scaring them and so they are instinctively going to the highest place in the coop which is on top of the nesting boxes versus inside the coop which is a bit lower. Hard to say for sure.
The more I watch them, the more I realize that the food Nature provided for them is their preferred food. They will drop all other foods they are eating if I throw grass or weeds into the run. I have been making a mixture of quinoa, oats, barley and millet for them. They love the millet and quinoa especially.
We are on a warming spell with a second day of rain, dreary. The chickens take turns eating and sleeping and will often eat in the rain as long as it isn’t too heavy. My router has been down all morning so I was reading Countryside & Small Stock Journal magazine and found a breeder who hatches out Dorking’s and Java’s. Hmmm, sweet, sweet temptation! However, they probably require a large minimum purchase. I cannot find that out until the router comes back up. I wonder if I will ever settle on just one breed as a favorite? Somehow I doubt it because each one has things about it that are admirable.
A friend from work took me to lunch yesterday and gave me a belated birthday present of “Storey’s Basic Country Skills – A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance.” It’s funny that my friends are now relating to me in that way! It was a perfect gift. I love the outdoors and feel most at home there, it has to be why my brother has the kind of job he does and my sister has a farm. All of us are this way, we want the freedom to be out and about, to work with our hands, etc. I feel a sense of calm and “rightness” when I am outside. To me, there is wonder and fascination all around, Nature is always alive and teaching us, lessons that so many of us have now lost and need to learn again.
My seed catalogs have arrived and it signals that time when I need to choose what to order and what to plant out of the seeds I have saved. It signals that I must amend the garden soil THIS month because some form of planting can happen in January and February and will sneak up on me quickly. It seems with a garden that there really is very little down time after all. The wonder of seeing the plants thrive and of harvesting the first fruits easily makes up for any of the less glorious chores that must be done. I can’t wait to see the first bee’s buzzing in the herbs. I am thinking of starting beekeeping this year as well.
December 5, 2010: The Chickens First Snow
December 5, 2010
Sunday, 12:02 PM
We had a gorgeous “first snow” yesterday afternoon. It’s a misnomer when I say; “first snow” because most of the time we never even get a first snow here in N.C. So it was magical and very early in the season.
The chickens’ first snow!!!! LOL You’d think I was getting an ornament for them like a child’s first Christmas.... They were a bit perplexed and probably thinking, “What the H is this?” They were supposed to be in their third day lay cycle, but I have a feeling they sense weather changes much better than we do, and so neither Hawkeye or Farrah laid. Figures....I had just given the six eggs I had to the neighbor because she gave us her leftover pumpkins from Halloween to give to the chickens and I wanted to make some honey wheat bread which called for one egg and nary an egg was to be found. No biggie, two pretty eggs this morning were waiting for me so I’ll make the bread today instead.
Farrah’s new eggs are more olive colored than Hawkeye’s. I guess I was hoping for blue. Hawkeye’s are a light green. Farrah’s are large too, more round and substantial and um...messier. I’m hoping Farrah will work on that!!!! All the others rarely lay a messy egg. She’s only on her third egg, I think I am becoming demanding!!!!
Sarah the Terror Coker Cat is laying on the top part of the couch next to me as I type this. She is my constant companion, especially in Winter when we share that precious commodity - each other’s warmth. Like reptiles, we both follow the sun and activities move to the front sitting room where the most sun can be had. I open the blinds and sometimes the door, so sun and heat can stream through the glass.
My husband has begun to tease about my antics that all involve comfort; comfort food, comfort clothes, comfort warmth, etc. and has nicknamed me “Comfy Kitty Cat”. So, the two Comfy Kitty Cat’s sit in the front room during the Winter to bask in the precious sun.
I went out to check for predator prints this morning near the hole in the fence but didn’t see anything amongst the now-melting snow. I did see some near the deck which looked rather large for Pip Squeek (the neighbor’s cat who thinks he is OUR cat), but snow distorts things so I can’t be sure.
Right as it began to snow yesterday, I made a trip to Whole Foods to pick up a few things I can’t get anywhere else, wanted more seeds/nuts for the birds since the weather has dropped into the 20’s at night. Read they help the birds stay warm. It was a melee. Tons of people were there acting as if we were having a blizzard. I bought some barley and some millet and decided I was going to make a pot of chili, but there were so many people standing in line at the meat counter, I gave up on that. Did however wrangle out some decent chili with what was already at home, so no great loss.
I’ve been experimenting feeding the birds quinoa (supposedly the only grain that is a complete protein), millet, oats and barley. They seem to really like the millet. Can’t tell yet on the quinoa, it has a bitter coating that has to be rinsed off for humans but I am not sure about the birds. I worry about the grains swelling in their crops, but then again, don’t all seeds swell? All in all, they still favor fresh picked weeds and grass over everything. I read that Laura Ingalls Wilder from Little House on the Prairie had a knack for getting production out of her hens during the harsh Winters so now I am on the hunt for her books. (And I thought that it was just a t.v. show – didn’t know there was a real Laura Ingalls Wilder.) Part of me is inclined to let Nature take it’s course though, there is a reason they need to rest from egg production during the colder months. Still, I am interested in learning the wisdom out there that is waiting to be found.
Speaking of wisdom, I wonder how wise it is for the kid who just road his bike down the street to also be talking on his cell phone? This sight struck me as so odd, I suppose because when I was a kid, the thought of riding one’s bike AND talking on the phone was the farthest thing from reality. How things change....
