The Spice Girls

If you like chickens, you'll love this time of the year

2012-02-26T18:06:00.000-08:00

Whether or not you celebrate Easter, this is a great time of the year to pick up some "chicken" themed items. And the stores are full of them.

I found this wreath of pastel eggs today and had to have it. I think I'll hang in my kitchen so I can spend more time admiring it than if I put it outside.

And if you are like me, you follow a bunch of other blogs where you get great ideas. Someone posted that she found this adorable plastic chicken that she was putting in her kids Easter baskets. You wind it up and and it walks forward while dropping out gum balls in the shape of eggs. I had to go to five different stores to find it and the store where I finally found some, they were down to their last few. So I'm not the only one who loves my chicken themed items.

I picked up two so I could take one into the office.

I refrained from buying any candy but I was amazed at all the egg shaped confections. There are eggs made out of just about everything you can imagine: solid chocolate eggs, eggs filled with other nummy things such as peanut butter, Cadbury eggs, sugar eggs and my personal favorite malted milk eggs.

Marshmallow Peeps come in every color of the rainbow. It just wouldn't be the season without Peeps. Now the question is, do you eat them while they are fresh and soft? Or do you let your sit and dry out for a bit?

There is gum in the shape of eggs that come dropping out of the back of my chicken featured above. And jelly beans. And well, you get the idea. Truly, something for everyone out there.

I'm also amazed at the variety of egg coloring kits that are available today. There was a whole aisle dedicated to these kits. This was always my favorite part of the season. But today, I leave that job up to my girls.

I guess it's time to pull out all those wonderful recipes for hardboiled eggs. I do love an egg salad sandwich and deviled eggs. What are your favorite things to create with hardboiled eggs? Do share. I get the best ideas from all of you.

Gardening with Chickens

2012-02-20T09:16:00.000-08:00

I love to garden. It's like therapy for me for me to be outside in the sunshine whether is summer or winter. I get a real sense of satisfaction watching things grow. So getting chickens seemed like a logical addition to the garden. They would eat the bugs, produce fertilizer, their eggs were an added bonus, and I'd have someone to "legitimately" talk to while I worked in the garden.

But they can destructive. I vaguely remember reading an article where they were described as "Eco-terroists." And yes, those little feet, beaks and pretty much their entire body can do a number on your garden. But with a little effort, you can have a lovely garden AND have chickens.

Coming up with some ways to barricade plants will be key. And the good news is, it doesn't have to be heavy duty. Simple chicken wire is enough to keep chickens out of a certain area. And I find that it only needs to be 2-3' fall to keep my heavy hens out of a certain area.

Rounds of welded wire secured with zip ties or more wire work great.
Super simple to make and you can move them around easily to protect plants.
This one even has wire over the top. I originally made it to put over a strawberry planter to keep the squirrels out.

I have a bunch of these rounds in different sizes. Sometimes, just putting them over a
plant for a week or two gives the plant enough time to get established and give them a chance.

This is the top half of one of those inexpensive tomato supports. My hens were both eating and scratching
the living daylights out of my Liriope and putting one of these over the top prevents them from using their feet
to dig at them. But they can still get their beaks in there to eat the bugs that live in there.

And here's another Liriope that is doing much better with the tomato support for protection.
The nice thing is once this plant get a tad bigger, you won't even see the protective support.

These are 3' fence panels that slip together. You buy them two at a time from the hardware store .
I used four to make a square and used that as my brooder. Here I've got two leaning against the house
to protect my strawberry plants Yes, the hens can sneak down the sides but this is a great deterrent.

And these are those same fence panels as above. Two at an angle to protect my blackberry vine.

Chickens are AMAZING at eating bugs. I stopped using any sort of chemical pest control about 6 months before I got chickens to be sure my yard would be safe for them. I don't have any trouble with snails, slugs, earwigs or any pests in my garden.

Now, that said, I've read that snails and slugs can introduce worms to your hens. I've also read that wild birds and their droppings can bring in parasites. And since I don't have any way to really protect my hens from all external things that can introduce parasites, I've decided to let them do their bug control thing in the garden.

I realize this could be exposing them to worms and I'll just have to cross that bridge if and when we get there. The hens have SOOOOO much fun in the garden and I just can't deny them that fun.

I don't rake up the leaves that fall to give the hens something to scratch in. They have the best time
kicking the leaves around which also helps break them down.

Just before I snapped this photo, Ginger found the BIGGEST worm I've ever seen in my yard.
It was so big, I thought it might be a small snake at first.

The melon rind was appreciated by Coco who kept coming over for a few bites.

An inexpensive green house is not only a great way to start seedlings early but
is also a great way to protect young plants from the hens.

Chickens can dig holes the size of small moon craters to take dust baths in. The key here is to give
them a desirable to do this and deter them from doing it in other parts of the garden.

So with some creative barricading, and limiting the time they spend in the garden, I've struck a healthy balance between my hens and my garden. And I couldn't be more pleased.

