Warning: Fowl Post

Spring has sprung,

and there's a whole bunch of new additions to the coop.

The fowl influx started on Easter with the purchase of 2 ducklings.

That's what happens when you have a grandkid.

On the right we have Scooby-Doo,

and on the left is Shaggy.

Shaggy was named something else by my son, 

but was renamed by the grandson.

This past Saturday I ventured out to the Poultry Swap

 to get some new pullets.

The grandson had some specific requests for new hens.

He wanted an orange chicken

and a green chicken.

He was happy to settle for one that laid green eggs 

after I explained there weren't any green chickens.

So I picked up a Buff Orpington that has been named Velma.

And I got an Easter Egger that has been named Fred

(I'm sure you can tell the grandson's current interest, 

though I'm a Scooby fan from way back).

Let's hope that Fred not only lays green eggs, 

but doesn't live up to the name and lays eggs period.

To finish my purchases, 

I picked up a pearl colored Cochin, a white crested black Polish

and 2 speckled sussex pullets.

AND....

a turkey.

This little guy is a Black Spanish heritage breed turkey.

It's one of the oldest turkey breeds and is in danger of disappearing.

So he will not be eaten.

Or she whatever it is.

Currently the turkey has no name,

but I'm sure I'll think of something eventually.

 So far, the lone hen I already had 

(named Donner because she's a cannibal)

is getting along with everyone.

There is some pecking going on,

but over all I think she's happy to have friends. 

Hopefully everyone will manage to got get eaten or pecked to death.

Mail Order Chickens

My thought was that I would have great new photos of the finished table.

But it started raining right after I primed the legs and base, 

so I didn't get to finish the paint job.

Luckily I was using spray paint, 

so it dried fast enough for me to pick up and move before the downpour happened.

In other news, 

I've ordered chickens.

I opted to pick 5 separate breeds and ordered 1 of each

so I'll be back in egg production for the spring.

When the spring poultry swap rolls around, I'll pick up the couple more I need.

 I chose the Dominique breed pictured above.

It looks similar to a Barred Plymouth Rock (I still have one of those)

but the coloration is slightly different.

The breed originated in the colonial period

and is considered one of America's oldest chicken breeds.

They nearly became extinct, but luckily interest in them increased and the breed was saved.

I am planning on possibly getting a second Dominique in the spring.

I also have a White Cochin on the way.

These chickens look like giant puff balls.

They aren't as great with egg production sometimes, 

but come on, who can resist a giant ball of feathers?

They are originally from China and became popular when one was gifted

to Queen Victoria of England, who reportedly adored them.

They are known to be very docile, peaceful and friendly

and make a great pet.

My grandson loved the Blue Cochin we saw at the fair this weekend.

Blues are harder to find, so I just got him a white one.

I also ordered a Speckled Sussex.

Both Henny Penny and Royal Farms

(pictured above may they RIP)

were Speckled Sussex chickens.

Right now, this is my favorite breed of chicken.

They originated in England in Sussex County 

and it's said that the Romans found similar chickens during their invasion, 

which makes the breed around 2,000 years old.

They are known for their curiosity and in that department, cats don't have anything on them.

Henny Penny used to ride on my shoulder like a parrot, 

and both girls would perch on my arm like a falcon.

Royal Farms was the first to come running and enjoyed being petted and held.

There will definitely be a second Speckled Sussex in the spring.

The next chicken is the Silver Laced Wyandotte.

The breed was developed in the US in Wisconsin in the 1870's and named

for the Native American Wendat tribe

(though the original name was the American Sebright).

They like to cluck and tend to have strong personalities, 

though they remain docile.

They sure are pretty to look at.

 And last but certainly not least, the White Crested Black Polish Chicken.

Polish chickens are known for their crazy "hair-do".

They are a docile and tame breed though they tend to be a bit on the wacky side

because their crest limits their vision.

I actually read that you can keep their crest clean by banding it.

Essentially a chicken with a pony tail.

What more do you need to know to want this chicken?

I learned that paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren rescued a Polish Chicken named Einstein

that she nursed from health after it had numerous broken bones.

While they are called Polish chickens, 

history suggests they actually originated in the Netherlands.

They lay white eggs and

sometimes they're great egg layers and

sometimes not.

Really I just got one because

chicken with a pony tail

and Lorraine Warren. 

So that's the 5 new chickens that I'll be getting in the mail next week sometime.

I've discovered this box thing with hinged screen lid on legs in the basement 

that I'm planning on converting into a chicken brooder, 

so look for me to blog about that I'm sure.

I also discovered a treasure trove of old doors, windows, scrap wood and

1 of the missing stair spindles in the attic.