Something else I thought of yesterday and posted on my FB page; “If we lose compassion for other’s, we lose ourselves.” The thought popped into my head as I was driving to Whole Foods and here was this man out begging in the snow with no coat and no gloves and it was very cold. So many are now in this position because of the economy and sometimes, it just takes a little from each person to make a difference, a coat that is no longer used or a pair of gloves, a fast food meal purchased and given, etc. Compassion in the larger sense as well for each other – everyone is often in such a rush that they have formed a sort of invisible bubble around themselves that insulates them from other’s suffering. Okay, there is my little soap box lecture....just an observation of late, made more keen by my own circumstances of being “discarded” (laid off) when my knee was injured at work and wondering for the first time in my life if I will be able to find a job again before it is too late. We tried to plan and be cautious in what we did, but nothing lasts forever and I think of the phrase, “the best laid plans of mice and men....” So often those best laid plans can be foiled by unexpected things. Lately I have taken to reminding myself how lucky I am though – I still have a roof over my head, clothes on my back and food in my belly. A friend called the other day and took me to see a movie I had wanted to see but could not justify spending money on. It was nice to get out and socialize and forget for awhile all of the other things. This friend has more compassion than anyone else I know and I have often told her that when she dies, she is going straight to Heaven. She always laughs it off and tells me she doubts that. In the end, I think it is the little things that count, all those myriad little things you did that no one knew about except the person who is able to see it all and make the call!!!! Okay, I’m getting a little hokey here, but you get the drift.
October 31, 2010: Trying to Prevent Hawkeye from Starving to Death
October 31, 2010
Sunday, 11:08 am
Each day Hawkeye seems to be eating better. Her beak is barely hanging on. Bob told me to cut it off, but I’m trying to see what it does, will it heal like that or will she eventually knock it off herself? Meanwhile, I try to feed her by hand as much as possible and she is now used to the routine and will fly up to the highest place near me away from the others.
Goldie and Ellie are still at war. This morning Ellie was in her box and Goldie was as puffed up as I had ever seen her. Farrah was in Hawkeye’s box nosing around. When Farrah jumped out, Ellie decided to go over to that box instead. I took the opportunity to pick up Goldie and put her back in her box and it took her awhile to stop chattering at Ellie who was now across from her, but she eventually settled down. I went to pick some grass and weeds for the birds and when I got back into the run, Ellie was now in the box with Goldie and Goldie was not budging!!!! Ellie had spread her wings over Goldie and couldn’t sit down. I realized Ellie wasn’t going to move because she was ready to lay her egg, with her tail almost hanging out of the box. And sure enough, as soon as I realized it, out plopped Ellie’s egg, still glistening wet with it’s protective coating, right in front of Goldie’s eyes. I was curious what was going through Goldie’s mind at that moment, because had Goldie been a few inches closer, the egg would have hit her on the head. She seemed non-plussed by the event and didn’t budge. I stroked Ellie and told her she was a good girl and then lifted her up from underneath. She froze in that position and let me put her into Hawkeye’s box where she then jumped down and went about her business as if nothing had happened. They do continue to amaze me. Anyone who ever thought chickens don’t each have individual personalities, hasn’t spent enough time with them. People may think they are “dumb” creatures and have a “chicken brain”, but all that aside, they have a life and a world all their own, full of interactions and reactions.
October 30, 2010: Broken Beaks
October 30, 2010
Saturday
The run-in with the hawk left Hawkeye with the tip of her beak broken almost completely off and Chanel’s beak cracked at the base. I was so upset, poor Hawekeye wasn’t eating and the others were pecking at the blood specks on her. Here, the dominant hen, was being pecked on. I did not want her to die. For all her ferociousness, I had come to really like Hawkeye and it seemd unfair to her, she had just started laying beautiful green eggs. I sent a note to Bob to ask for advice.
Later, I went out and she was hungry and was eating from my hand as much as she could, obviously having difficulty but I found if I tore off small pieces of dandelion greens, she would gobble those down. She could no longer peck at hard foods and was having trouble picking anything up, like the food crumbles they always have to eat. Still, to my surprise both she and Ellie laid an egg shortly after the Hawk attack and today as well.
I did put sheets of leftover plywood I had all up against the back of the coop and about one third of the way on each side so that if the hawk comes again, atleast the birds will have two corners and the back to hide in that he cannot fly to and make them run again. They seemed to be calmer because of it. Right now I’ve got the boards propped up with cement path edgers but will eventually nail it in I suppose. Should prevent drafts in the Winter too.
October 29, 2010: The Freddy Kruger of Chickenville Strikes.....
October 29, 2010
Friday, 9:07 am
Sheer terror broke out in the chicken coop this morning. At 8 am, I awoke to the sound of screaming chickens. The Freddy Kruger of Chickenville, with his razor-sharp talons, had decided to strike. A hawk was continuously flying into the sides of the run and the poor chickens, completely terrified, would tear to the other side of the coop, piling into and on top of each other, only to have the hawk then fly to whatever side they were on.
I started screaming at the hawk from my bedroom window and he paid me not one bit of mind. I jumped out of bed, grabbed my cane and went out after him. Insolent little booger wouldn’t even fly until I was within six feet of him and then only to fly to a nearby tree until I threw a dead branch at him.
The chickens, not knowing that he cannot get into the cage with them, had smashed themselves into each other like a stampede trying to escape a burning house, there were broken and missing feathers, bloody beaks and faces.
Afterward, the larger chickens all crept into the nesting boxes to hide, even the ones who had not begun laying yet. I felt a little tickle on my ankles and looked down to find the two bantams, Goldie and Raven, hiding under the pants legs of my pajama’s.
