Merry Christmas, FromTthe Flock

The chickens got their coop decorated and ready for Santa.  They assure me they've all been very good chickens this year.  They've asked for stockings full of sunflower seeds, kale, apples, and oatmeal. 

Chicken Decor

I put up a few new chicken related decorations last week.   This co-op chicks sign was a birthday gift from my sister.  

 This beautiful sign was painted by my mom and is now outside of our garage door (the door we use the most).

Breed Spotlight: Colombian Wyandotte

This pretty hen is a Colombian Wyandotte.  We have 3 of these hens.  Our hens are curious and bold.  They don't mind going on adventures across the yard on their own instead of waiting to go with a group.  They like to be near us but are too timid to be touched.

This is the information chart from Murray McMurray Hatchery (where our hens came from)

Type:	standard
Class:	American
Egg Color:	brown
Egg Size:	medium
Egg Production:	better
Meat Production:	excellent
Heat Tolerance:	good
Cold Tolerance:	excellent
Disposition:	better
Weeks to Maturity:	20
Freerange:	excellent
Skin Color:	yellow
Comb Type:	rose
Likely to sit on eggs:	not very likely
Bird Size:	large
Exotic:	no
Leg Style:	clean
Head Style:	regular
Male Mature Weight:	8.5 lbs
Female Mature Weight:	6.5 lbs
ALBC Priority:	recovering

Preparations For Winter

Even though it sure doesn't feel like winter is getting closer here in NC, it's time to get the chicken coop and run ready for cold, wet weather.  

The new roofing we put on their "porch"gives them a nice large area that stays dry in the rain. 

The hanging buckets are their waterers.  On the bottom of each bucket are water "nipples" and when the chickens peck at them, water comes out.  It's been a great way to give them water because the water stays clean. 

I laid down pine bark mulch under their porch roof in the run to help keep things dry.  I've been really happy with how it's done.  I'll add more mulch as needed this winter.

Winter means fewer bugs to chase and eat and fewer plants to munch on.  Keeping the chickens happy and busy this winter will be important.  

We hung this head of cabbage after reading that it's a great way to keep chickens entertained.  I guess our chickens didn't read that article.  They didn't seem to know what to do with it.  

The apples hanging from strings, however, was a huge success!  They were like apple pinatas!

I stir their bedding weekly since we use the deep bedding method.  I sprinkle black oil sunflower seeds in with the bedding when I stir so the chickens scratch their bedding (looking for seeds) and help keep the pine shavings fluffy and dry.



Because the hens are staying in their run until early afternoon (so they learn to lay eggs in their nesting boxes) we had to clip their weeks a few weeks ago.  They had gotten so good at flying that they were climbing onto the coop roof, walking down the porch roof, and out of the run!

So, the kids helped me clip the older hens wings one evening.  We had to do it after dark when all of the hens were quiet and roosting.  We only clip the feathers on one wing so it makes the hen off balance when trying to fly... therefore preventing flying as high.  They can jump onto their roosts but not on the roof of the coop.  The hens feel no pain during wing clipping and Evan and Charlotte proved to be perfect chicken assistants.

We've tacked up heavy duty plastic over the large screened door and the big window of the coop so the chickens will be warm when the weather turns cold.  We've had to open the plastic a bit since the weather has gotten so warm.

Another entertainment idea that my chickens are not amused with... the chicken swing.  The chickens are supposed to hop up on the swing and in trying to balance themselves, make the swing move.  My chickens have only picked at the rope... none have tried to swing.

Open For Business

 Our young hens (pullets) are now laying a little more then a dozen eggs a day.   The Painted Hen is ready to open for business.

 We'll have a few dozen a week for sale.  Please email or call if you'd like me to reserve a dozen for you.

The First Eggs Have Been Laid!

The much anticipated first egg was laid about 2 weeks ago.  We've gone from getting one egg a day to 10 eggs a day!  Gathering eggs is one chore we all look forward to. 

 The first egg or two a hen lays is smaller but then the size increases to closer to typical egg sizes.  The variety of colors we're getting are so pretty. Each dozen we sell will be a mix of whatever colors were laid that day.  No two dozen will be the same.

 That's the dark orange yolk I've been waiting for.  They taste so buttery and far better then any store egg I've ever eaten.

Meet The Flock - A Brief Introduction

In coming posts, I'll spotlight the breeds of chickens that we're raising and the individual hens/roosters that we have named.  Today though, I just wanted to share some flock pictures to give you an idea of who we have and who will be laying your eggs. 

Here are most of our 51 chickens...

 They all coming running to "Here chick, chick, chick".

 Foghorn (Leghorn) our dashing young rooster.

 The "babies"

 Rooster meeting at the swing

 Our Polish boys.... White Crested White Polish, "Einstein" and White Crested Black Polish, "Doc"

 "Doc"

The "Babies"