I'm anxious to finish moving all the yard sale junk out of the way

so I can go salvage hunting in my own attic.

Chickens at Sunset

Life is full of worries right now.

So after I waged battle against the squash bugs in the veggie jungle garden,

I laid down in the grass and watched the chickens.

Chickens are funny 

and that makes them a stress reliever.

Watching a small poodle chicken run carrying a tomato bigger than her upper body

to keep it away from the crazy "crack chicken"

is a good way to end a crappy day.

Because for a little while,

you don't have to think about money, funerals or where you might end up living.

 You just have to sit and watch chickens exploring in the sunset.

3 Little Indians

 Sunday night, Henny Penny passed away.

At first she seemed to be improving,but Sunday she was quiet and lethargic.

I knew it was going to be the end.

 I buried her down in the pasture in the "Pet Cemetery"

(really, there's a horse, 3 dogs, 2 cats, 2 rabbits and a turtle there)

She was the coolest chicken I've ever met

and I doubt I'll meet another one as cool as she.

I'm now down to three chickens:

1 Speckled Sussex, 1 Jersey Giant and Zombie who is a Brown Leghorn I think.

Zombie is the only one old enough to lay eggs and she isn't.

I've been checking them daily for signs of illness and so far so good.  

Though part of me right now wonders if it's all worth it. 

I now have 5 chickens to replace and I'm guessing the cost could

be $50+.

I'm supposed to be heading to the Maryland Poultry Swap in a week and a half,

but my heart just isn't in it.

With the General Population

This past Friday I moved Henny Penny into the Chicken Coop

but kept her segregated from the other chickens.

The chickens could see each other through the wire,

but they couldn't get to each other.

Last night I went ahead and removed the partition.

I moved around some things to give Penny some places to get away from the bigger hens.

I left the cat carrier in there so she has a good hiding place,

and I added the hanging cabbage that is supposed to help distract the chickens.

It doesn't really do anything so far.

Penny is the only one I've seen pecking at it.

She wasn't very happy with me releasing her into the general population.

She's the new girl on the block so she has to go through the whole

pecking order crap. 

I checked on her last night and this morning.

She slept in the coop

but was more skittish this morning about being with everyone.

Hopefully she'll be okay this time.

Supervisory Chicken

Yesterday evening I decided to work on painting the coop.

The wind was blowing pretty hard so spray painting the portions

that need to be sprayed was out of the question,

but it was a good time to get a coat or two on the rest of it.

I brought along Henny Penny so she could get some exercise,

but all she seemed to want to do is make sure I was doing my job properly.

I had to lay on my stomach on a piece of cardboard to get the areas

located under the coop.

Penny was especially curious about why I was doing that.

Eventually she decided she just needed to sit with me.

I wish she'd try to go make nice with the other young chickens,

but she always sticks by me when I'm out in the yard with her.

It was quite the challenge painting while trying to keep a curious chicken out of the paint.

I did manage to get at least one coat on pretty much everything

(except 2 boards I couldn't reach).

The area under the coop is finished

as I decided if I had to crawl under there I only wanted to do it once.

It needs a second coat

and I need to spray paint the wood that has the wire attached to it,

but other than that it's finished. 

Chicken Hospital

Henny Penny is back at the "chicken hospital"

in my hallway.

My mom called me Wednesday evening to say she was pretty sure

one of the new pullets had been pecked.

So I rushed over to assess the damage.

Penny was up and moving around, 

but a large area of her back end was bleeding

and she was missing quite a few feathers.

I also notice that she had her right eye half closed.

I wasn't really sure she would even make it.

 Yesterday she was up and around and eating and drinking normally.

Her eye is still closed

but she felt good enough to hop out of the cage and follow me to the kitchen

as I filled her water.

I think if we can keep her wounds from becoming infected,

she'll be okay. 

She's getting a small amount of aspirin in her water for pain, 

and I'm applying triple antibiotic ointment to her wounds to keep

the wound moist and hopefully prevent infection.

 

Access Denied

I used to let the hens wander in the veggie garden thinking

they'd help with the bug population.

However, I learned pretty quick

that all they seem to do is eat my cabbage and kale

and scratch up newly planted seeds.

So this past Tuesday evening,

I put up a fence.

They weren't happy. 

But perhaps this year I'll be able to try out 

my homemade sauerkraut recipe.

And in other news, 

I now have 2 chickens who think sitting on me is fun to do.

Henny Penny (on the left) and Royal Farms (named by the 8 year old)

both came over to visit.  

RF learned that getting a scratch under the chin is pretty nice.

They enjoyed sitting on my arm.

Since they're the closest thing I'll ever have to a hawk,

I'm thinking I should get a couple of those falconry hoods for them to wear.