So here it is, 50 degrees out and I’m standing in the chicken run in my pj’s, trying to comfort the terrified chickens. No wonder they have been so skittish lately and Goldie and Raven stopped laying. Yesterday I thought it was cute that they were both in their boxes near the end of the day, it was very picturesque. Now I know they were probably hiding out from the damned hawk!
I have decided hawks and I no longer like each other. This is war.
October 28, 2010: Goldie and Ellie at War and Egg Laying Party
October 28, 2010
Thursday
Goldie and Ellie were having a war today. Ellie was in the box first and Goldie wanted in there and was quite irritated. She was fussing and had fluffed up every feather on her body to make herself look more menacing. Ellie was having none of it and each time Goldie would try to enter the box, Ellie would peck at her. The last time, Ellie grabbed hold of Goldie’s comb and started pulling on it to much squawking from Goldie. I intervened and said, “Enough Ellie!” Goldie, her ego hurt, was picked up and coddled by me, where she laid in my arms and murmured her woes as I petted her. She is a silly little thing, in many ways, almost the “ideal” chicken and feisty for all the few ounces that she weighs!!!
As Ellie got ready to lay, she was like Cleopatra with an entourage around her encouraging her on. For all the pecking Ellie does to Goldie, Farrah jumped up and right into the nest with Ellie and laid down next to her, two large hens cram-jammed into a bantam size nesting box. Not a word of protest from Ellie, testament to their friendship. Eventually, Farrah figured out it was not an ideal situation and went and laid in the box across from Ellie (Hawkeye’s box), but that was not close enough still, so she got up and squashed herself into the narrow strip of wood between the two boxes and laid down there....waiting for the main event.
Then both Hawkeye and Chanel jumped up as well, Hawkeye standing on top of the box outside of Ellie’s nest, Chanel on the bottom platform, Raven in her box underneath Ellie. Farrah would turn her head upside down and look down into Raven’s box to see what she was doing. It was a funny site. Eventually Ellie laid her egg and the party broke up.
October 27, 2010: Spearmint for the Chickens
October 27, 2010
Wednesday, 4:04pm
Goldie laid late today. I have seen her at the moment of lay several times now and yet it is always still fascinating. She arches up on her toes, arches her head, pushes her chest forward as far as she can and you can tell that she is “pushing” and eventually, out comes the egg. A few seconds afterward, she stays still as if stunned or “recovering” and will then eventually jump out of the nest and go about her business as if nothing had happened. This time I picked her up and stroked her back and head and she stood in the palm of my hand making little murmuring noises.
I had also brought some fresh spearmint in for the birds to try. They didn’t appear to care for it on their first bite or maybe were perplexed by it, but after that, then they liked it.... Hmm, spearmint flavored eggs? Probably not so good, but I bet the oils and ingredients in the spearmint could have beneficial health effects for the chickens. I also put some Thai basil in there, they didn’t seem to care for it and would bite it and then spit it out. Funny little critters.
Goldie will be the only one to lay today since Raven is taking a hiatus, going on eight days now and the other three laid late in the day yesterday. Brian brought a dozen multi-colored eggs to work today. It will be interesting to see what the reaction will be.
October 25, 2010: Falling Off the Deep End and Hawkeye Lays her First Egg
October 25, 2010
Monday, 11:14am
Catching up on the last few days – in a second....
I just watched Goldie lay her egg, standing, neck arched forward and out it plopped. A few minutes later, Ellie, who couldn’t wait any longer and had gone into the box across from Goldie, stood up and walked back into Goldie’s box which was now empty. Within minutes, she laid her egg too. I’m sure most of my friends think I have fallen off the deep end with this chicken thing, but it has changed me forever. Once you raise a chicken from a day old, watch it grow and feather out and develop its own distinct personality and then begin laying (I suppose the equivalent of a human reaching “puberty”) you are changed. You see that it is not necessarily easy or pain free for the chickens to lay eggs, you watch them strain and arch their neck and dig into the floor with their claws and you begin to equate it to a human going into labor DAILY. Once you feel an egg in your hand that is still warm and know that it came from a chicken’s body...things change. Eggs are no longer something that comes off a shelf, nicely enclosed in a carton in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. Eggs become....real. Instead of taking them for granted, I now have a keen appreciation for where they really come from and the labor that goes into making them, both my own and the birds. It reconnects you with the earth, makes you thankful for your food again and is its own kind of special blessing – a reckoning of who we were and who we now are, how far we’ve come and perhaps some things we’ve lost.
That said, I was right...Hawkeye was next to lay. Now I know that I was not “hustled” and that she truly is an Easter-Egger, for she laid a long, narrow, pointy, gorgeous matte green egg on Friday. The second one was much larger and rounder. As Hawkeye started laying, Raven decided to stop. Not sure if it was a scare from the hawk swoop or if she is just resting. She has appeared to be semi-broody, sitting on the nest but hopping off a lot as well.
So now next will be Farrah, although she doesn’t really seem very interested yet. Last of course will be Chanel. They have now laid over 90 eggs. I imagine shortly they will slow down as Winter approaches. I went to show the Haithcock’s the new green egg and they commented on how hard the egg shells were from the eggs I have given them. It seems to make more of an impression on people than the color of the yolks.