I'll have to blog about composting and their droppings in a future blog. It's definitely a labor of love keeping that process going. But I no longer buy chemical fertilizer and only use my chicken manure compost to help my garden grow.

Versatile Blog Award

2012-02-13T19:03:00.000-08:00

I've been awarded the Versatile Blogger Award from Tilly's Nest and I'm so touched and honored. I never expected to receive an award when I started this blog a little over a year ago. It was little more than an outlet for me and and an avenue for those who are interested in my adventures in raising chickens could follow my trials and tribulations.

One of the rules for the award is to answer the following questions:

1. Add the award to your blog.
- Done!

2. Thank the blogger who gave it to you.
- Thank you Tilly's Nest. I am so touched to receive this award and hope I can continue to live up to it's honor. PS: I love your blog too and am inspired every day by your blog.

3. Mention seven random things about yourself.
- I grew up in the house where Steve Jobs passed away. I LOVE having brunch at the Ahwahnee hotel in Yosemite Valley. I can ID over 100 birds by sound alone. I love all things chicken (surprise, surprise). I have a weakness for cookies. My favorite vacation is a tropical one. And I worry about my hens CONSTANTLY!

4. List the rules.
- Done

5. Award to 15 bloggers.
- Oh boy, I'm not sure I follow 15 other blogs. But I will pass the award on to those that I follow.

6. Inform each of those 15 by leaving a comment on their blog.
- Will do.

Happiness is...

2012-02-12T17:17:00.000-08:00

A nice long dirt bath in the garden.

Eventually, all three babies joined in and had a blast. It was killing the big girls who kept trying to come over and disrupt their fun. But their Flock Mistress stood in between the two groups and kept them separated. I just couldn't rush this lovely scene.

Coco laid THREE eggs in one day

2012-02-11T14:33:00.000-08:00

Now before you go calling the Guinness Book of World Records, let me explain, because they were not all eggs you'd want to eat.

She laid a normal egg yesterday at some point. And then last night she dropped a soft shelled egg and a "fart" egg off the roosting bar. So clearly, we're dealing with a calcium deficiency.

I transitioned the big girls off their layer rations a few weeks back and put them on grower/finisher feed. Which is basically, the same thing, minus the high calcium content. This way, I could transition the babies out of their brooder and into the big girls run and they could all safely eat the same food.

And then you are suppose to put out a bowl of oyster shells and the big girls will know to eat that to boost their calcium. And they were eating the shells.

I also read that feeding the hens back their egg shells is a great way to boost their calcium. But when I put out the egg shells, the babies also eat them. Which is bad. They don't need that high level of calcium. Chickens don't urinate and don't have a way to flush that extra calcium out of their systems.

Here's Coco's normal egg. She definitely lays an extra large egg.

The "fart" egg is on the bottom left and the soft shelled egg is on the upper right.

So a quick trip down to one of my favorite feed stores was in order for some advice. And they recommended a liquid calcium which also contains vitamin D to help with absorption. Now, ideally, you'd put this in your bird's water and let them get a little bit all day long. Obviously, I can't do that. So the directions also say, you can mix in a little bit with some soft food or fruit and feed it to your birds that way. JACKPOT!

Coco and Ginger LOVE treats. So mixing some in with a scrambled egg was no problem this afternoon.

Unfortunately, I'll need to do this five days a week for the next three months or until I can transition the little ones to layer rations. Ugh. I'm trying to simplify my life. Not complicate it. But this is a pretty easy solution to help keep Coco and Ginger healthy and happy.

And as an added bonus, this stuff is manufactured just a few miles from where I live.

Now the only thing I'm not 100% certain about is the bottle says that it is not for human consumption. I'm assuming that the chickens will process it and that it's not a problem for us to continue to eat their eggs over the next three months. But to be certain, I have a message out to the manufacturer. I'll let you know if I have to toss eggs.

One BIG happy family (almost)

2012-02-06T19:49:00.000-08:00

I wasn't going to turn the babies loose this weekend because of my hectic schedule. But when I let them out for some free range time with the big hens, I realized, they were ready. They were all ready.

The babies know to stay out of the big girls way. And since there are three of them, the big girls are outnumbered.

And the big girls were not showing the kind of aggression towards them that made me think they might hurt or kill them.

And it's funny but I was most concerned that Coco would try and eat one. Coco is big, bossy, loud and has an appetite like a Hoover vacuum machine. But Coco was indifferent. She never even tried to peck them. She was most interested in eating feed out of their feeder. (ALL the feeders have the same grower/finisher feed in them.)

Ginger on the other hand, is still having some issues with the babies. She isn't hunting or stalking them. But if they get within a few feet of each other, Ginger will lunge and peck. Which is so surprising because she's always been so docile and sweet. But she's also been the bottom of the pecking order her entire life. And I think she's just decided that she's in a good place now and she's not going down a notch. So she's defending her position as the number 2 hen.

