some new faces

Brr! Time for a sunbath! It was in the low 20′s this morning, making chores a bit hard on my fingers and toes. Brrr. But in the house, some of our smaller friends were enjoying the extra warmth of their heat lamp – our “miracle Marans” are enjoying their first experience with chick starter, as [...]

my morning in the barnyard

We’ve had a lot of rain – I should’ve taken a picture that shows how high up my boots the mud now reaches – and it’s been a busy time, so I haven’t spent as much time with the animals as I would like to. This morning, I could finally remedy that situation. When I [...]

many hands make light the work

The Crowing Hen will be visited by some industrious Bees this afternoon – in exchange for four dozen eggs and lots of homemade bread, they’re going to enclose the underneath of the barn. Sneaky chickens have been laying eggs under there, and I can’t reach them so our egg production has been really low. As [...]

catching up? oh, puh-leeze!

Last week saw me busy trying to organize the fence – determining the layout, measuring the perimeter, getting Tigger here with the cedar stakes, ordering the fencing … all with it raining day after day. The fencing arrived – or at least 2/3 of it did. They “forgot” the other roll, which will now be [...]

updates … so I don’t forget it later

Hobart, Priscilla and Pip are settling in wonderfully. Even Niek likes them now, and if you knew how he initially reacted, you’d know what big news this is. It also appears that the ‘knobs’ on their ‘elbow wings’ are the result of Priscilla’s nibbling. Yep, I’ve caught her at it repeatedly, but don’t know how [...]

update on the blr wyandotte chicks

Here they are at about 3 1/2 weeks. All the baby fluff is falling away and their big boy and big girl feathers are coming in. The little darlings are so awkward and ugly that they’re utterly adorable. During a warm, sunny day this week, I let them (and our 2 barred rocks) have the [...]

Blue and Ugli are parents!

I took two eggs that I was sure were from Ugli and popped them in the incubator between cycles. One never “happened” (either infertile or the growth didn’t take), but the other began peeping in earnest yesterday and around 6:30 am this morning a beautiful chick was born. S/he shows the gorgeous silvery blue color [...]

blue lace red wyandottes

My two eggs from Ugli and Blue’s crossing did not seem to be working out … and I had serious doubts about Blue’s … abilities … as a rooster. But I am desperate for my BLRWs so I called Brenda and asked her what she had. (Brenda is the farmer waaaaaaay up North that I [...]