October 19, 2010: Hawk Checking Things Out
October 19, 2010
Tuesday, 5:18pm
A few interesting things of note lately, yesterday I heard screaming from the chicken coop and a dread rushed over me as I ran to the back door. It sounded like something had managed to get into the coop and was attacking the chickens. However, it was a hawk flying off after he saw me, the bird feeder post swaying from where he had been perching very near to the chickens. They had screamed and run to their safety corner so I don’t know if he had been on top of the coop and then went to the bird feeder stand or what, but it had caused great alarm. I was on the phone with Raymond, an old friend, whom until that moment, I had never known, had chickens when he was growing up. He told me I must move the bird feeder perch or the fear of the hawk will make the chickens stop laying. He then expounded on all the ways something will try to get in the coop.
Today, before noon, Goldie (I should call her Good as Gold Goldie) laid. She seems to be a model chicken and I wish I knew without a doubt what breed she is. I think she is a Nankin Bantam but not 100% sure. She lays almost every day, one oval brown, perfectly shaped little egg. Not much ruffles her feathers, she could brood and rear young quite well and she loves to jump on my hand to feed, but doesn’t attack you when you go to collect her eggs.
Raven was on the nest by 1pm but didn’t lay until 5:10pm. I was getting worried about her. None of the hens has EVER laid that late. I think the hawk may have gotten to her and thrown her schedule off a bit. I was sitting in the coop, feeding Chanel by hand to make sure she was getting her fair share, when Raven stood up and started heaving her chest forward. Soon after, out popped a round, white egg, still wet and glistening from the protective coating applied to it. She remained standing for awhile as if letting the protective coating dry, and then settled back down on it. I thought, “Oh no, is she becoming broody?” Not long after though, up she hopped and went back to eating. Ellie laid after 3pm yesterday so no egg from her today and I doubt there will be an egg from Raven tomorrow since she laid so late today. It is odd that they can all be pretty much in sync for days, laying close together and then will start laying at all different times on different days.
Oh, the other eventful happening.....when I was sitting in the chair, I reached out to pet Hawkeye, who was on the ground near my feet and instead of running like she normally does, she squatted, spread her wings and gave the submissive position, allowing me to pet her. I was stunned! I even went and checked to see if she had laid an egg perhaps. No egg, but I have a feeling it won’t be long now for her. She is one of the feistiest ones, so for her to do that is unusual.
Chanel was more docile than usual and huddled around my feet eating whatever I gave her. I think she was enjoying the attention and the food. They have been picking her neck feathers off, especially Farrah. I am wanting to get some fat on Chanel since she will need the insulation since she is not sleeping in the coop with the others.
Even as things become routine and I begin to think my chicken fascination is wearing off, they still have things to teach and show me...
October 14, 2010: Goldie gets to the box first!
October 14, 2010
Thursday, 11:55am
Woke up to a nice drizzling rain, perfect sleeping weather.
Today’s drama is yesterday’s drama in reverse. Raven, since she didn’t lay yesterday, was up early to lay first. Then Goldie started announcing around 11am, so I looked out to see what was going on. She went into the nest box and sat down and then Ellie was frantic to get into the box as well amidst much warning squawks from Goldie. So today, Goldie made it to the box first and Ellie will have to wait or choose another box. Ellie is not making nearly as much a stink about it as Goldie did and I have come to the conclusion that bantams are more vocal than standards, although it could just be “my” bantams or the particular breeds I have or perhaps that they were raised by hand from chicks??? Not sure at this point, but they definitely do not have a problem speaking their mind.
Ellie eventually hopped up and went into the box where she used to lay, the larger box across from Goldie, but she didn’t seem satisfied with it and jumped back down. I heard squawking again and peeked out and there was Hawkeye, looking like SHE wanted in Goldie’s box as well and then she went and sniffed around the box opposite for awhile and then hopped back down. It will be awful if they all (except Raven – the smart one!) decide to nest in the same box, especially since the remaining three are huge. Ellie is relatively small and can get away with it, but the others, I don’t think so....
So, today I believe we will have three eggs and I will be able to give a full dozen to Mr. Haithcock. Next we’ll give some to a manager at Brian’s work and then to us and then cycle back through I guess of all the other people who we’ve been giving eggs to. The list grew pretty quickly! Brian skipped his first two classes today and slept in, trying to catch up on sleep he will need for this coming weekend. He goes to Camp LeJeune all weekend and they will do a 13k hike in full gear. The CO has informed them he is going to “wear them out and that their a%^&* are his.” Brian will come home sick once again as he always does when they insist on inflicting personal pain on the troops out of a super-sized sense of testosterone-laden macho bravado. It either makes them stronger or kills them, I’m not sure which, all I know is that Brian comes home sick and sunburnt to a crisp for several days each time they do this. No wonder they call them “leather-necks”, they practically give them skin cancer during training and stopping to put on sunscreen is viewed as being a sissy, even stopping to go to the bathroom. I do believe in strength and training, but sometimes wonder at how far they have to go. I think it turns into a form of masochism after awhile.
Brian did come home last night inquiring how many eggs we had gotten yesterday. It must be wearing off on him. :-)
1:00pm
Goldie laid her egg around 12:30pm and Ellie hopped right in after her, laying hers at 1pm while I was standing there. Before Ellie could jump out of the box, Hawkeye jumped up and was messing around again in the box opposite Ellie. I had already gone inside when Hawkeye jumped out, none too graciously, somehow knocking the large fake egg out with her, but not onto the ground, which would have seemed it’s obvious course, but onto the top of the large bottom nesting box which was diagonal from the box she had been in, having to skip over an open space in the process. If I knew it didn’t fit in her beak, I would have sworn she picked it up and put it there! Both Hawkeye and Farrah are showing some interest, but I cannot tell if it is just curiosity at this point or if they are getting ready to lay. Both of their combs have turned red, but they don’t seem to be “obviously” ready to lay like the others were so I’ve given up trying to pinpoint an exact date for them and will just have to be surprised by it I guess.
