Excitement in Chicken Land

Holy smokes... we've had our chickens since April, watching them grow from tiny little fluff balls living in our closet to tiny chickens moving into the chicken coop to sizeable pullets roaming around in our garden.  Today they became laying hens!

We've been waiting for the past 6 weeks for an egg to appear, and I'd just about given up hope, thinking they wouldn't lay until next spring... but today, I went out in the drizzling mist to let them out of the coop, give them their morning snack, and fill their bowl inside the coop with grain and mash.  When I opened the side door, wowza... there sat a beautiful egg in the corner, large and brown and just waiting for me to reach in and grab it.  Oh my gosh...was I ever excited!  So was John, who, after admiring it, cooked it for his breakfast.

This evening, we went out to the garden, as we usually do, to let the chickens out to stretch their legs and peck around, carrying our glasses of wine and the dinner I'd fixed for the girls.  John had been gone for most of the day, making damascus steel with his knife-making buddy, and he'd brought home some guacamole and chips from our favorite Mexican restaurant.  We took that with us, and we had to shoo away the chickens who thought they were entitled to a share.  After a while, I saw Lucy go into the coop, but she didn't come back out.  I poked my head in, and she was laying in the corner in a little burrowed out area, so I knew what was happening.  I was beside myself with excitement and curiosity!  I kept peeking in through the stained glass window, trying not to disturb her.  Alice, however, wasn't worried about disturbing Lucy, and she marched up the ramp and went into the coop.  We have never heard such a ruckus from our chickens.  Lucy got up fom her nest in the corner and barked at Alice, who promptly hurried out and scrambled down the ramp.  A little bit later, Lucy came out, and John and I looked in the side door, and there was a brand new egg.  It was still warm to the touch.  I'd been wondering how long the entire event took... about 30 minutes, give or take.  So Lucy came out into the yard, wandered around a bit as if to say, "Okay, I've laid my egg... now where's my supper?"  I got the hint and gave them their snack of persimmons, shredded potato, mushrooms, pizza crust, and corn and mash. 

What a day... one to mark on the calender!  This was a first for me, and I'm quite excited about it.  I'll be having that egg for breakfast tomorrow.

Until next time, enjoy what you have, sing a little song, and let the good times roll!

Come September

Lucy, our Redhead.

It's late August and the hot summer is waning, and we are patiently awaiting our first eggs from our hens.  Each day we check, but no sightings thus far.  We were told that September would be the magic month, and we're counting on it.  John tells the chickens they need to earn their keep, at this point.  They are spoiled rotten, with special treats in the morning and in the evening. These tidbits include of variety of items... blueberries, pasta, potatoes, mushrooms, tomatoes, cooked beans of the green and black varieties, and other such sundry foods... whatever is "leftover" in the fridge or whatever has been a part of our dinner. Each evening we sit with our girls in the garden while they stretch their legs, running around after bugs and flapping their wings.  It's a good time to relax, enjoy a glass of wine, catch our breath, water the remaining tomatoes, peppers, and okra, and simply just be.

Our four girls on the loose, Lucy, Ethel, Alice and Flo.

Life has been good this summer, and the chickens have been amusing, offering much entertainment for us.  So I decided that this blog post, my first in about a month (!), will celebrate these wonderful critters.  

I found some really cool things on Etsy to share with you.

One of my most favorite pieces of chicken art... Chicken Lover by chickory

 A sweet little vintage chicken basket sold by simplychi

Rooster shirt for kids (though I might want one!) by happyfamily

 

Fun little earrings by lizzglizz

Chicken sisters from recycled sweaters by 4EweDesigns

Rooster by hartart13

A wonderfully cheerful vintage box sold by VintageStarrBeads

 

Welcome sign by cottageartshop

Chicken pendant and necklace by HeatherKent

 Lovely rustic yet chic pillow by Samantha2818

Aged garden art by mountainiron

Chickens in wood by bestlovedchild

 And a funky chicken with tattoos by corelladesign 

 Until next time, keep smiling, keep singing, and run barefoot in the grass, y'all!