(a quick chicken update: Penny was pecked pretty severely yesterday evening and is once again in the house in the old brooder.  It's a little touch and go but she made it through the night and was up eating and drinking)

Why, Yes, That is a Chicken on My Head

I went to check on the chickens Monday evening.

Well, really I just wanted to check on Henny Penny after her first night in the coop.

I wanted to make sure she hadn't been pecked

to the point of bleeding again.

Apparently she missed me.

She was chirping the moment she saw me 

and proceeded to jump on my head when I crouched down.

And she sat there for several minutes.

I let the little ones out for a bit

so they could have a reprieve from the bossiness of the other hens.

I've renamed the 2 Jersey Giant chickens.

They stick together all the time 

and they remind me of the 2 magpies from those old cartoons

named Heckle and Jeckle

so Heckle and Jeckle they're named.

 Now I need to finish painting the coop

and build a fence around the veggie garden.

There's been too much work put into the garden

to let the older hens go in and mow down my cabbage plants

and scratch up the seeds.

Henny Penny

Meet Henny Penny.

She is the pullet I got to replace the rooster I ended up having 

in the group I had been raising.

While the person I got her from said she was the same age as the other 3 pullets I had, 

she was at least 2 weeks younger than they were.

So when I put them all in the new coop, 

she got picked on more because she was the smallest.

This resulted in her getting pecked to the point of bleeding.

Because chickens are drawn to the color red,

little Henny Penny would have been pecked to death because of the color of her blood.

So she had to come back home and stay until healed.

She got her name from this book that I loved as a kid.

It's about a chicken named Henny Penny 

(seen on the cover in the stylish head scarf)

who gets hit in the head with an acorn and thinks the sky is falling

and along with her friends Gander Lander, Goosey Lucy and Turkey Lurkey

rushes off to tell the king.

They meet up with Foxy Loxy who tells them about a "short cut"

in the hopes of getting some dinner.

I won't spoil the ending.

Anyway, I thought the name was a good fit

and so did my son who thinks she is similar to the color of a Penny.

So Penny stayed inside for another week while her wounds healed 

and her feathers started growing back.

This past Sunday, I finally put her out with the rest of the girls.

I was working in the garden so I was close by 

to monitor her and make sure she didn't get injured again. 

As I worked in the garden, 

every now and then I would hear chirping and see Penny come running to me

looking for me to pick her up and give her a scratch under the chin.

She even came and sat with me in the sun when I took a break.

Needless to say, 

she's my favorite.

A Dose of Cute

New Chicks On The Block

Going into a farm store in the spring when you have a chicken fetish is a dangerous thing.
But I was fairly confident I could resist those cute little fluffs of feathers
because I made the decision I was done raising chicks.
My chickens live at my parents' house on 6.5 acres
while I live 10 minutes away in a small town
in a one  bedroom apartment.
I found a place that will raise your chicks for you from their flock
and once they are ready to be in the coop, you pick them up.
But after some thought,
I didn't know if I wanted to spend the extra money on chickens
when I already had all the items I needed to raise them myself.
So, while looking at the cute fuzzy little chicks,
I decided to get some and raise them myself.
(all it took to convince the husband was the sign that said Jersey Giants lay extra large eggs).
I did have to figure out what to put them in since using a water trough won't work in a one bedroom apartment.
Later that night,
I remembered the large rabbit hutch I had in the attic,
and the next day I went and picked up the chicks.

I was supposed to get 3.
I ended up with 4 because there were only 4 left
and I couldn't leave one left behind.
I have 2 black Jersey Giant chicks and
2 Speckled Sussex chicks.
Jersey Giants are a Heritage breed from America
(they originated in New Jersey in 1870-1890)
They are the largest purebred chicken breed
and very docile.

This one is named Black Betty
(like the song, which I sing in my head constantly now)

This one we call The Jersey Devil
named for the monster in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

The Speckled Sussex breed is from England that originated
in about 43 A.D.
They are friendly and docile and have a curiosity
that has them exploring and following you around.

This one is Amelia Peabody

(after a favorite character in a novel)

And this one is most likely going to be called
Royal Farms
as in Royal Farms fried chicken.
My 8 year old named her,
I was thinking Margaret Thatcher or Queen Victoria

They're all set up in their brooder

in my small bathroom-

temporarily.

They'll be moved to another area today.

So far this gals are a riot.

While I was getting the brooder ready, 

they all jumped up and perched on the edge of the bottom portion of the cage

while I was putting together the wire parts.  

Then one would jump off onto the floor

and while I was catching that one and putting it back

another would jump off 

and it continued on and on like some sort of 

I Love Lucy episode.

This is going to be fun!