Time to go take some more online career classes...joy, joy....
October 13, 2010: Goldie and Ellie raise holy H#$%......
October 13, 2010
Weds., 10:04 am
We have a new problem this morning. At 8 am, I was awakened by Goldie sounding off at the top of her lungs. I went out and sure enough, no egg yet, but a new development instead...... Ellie was sitting in the nest waiting to lay an egg - which I knew was coming since she didn’t lay yesterday. However, a short time later, Goldie started sounding off again. What the h? So I walked out AGAIN. Now she has sounded off about six times. I’m sure my neighbors are absolutely loving me right about now, thank goodness most are already at work! Well, I finally figured it out, Goldie is mad that Ellie is in her nest because she is ready to lay her egg and is trying to tell Ellie, “GET OUT OF MY NEST! I CHOSE THIS NEST FIRST!” When Goldie would get near the nest though, Ellie would squawk a warning at her. Then, it got interesting, Goldie wouldn’t stop sounding off, so then Ellie started sounding off too, as if they were having a screaming match: “Leave me alone damn it, I’m doing the best I can and can’t speed the process up. You’re just going to have to wait Goldie!!!” Now as I type this, Ellie is squawking again, but not Goldie, so maybe she HAS finally laid?
Farrah got in on the act as well, hopping up again and laying outside the box next to Ellie, offering moral support. In addition, Hawkeye has been going in and out of the bottom boxes. Chanel is probably wondering what on earth is going on and is taking advantage of the distraction to nibble food before the others chase her away.
I did my best to try and coax Goldie to another box to lay but she was having none of it. My fear now is that they will ALL want to lay in the same box (except Raven who has chosen a different box). At one point, I picked Goldie up and cradled her in the crook of my left arm while I petted her with my right hand, she even laid her head down on my arm and let me scratch her head, murmuring softly. Her feathers are a bit stuck together from getting watermelon juice and then dirt on them so I was trying to loosen them up. I thought for awhile she was going to lay her egg on my arm.
Hah, hah, Ellie is out of the nest, so her cackling must’ve been to announce she laid. Now I wonder if all the theories about why they announce in the first place may be wrong??? Maybe instead they are saying, “Get out of the nest, it’s my turn!” even perhaps in the wild, maybe they share nests and take turns raising the young???
Sure enough, I went out there, new chicken shaped wire egg basket (purchased from the Antique Store yesterday) in hand, and Ellie had laid and Goldie was already in the box rolling Ellie’s egg underneath her. I reached in and pulled Ellie’s egg out and gently placed it in the egg basket. I almost wanted to take a picture of the egg in the basket, a very nostalgic and charming picture
indeed. I felt like Laura Ingall’s on Little House on the Prairie, coming in with the day’s cache.
Oh, the egg basket.....years ago, Woodie, the 85 year old neighbor that asked me to marry him (yes seriously, senility does strange things to you), gave me an old white wire antique egg basket. (A funny aside, when I finally told his grown children WHY I wasn’t going over to visit their father as much, they laughed and his daughter said, “Well, he always WAS the cock of the roost!” I didn’t think it was so funny at the time, but considering I am now writing about keeping chickens and everything “chicken”, it does have some humor in it.)
He also collected covered chicken dishes, where the top was a hen laying and the bottom part was her nest. He had given me one of those as well. I ended up selling the wire basket in a garage sale to a woman who, recognizing it for what it was, snatched it up. I thought I would never have occasion to use it and it was gathering dust in my garage. Lately, I had really been regretting that decision, especially because of who gave it to me and the nostalgia behind it, it was “the real thing” I suppose. And Woodie, moved to a nursing home and I am not even sure he is still among us. Anyway, I went on the hunt yesterday to an antique store, and though, not old, found a black wire basket in the shape of a chicken, with little carrying handles, so that became my egg basket. I had found another, in plain steel that was collapsible, which probably was the real McKoy, but it did not appeal to me. So now, Mrs. Chicken Basket sits proudly on the corner of my hearth, next to the door, waiting to do her egg-collecting duty.
October 12, 2010: Raven lays an egg in front of me
October 12, 2010
Tuesday, 12:49pm
Goldie laid early this morning since she didn’t lay yesterday. I went out to check on them a little later than usual, around noon, and they all ran over and huddled at the door, obviously hungry. They have crumbles in there 24/7 but I don’t think they much like them and eat them only as a last resort. Either that or I have just spoiled them way too much, because they wait to see what I will bring them and as always, favoring grass and weeds above all else. Now I feel guilty if I don’t go dig some up for them each day. For now, hoeing it out of the overgrown garden suffices since the soil is loose and I can take a claw hoe and pull it out relatively easy, a great way to recycle the “weeds”. However, once I’ve gone through all the weeds in the garden, the task of providing fresh greens will become more difficult and Winter will limit what is available I think. I also gave them some raw walnuts and some steel cut oats.
I doubt Ellie will lay today since she laid after 2:30pm yesterday, but Raven might. Brian made scrambled eggs with feta cheese, toast and bacon yesterday for breakfast. Absolutely delicious. They are producing so regularly now that we don’t run out of eggs. Soon, I’ll set some aside to give to Mr. Haithcock.
Last night Brian and I both heard a noise out near the coop. I didn’t say anything at first and lay in bed listening to see if I would hear it again. He spoke up first and said, “Did you hear that?” I said, “Yes.” We were both wondering if something was trying to get into the coop and so I sat up and grabbed the flash light and shone it out there. Nice to know that he cares enough about them to worry too if something is out there trying to get at them. Maybe they are swaying him to their side after all?