The Girls Have a New Home

After three weeks of having chicks living in the big bucket in our utility closet, and after a long week of coop-building, we finally moved our four girls into the new home, located within the fence of our garden.  The coop features the first stained glass window I ever made, as well as an elevated nesting box for when the chickens are old enough to lay eggs.  They have a roosting bar, which you can see in the photo, and their feed and water are served in elevated dog dishes under the nesting box.  Chickens are not the cleanest of critters, so this way, their feed stays a little cleaner, as does their water.  On May 12, John finished the wiring around the coop, and the next morning, we maneuvered this rather heavy home into the confines of our garden space.  The chicks lived inside their new cozy home for a week in order to get adjusted to this space before we let them venture out into their own little yard.  We kept a light on for warmth at night, and they always huddled under it.  Now, it seems that it will finally be warm enough in the evenings and they are big enough that they will no longer need the lamp.  I will, however, miss that light because it made the stained glass window glow which looked very cool indeed out there in the garden at night.

Last Thursday, on May 19, I opened the little door leading from the home to the ramp and the outer yard.  They were curious, but not sure what to do.  The ramp proved a little steep for them, and they did a little sliding around and there was much flapping of wings.  I added some grass to the ramp, thinking that it would perhaps help them make their way down.  I quickly discovered that they liked eating it.

  

 

 

 

Finally, with some hands-on help, they made it to the ground.  It took them a couple days to get use to making the trip outside, but now they do it with ease, all on their own.  So they spend the better part of the day outside, and I often visit them, sometimes sitting in a chair parked next to the coop where I will pass some time reading and enjoying the sun and the antics of my girls.  Foster also likes to visit.

 

Now that I have been out amongst the chickens on a daily basis and they have grown enough to develop certain characteristics and even personalities, I have chosen names for them.

Lucy is the reddest of our girls, and she is also the most adventurous.  She's usually the first one out of the coop, anxious to get into the daylight and explore what might be new in the yard.

Ethel is right behind Lucy when it comes to getting out in the morning or going in at dusk. She's a little ragged around her head feathers, but she has a very fine set of tail feathers.

Flo is our only girl with black legs and feet.  She's not as red as Lucy and Ethel, and she has beautiful coloring on her beak, orange at the top, with a pretty black triangle on the bottom point.

Alice is our darkest girl, with the least amount of red in her feathers, and her beak is almost entirely black. She also has rather blue eyes.  And does she ever love kale!  She's usually the last one to venture out in the morning, and the last one left in the yard at dusk.  I usually end up helping her back into the house.

So you won't find me online too often these days.  I'm loving the warmer weather and I'm usually outside soaking in the sunshine, spending time in the garden, and enjoying our new family members.

New Family Members... new painting subjects

For a couple of years, John and I have talked about raising chickens, but that's all it was... talk.  We felt like we needed to do more studying to get a better grasp of what to do and how to properly care for whatever kinds of chickens we decided on.  We needed to create an outdoor space where there could be plenty of free range movement and safety from predators and weather.  So we talked about it, set it aside, talked about it some more, set it aside again. 

But yesterday, John came home from a trip into town, and he carried in a box that held four small grayish-black chicks.  Trust me, folks, it was a surprise. Two of the dogs, like me, followed him onto the porch to check out the new family members.  While John brought in the rest of the chicken goodies needed, I sat down and read through a rather detailed pamphlet about chicken care, long enough to find out some needed information about temperature, lighting, bedding, and feed and water.  We fixed them a little home inside a 15 gallon bucket (more space than they've had before in their young lives), with wood chips for bedding, a wire top, and lighting to keep them warm. And this we placed inside our utility closet, safe from drafts, the cat, and the dogs... but really, it's only Cooper, our youngest pup, who is interested in the goings-on inside that bucket.  After everything was situated and settled, I took photos, of course.





These little chicks are three-week-old sex-linked hybrid pullets, meaning, we've been told, that these are baby hens and no rooster is needed in the mix to produce eggs.  When they're about six months old, they should start egg production.  In the meantime, we've got our work cut out for us.  A coop must be built, fencing must be put in, and a safe haven created.  In the process, we'll get to know these cuties enough to name them.  They are already responding a little to my voice, and I am getting rather attached. We'll do our best by them, you can bet on that.  Here's to new relationships and a new journey!  And here's to a chance at portrait paintings of our new family members!