Fall is here...

Well, I looked at the calendar today and it came to me that IT IS NOVEMBER!!

Oh my, where did this year go?

Our hens have been laying eggs a little over a month now. Right after my last post of the two white hens dying, the first egg appeared.

No other chickens became sick, so I wonder if it was somehow related?

We've now placed paneling and foam insulation over the front of the coop to prepare it for winter. The paneling only goes up 4' to keep the chickens from eating the foam board, which seems to be a special treat to them for some reason??!

We are getting about a dozen eggs a day now. Fortunately we are selling them as fast as we get them in, so that we aren't piling up on them.

More to come later, with photos...

The Good and Bad

Sadly we lost two white chickens this past week. One seemed sick for a couple of days before she passed. The other passed quickly, and may have been heat related.

Meanwhile Gimpy, our crippled chicken continues to thrive. She has learned to half-fly/run to get where she needs to go. She has been crippled since she came to us. I keep her leg bandaged, so she doesn't get sores on it. I really didn't think she would survive to adulthood, but she is surprising everyone.

George (our Silkie) was featured in a local video this week. I'll give the URL to watch later, but it is top secret until it's local release.

Leopold is getting his tail plumage going, and is learning to crow. It is sooo funny to hear, but he's getting better and better.

The two little ducklings are doing great, despite the intense heat this past week. We have named them Hansel and Gretel.  They are starting to get their white tail feathers in, and are about 3X their original size. One is even attempting to quack now, instead of peeping all the time.

No eggs yet...waiting with baited breath.

The Rooster Crows...

This weekend Leopold has started to try to crow. I say "try" because it is really ridiculous! George will crow and crow and crow, which gets Leopold going...and it sounds like a long croak. It makes me laugh.

We had some sadness this week, as our incubated duck eggs didn't make it. One made it all the way to hatching and then survived three days out of the egg, before passing. Her egg yolk never absorbed all of the way, and she never thrived. We call her a she, because Clara named her Eponine (from Les Miserables). There could be a variety of reasons, but I think the main culprit is that I didn't get the humidity just right.

Our next ducklings are due to hatch in August, praying for better results.

Our garden has blessed us with GREAT results. I've made 3 jars of salsa, 3 jars of tomato sauce, 9 jars of blackberry jelly, 6 jars of blackberry syrup, about a half dozen green peppers, a jar of pickles, and about 2 dozen ears of corn! I'm chopping down the corn stalks and going to try for more green beans-the only veggie that didn't thrive. I think I will still have time to get a batch in before winter, but we shall see.

Our chickens continue to grow and fill out, and we are awaiting our first egg.

Until next time...

Duckling Emergency

I know this blog is about chicken raising, but thought I'd share our ducking story, since they are very similar.

We started with two eggs. The "due date" came and went, and one of the eggs turned black, and after candeling it, we knew the chick had died.

The other egg reached 2 days past the due date, when the chick starting pipping the shell. After several hours of no progress, I made a slight hole so the chick could breathe.

Well after along time, the duckling emerged, but with the yolk sack protruding out...so ER situation.

I've been keeping the sac moist, and I've put antibiotic on it, hoping to keep infection away.

Giving the chick very little hope of making it, he/she is surprising me. The yolk seems to be absorbing, although there is still a large bulge. The duckling is starting to stand today, drink some sugar water, and POOPED! So, I'm upping it's chances a bit.

We are still touch and go at this point, but have high hopes of a full recovery!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZRTAzCPSzs&feature=youtu.be

My garden is producing MUCH veggies!

So far I've canned 9 jars of seedless blackberry jam, 6 jars of seedless syrup, 1 jar of pickles, and 8 jars of green pepper jelly. I'm starting on the tomato products, making sauce, salsa, BBQ, etc.

The chickens are all doing well. Gimpy (our little crippled chick) is holding her own. She and George are best mates, and hang out together. Neither is quite as fast as the other chickens, and neither likes to roost very high.

The chickens are all starting to size each other up now, going chest to chest and make a pecking order. It is really comical to watch...like "wanna-be" gangsters acting all tough.

Leopold is really starting to get some color in his feathers.

Until next time...

Waiting...

I've been pretty quiet on here, because not much is happening...but growing.

The girls, and Leopold, have all of their adult features, and they are now "just" getting bigger.

People keep asking about those eggs. Not yet, but soon. Right now they are just getting bigger.

We have incubated two of our duck eggs, and they will be hatching this week! It's been so cool watching them grow and move around inside their shells (through candling). A month of waiting is about to pay off!

Our garden is growing too! I've already harvested some green peppers, tomatoes, pickles, squash, peas, and strawberries. MANY more tomatoes, corn, green beans, black berries, and cucumbers are still growing, but SOON!

I am planning on making my own tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, and berry jams. We have purchased 1/4 of a cow (which is in our freezer), and have half a pig coming soon...then we should not have to visit a grocery store for quite a while!

I made my very first batch of goat cheese last month! I bought the milk at a local grocery, and then proceeded to make the cheese. It was a HUGE success. We used it, mostly, to top off steaks/chops/burgers to add a touch of Heaven to the meat!

I think I'll do it again very soon!

Check back often! I'll update when the blackberries are ready for picking!

Just Growing...

Not a lot has been happening at the coop, but growing.

They chicks are all feathered out, and they just look like small adults, that continue to grow every day.

They are now eating about 4 quarts of feed a day, give or take, depending on how much extras they get (treats and outside forage).

I've almost completed their outside enclosure, but still have to varmint proof the bottom. They really enjoy going outside, as you can see below:

George (the official, FINAL name of the Silkie) has proved that he is indeed a rooster, by starting to crow. As long as he doesn't fight with Leopold, that will be just fine. If they start fighting, then someone will have to find a new home. Silkies are known for their gentle disposition, so I'm hoping they will get along just fine with 15 girls to share.

George's earlobes have turned a bright blue, and his beak is bluing up as well. He is so funny, and starting to strut like a rooster, but like a dorky rooster. He will strut one or two times, then look around to see who is (or mostly who isn't) watching. Then he'll hang his head in shame and pretend it never happened.

Leopold is starting to really grow his comb out. He hasn't exhibited any other rooster behavior. He is like a little road runner, running around everywhere at break neck speed.  He is so funny to watch, darting here and there.

The black chickens remain my favorite, as they are really friendly. One jumps up to eat out of the bowl, as I am filling up their feeder each day. She really likes to be petted too.

As of yet, the girls have remained unnamed (by me), except for one of the white ones. She has had a limp since she was a small chick (it appears to be in her hock), so I call her Gimpy. I am waiting for the others adult feathers to color out, so that I can tell them apart. Right now they just all look the same to me.

Meanwhile my veggie garden continues to grow. We have harvested several strawberries and peas already. The tomatoes have a bunch of greenies growing. Looks to be a good year for us!

P.S. My cancer is remission again. Praying it stays that way for a LONG while!!

Small Grown Chickens...

So, all of my chickens look like miniature adults right now. They have all gotten their "big girl" feathers in, and their fluff is gone.

Here they are, eating rice for a breakfast treat.

The "nipple" watering system was a bust. It leaked everywhere, so Tom is revamping it.

We are going to move their dust bath box to the other side, and install their feeder this week.

All of my veggies are reaching the grown-up stage as well, and many have flowers on them. That means, just a few more weeks until we get to eat their first fruits! The strawberries have already given us plenty of luscious snacks!

I got a nice "Welcome" sign from Tom's parents for Mother's Day.

 Tomatoes are in bloom.

 So are the sweet peas.

 Spinach is looking good.

 Our cozy coop with strawberries.