Raven laid at 2:40pm. I was feeding the girls some dandelion greens and heard her start to make some noises so I looked over at her and she was squatting, heaving her chest forward and then out plopped an egg. It’s the first time I’ve seen Raven lay. I went to pet her and tell her she was a good girl and she opened her beak at me and gave a warning. Raven’s instincts are very strong when it comes to protecting her eggs. After she has laid she will squawk at any of the hens who jump up onto the nesting platform and get anywhere near the nesting boxes. She stayed in the box for awhile as if waiting for me to go away, so I went back to feeding the others. Goldie jumped up onto the platform and I was feeding her in front of Raven. Eventually Raven decided to come out and have some greens as well before jumping down to the ground. Today’s egg is less round than normal, more oblong and more cream than her usual white. I wonder why? It was still very warm when I picked it up. I remember the first time I held a warm egg over at John and Renee’s house, strangely, it seemed more “real” than once they turn cold. Perhaps it is that we are so used to buying products in the grocery store in packages and are now so far removed from where they actually come from, that it creates this strange sensation in us. Michael Pollan’s book; “Omnivore’s Dilemma” is a good way to discover how true this assertion is. I think too, we now take food for granted because not only do we not understand where it comes from or how it was produced, we have no hand in producing it ourselves and it becomes just one more commodity that we buy, having no appreciation for the actual sweat that went into it. Okay, off the soapbox. For now, it is enough to know that the greens, fruits, nuts, berries, and seeds that I give my chickens are magically transformed into eggs that are superior in quality to any I could buy at the grocery store. I am thankful that my girls produce this bounty and I try to repay it by providing them with safety, nutritious food and healthy surroundings - even though there is some guilt associated with “taking” their eggs. I don’t know if they would consider it a fair trade off. I would very much like them to be able to each raise a brood of their own at least once. I know Goldie and Raven would make excellent mothers. I wonder how my neighbors would take to me “borrowing” a rooster for two weeks or so??? If I had my way, I’d convince all of my neighbors to have small backyard flocks, with focus on the rare breeds. We could breed to each others chickens to ensure a diverse gene pool as well. Now there’s a thought....I’ll be anxious to see if it will rub off on any of my neighbors. Many of them had chickens when they were younger. If the economy keeps going the way it has been, many of them may yet have them again!
October 11, 2010: 16 Egg Week
October 11, 2010
Monday, 5:30pm
Ended up with three eggs total yesterday, so that makes 16 for the week – not too shabby for three hens! At that rate, I’m wondering how many we will get when they are all laying...holy cow!
Two eggs today, Raven at 11am and Ellie sometime around 3pm. Goldie laid late yesterday, the latest any of the hens have ever laid, so I didn’t think she would lay today.
Yesterday all three laid. Goldie started announcing at 1:45pm but yet again when I walked out there, there was no egg, not until 4pm. Silly bird. Each time one of the hens is on the nest, Farrah is up there poking her nose in, so curious. Hawkeye sometimes goes into a box and sits down, however, other than that, they are not showing any other signs of laying. The graphs I have made of laying times are helping me to see the “average” time of day that they lay. Also the quantity laid also helps me see how they are keeping pace with each other. They are laying more than the books say they should. It seems the more I feed them, the more they lay. They prefer grass and weeds above all else.
Poor Brian, he got mad last night watching Chanel taking a pounding from the others in the coop come roosting time. Once he got out of the run, Chanel hopped out of the coop as fast as she could and went back up to roost on top of the nest boxes. So hard watching some of their crueler behaviors. Brian wanted to “peck” at the ones pecking at Chanel but I was afraid he would hurt or upset them and they wouldn’t want to lay if they were getting ready to. It is hard not to interfere with some of their harsher traits, but I try to remember that Nature has somehow worked it out this way for a reason. I’ve seen just about all of them get pecked at one time or another, except for Hawkeye, however, Chanel has taken the brunt of it on a regular basis. I’ve been in coddling and petting her more at night. She gets alarmed at first but then lets out a sort of low chirp, almost like she is telling me her woes but also liking the attention.
October 10, 2010: Creating Chicken Tracking/Egg laying Charts
October 10, 2010
Sunday, 11:41 am
Woke up to the sound of Raven chattering and complaining. She usually does this once she has laid an egg and is warning the others to stay away from it, or right before she is about to lay. I went out at 10am and it was already cold. I figured she might be the only one to lay today since Ellie and Goldie both laid yesterday. Perhaps Goldie too who lays almost every day, but I look out there now and Ellie is on the nest, half her behind sticking out of the small box which she insists on laying in even though it is too small for her. So we’ll have two, maybe even three eggs today. Good thing because we sent Brian’s Dad home with a half dozen last night. He has taken to bringing the empty egg cartons to the house so that lets us know they are in need of more, plus I have asked people to save their old cartons so we won’t have to buy any.
I’ve been taking some Project Management PDU’s (classes) since I have been unemployed and yesterday’s classes were about charts and measuring quality. Sooooooooo.............this morning I got the bright idea to create some charts on the laying schedules of the hens. It became easier to do the first chart simply on quantity of eggs laid per hen thus far. Took some aggravation and a bit of time more to plot lines of the times they lay, an estimate since I could figure out how to put the exact times on the axis and used numbers instead of times to approximate, still, it gives an idea of the schedules they follow. After plotting them all on one chart, I broke them down into charts for each individual hen and was done for the day with charts....blech!
The nice clean water I put in the run yesterday is already filled with dirt from the dirt bath party they had yesterday after I raked out a lot of the old dried up weeds. Perhaps I should rake the other side instead and make that their dirt bath area? Either that or it will be a constant struggle to keep the water clean, which it already is anyway.
Ellie’s tail feathers are looking very raggedy lately, not sure why. Could be the way she is sleeping in the coop. Poor Chanel has decided the heck with the coop even though I’ve snuck in a gozillion times now and put her back in after dark. Hawkeye mercilously pecks her in the face and neck and Chanel will eventually jump out and go back to her new sleeping spot on top of the nesting boxes. Poor thing, I don’t know what I will do when it gets cold out. I’ll have to think of something for her. She has a ton of feathers, but not much fat on her yet and I feel she’ll need the shared warmth of the others. They CAN be so cruel to each other at times and I fall back on that is it MY fault for bringing Chanel into the flock. Had her friends turned out to be hens instead of roosters, at least she would have had her own “posse” to hang out with, but then again, 8 chickens versus 6 would have been too many I think. That is the thing with keeping chickens, it is evident quickly where you have made a mistake in strategy. It is a great learning tool and it makes me wonder how much knowledge we have lost as a civilization when so few people farm, grow food or keep animals like this anymore. All the old tricks and tips that were passed down. Animals are such fascinating creatures....sometimes we forget that we are animals too. I’ve always thought that if you adopt an animal, you are responsible for it’s happiness and well-being because it didn’t ask to be adopted by you, you chose to adopt it. I also think animals are God’s angels in disguise, put her to teach us and befriend us. Their loyalty and unconditional love through all types of adversity is amazing. I had a friend once who didn’t particularly care for my dog, but when my dog died suddenly, she later told me, “Your dog taught me to love her.” I think that says it all....
October 9, 2010: Brian has chicken fever
October 9, 2010
Sat., 3:55pm
I think Brian just may have chicken fever. Thursday, he hopped out of bed and said, “I’m going to check for eggs.” I said, “okay”. In he came announcing he had found two eggs and asking if I wanted sausage, eggs and toast for breakfast. He has been sneaking out there almost every day bringing them little treats and wants to bring some eggs in for the people at work.
Thursday, they ended up laying a total of three eggs, Ellie laid late in the day about 3:30pm, whereas Goldie and Raven laid before 11am. Friday, both Goldie and Raven laid again, Goldie before noon and Raven after 1:30pm.
Today Ellie laid bright and early, there was an egg in the box before 10am, already cold. Goldie laid at 12:30pm, egg still warm. Not sure Raven will lay today or not, if so, it will be late in the afternoon. I have a feeling they do not lay after a certain time in the day.
I cleaned out the coop finally. I’m sure they will be happy for it not to be so smelly. Changed the water, gave them some flax and sunflower seeds and grass from weeding the garden. They were digging mightily through the thick bed of dried weeds in the run, so I decided to rake out half the run and expose it back to dirt and then sprinkled some scratch grain as a treat. They were delighted and immediately went to dust bathing and digging vigorously in the dirt. I think I’ll keep at least half always showing in dirt now.
I dumped all the dried weeds and the “coop poop” into the compost pile in the back. I cut back the okra since it was about 8 feet tall and want to see if it will side sprout. Some did produce side sprouts even before I cut it back, so this is an experiment to see if “topping” it will also produce side sprouts and more okra. I pulled out all of the hot pepper and jalapeno plants and laid them out to finish drying up and pulled out all of the support trellises. Enough to wear me out for the day.
The chickens have laid a total of 13 eggs so far this week (since Monday) and I am wondering how many the total will be by the time we reach Sunday. Ellie is on her fifth egg now and they seem to just keep getting bigger and bigger, but of course, everything looks big next to the bantam eggs. We have given some to Bennie, the neighbor and twice now to Brian’s Dad. I think the next batch will go to Mr. Haithcock. I suppose the plus of sharing eggs, besides it being a nice thing to do, is that those who receive eggs might not be so upset if our chickens ever get loose and wander into their yard. I really would like them to free range in the back yard eventually, pulling weeds and grass for them every day gets tiring – but they love the greens above all else.
Today I gave them some old green beans off the vine as well, sat in the run with them and peeled them and held the individual beans while they pecked away at them. They found them to be a very tasty new treat but then got bored of them. One of their latest favorite treats are the berries off of my curly leaf privet bushes. Ah, another day of chickendom....was fun seeing their bliss at taking a dust bath again.
October 8, 2010: Bugs in the chicken feed
October 8, 2010
Friday
Made a trip to the Tractor Supply store, bought some crushed oyster shells, grit and a new bag of scratch grain. Also a metal trashcan for the scratch grain with a tight fitting lid. The guy who worked there said it is difficult to keep bugs out of the grain and that he feeds it to the chickens anyway since they like to eat bugs. I was afraid to do that since I didn’t know what type of bugs they were and looked like miniature versions of black sword fish and I didn’t relish the thought of them being some type of blood sucker, poking those swords into the chickens.
When I got home, I put the grain in the new trashcan and then put their bags of crumbles into the old plastic storage bin that the chicks had lived in for awhile. It was clean since I had kept shavings on the bottom. I took some duct tape and taped the lid back together where I had cut it to put the heat lamp on, so that the lid would fit tightly again as well and keep the bugs out. Also swept up the wood shavings from off the garage floor, now all is nice and neat again. Took out a large mason jar to use as a scoop for each bin.
October 6, 2010: Brian collects his first egg.
October 6, 2010
Weds., 11:03am
Well my plan of letting Brian collect the eggs didn’t even go into effect, because I slept in late this morning and when I awoke, my husband was nowhere to be found. I peaked out, and there he was squatting down in the chicken coop in his pajama’s, communing with the chickens and feeding them some scraps he had brought home from work. (And I thought I was the only one who went to visit the chickens in my pj’s.)
Shortly thereafter, he came inside, a little egg in his hand and asking me whose it was....and advising that Ellie was sitting in a nest box as well. I doubt he’ll ever admit it, but I think he’s hooked. He, he, he.....
October 5, 2010: Chicken of the Mountain
October 5, 2010
Tuesday
I weeded the front garden today and dumped it all into the chicken coop in a huge pile. They loved it and had a blast playing Chicken of the Mountain. Later when I went out to check on them, they were all filthy dirty from digging in the pile of weeds and dirt. One egg today from old faithful.... Goldie.
October 4, 2010: Creating Watermelon Fruit Bowls
October 4, 2010
Monday, 12:56pm
Goldie again announced she had laid an egg this morning – PRIOR to laying. When I walked out and asked her what was the matter, she kept squawking little mini-squawks at me as if she was answering me. It was the funniest thing.
I went out a little while ago and Ellie was in the box where Goldie had been, although she doesn’t really fit in it. I saw her moving the fake egg around and wondered if she was also sitting on Goldie’s egg, so I risked getting a peck to put my hand under her to see and pulled out Goldie’s egg. Her eggs have changed to a lighter shade of brown now, not sure why.
I pulled the chair inside the coop and sat there cradling Goldie’s perfectly shaped brown egg in my hand and waited on Ellie. Farrah, who is sort of a ditz, hopped up and tried to get into the box with Ellie, even though Ellie barely fit into it herself. I got up and gently guided Farrah into the large box across from Ellie. She stayed in there for a little while, but then hopped out and proceeded to lay down on the top of the large box next to Ellie’s small box, all the time making a little purring/clucking sound to Ellie as if lending moral support. Each time Ellie would stand to rearrange herself, Farrah would purr some more and stretch her neck to look at Ellie as if waiting for the egg to drop out. It was the strangest thing. Then Ellie stood up on the edge of the nest box and began reaching into the large box across from her and picking out wood shavings and tossing them over her right or left shoulder and even a big pile on her back. It was hysterical, it was as if she decided there were not enough wood shavings in her own box so she was going to pull them from the other box. Before it was over, she had moved to the large nest box which is where she had laid her first egg. They are all too much. Meanwhile, Hawkeye’s comb and wattles are getting bigger and redder and she has begun showing an interest in the boxes, going in and laying down for short periods of time, so I’m guessing she will lay before Farrah.
I was weeding the other day and noticed one of the watermelons that was not fully developed was on a brown vine, so I picked it and put it in the coop to break open later for the chickens. Needless to say, they couldn’t wait and the next time I went in the coop, they had pecked two neat holes through the rind and cleaned out the insides and were drinking the juice that was left. It looked like one of those fruit filled watermelons you see at parties with a handle on top.
Chanel is sleeping outside the coop again. I guess they peck at her so badly when she tries to go in that sometimes she just opts to sleep on top of the nesting boxes by herself instead. However, it’s getting cold at night and eventually she is going to need the shared warmth, so last night after dark, I went in and picked her up, amidst some muffled squawking, pushed the hens over on their perch and slid her in with minimum ruckus. Nobody looks worse for wear today. I guess we’ll see where she opts to sleep tonight.
2:15pm
I heard a loud squawking and thought, “Oh no, now what? Is something in the coop? A snake maybe?” I had already gone out and gotten Ellie’s egg which she almost laid out of the box, having switched once again back to the small box. I ran to the back door and went outside, it sounded like a strangled cat. Goldie and Ellie had already laid their eggs, Goldie had already announced her egg prior to laying it, so what was going on? There stood Ellie with Farrah, on top of the coop, squawking for all she was worth, I guess either a delayed announcement, “Hey everybody, I laid an egg too!!!” or she was announcing that Raven was now in the box getting ready to lay...lol I walked out and sure enough, Raven was huddled up in the lower right small box, her new “usual” place.
Lately, I have been peeking out the window to find Brian has ventured out to the chicken coop and is offering them some kitchen scraps, or digging up the dead grass on the floor so they can get to any bugs hiding underneath, or he is trying to pet the chickens. Farrah seems to like him which is a good thing because she’ll barely let me near her. The cutest thing was watching him lean over and check out all of the nesting boxes looking for an egg. He won’t admit it, but secretly, I think he hopes to find an egg. Each time I talk about finding an egg he makes a comment about how crazy I am over the chickens, but in his heart, I think he wants to find one too. I think next time when he will be at home during the day, I won’t collect the eggs so he can find them himself.
If Raven lays today as well, it will be our first THREE EGG DAY!..... That will be 8 eggs in four days. Brian’s Dad came over last night for chili and football and we sent him home with a half dozen of assorted colors and sizes. I gave my neighbor Bennie about 9 eggs the other day and he was bragging how many it took to make an omelet and how he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to because the shells were so hard to crack. It’s nice to see others enjoying the eggs as well.
2:50pm
Just collected Raven’s egg, still warm. Our first “three egg day” – a new milestone. Now, unless someone new lays their first egg today, we are done with gifts and surprises for the day....bummer. I feel like a kid in a new candy store. I must be going insane. Who gets this excited about their chickens laying eggs???
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