This is Sugar. She's 10 weeks old and looks so big. But she's just feathers over bones.

The three babies do EVERYTHING together. It's really very sweet.

They are really transforming from babies to pullets.

And despite how many times I tell Coco that the food in the kids feeder is the same as in her big feeder,
she is convinced that their food must be better and I find her eating more out of their feeder.

Sorry I don't have better photos but there was lots of activity and movement and it was tough to pay attention to everyone AND try and take photos that were not blurry. More to come...

Spice busted out

2012-01-31T19:46:00.000-08:00

I came home tonight to find that Spice had busted out of her temporary pen with Honey and Sugar and was in with the big girls, Coco and Ginger. I have no idea how long she'd been in with them. But the good news is, they didn't kill her.

She was doing a good job at staying out of their way. And they were focused on me as I had some treats in my hands. But my heart really did skip a few beats when I walked up to that scene.

I quickly scooped her up and gave her a once over and she seems fine. So I put her back with Honey and Sugar and stood there baffled as to how she got out. As I stood there dumbstruck, I watched her as she hopped back up on the dog crate and awkwardly launched herself skyward and up and over the fence.

I was horrified. What would posses her to want out that badly and into the pecking line of Coco and Ginger. I guess the grass seems greener.

I was really hoping to keep them separated for another two weeks while the babies grew up just a bit bigger to give them a better fighting chance once I put them in with the big girls. But I may have to rethink that.

My husband says we live in a chicken coop

2012-01-30T20:33:00.000-08:00

And to a degree, he has a point. I will readily admit that I love all things chicken. Who doesn't?

Over the years, what started out as a chicken or two has grown into, well, okay, we live in a chicken coop. I tried to confine it to the kitchen but it's slowly spilling out into the dining and living room.

And it's obviously taken over the yard.

But today, a quick tour of our indoor chicken coop.

BEAUTIFUL 1950's glass chicken I found on our front porch one evening.
Took me months to figure out that my very sweet neighbor found that and felt he should come live with us.

This guy was one of the first hens to the party.

Found this fabric and just had to have it. It's a rooster motif inside chicken wire.
I mean, who could walk away from that. So I had a cover made for my mixer out of this fabric.

Love this little guy. I don't remember where I found him but I knew he'd fit right in.

Started to run out of space on the counter so I had to go vertical.

This is actually a note card but loved it so much, I framed it and hung it in the kitchen.

These two little guys are my most special possessions. I made them in ceramic class many years ago.

This is my alpha hen. She rules the kitchen.

Love this little lady. She's got her beak wide open and is always happy.

This is Bob. Not all the chicken have names but Bob will bob if you gently tap his head.

Another glass chicken.

And a Navajo chicken.

Bamboo and straw chickens. Ooo, a little dusty. Sorry about that.

More chickens on the wall.

I had a lady hand paint these tiles and they are on the backsplash behind the stove.
I'm going to be seriously bummed the day we have to move and leave these guys behind.

A metal chicken. Hmmm, he'd probably make good friends w/ Rusty my rooster.

Working chickens. This is Salt & Pepper.

And chicken towels, placemats and napkins of course.

More metal chickens on the wall.

And we have silly chickens.

The Babies are 8 Weeks Old

2012-01-28T15:22:00.000-08:00

Whew! I finally feel like we're making some progress. I will NEVER brood chicks in December and January again. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER!!! What was I thinking?

Well, I know what I was thinking. Coco was bullying Ginger to no end and I was really afraid I was going to lose her. I knew if I picked up chicks in December, that I'd be ready to integrate them with Ginger and Coco in mid-February. The alternative would have been to pick up chicks in February. And then I wouldn't be able to mix up my flock dynamic until close to June.

But I've been a wreck worrying about these little guys these past two months. Are they warm enough? What if the power goes out? What if the heat lamp bulb blows? UGH!!!

They are finally outside and not quite ready to live with the big girls full time. And they were just crammed in this 3' by 3' pen. So I picked up two more fence panels today from the hardware store which doubled the size of their pen. And they do seem much happier.

Not only did I double the size of their outdoor space, I can put the dog crate in there with them.
They like it in there. I think they feel safe. And the nights have been mild so they can now sleep out there too.

This larger space also let's me put more things in there for them to perch on and play with.
And more importantly, it give them more space AWAY from the fence line where
Coco and Ginger stand and try and peck at them when I'm not watching.

The big girls also got a BIG bag of leaves from a neighbor. I put it out there in one big pile and sprinkled some sunflower seeds on top and an hour later, you can hardly tell this was once a pile. The leaves work great inside my run. It gives them something to scratch at all day. I toss out a few seeds each morning so I know there's something interesting in there. And when they have destroyed most of the leaves, into the compost bin they go.

And finally, Ginger and Coco got a visit from their Flock Master. They love to walk around and peck at him to see if treats might fall out of his pants or shoes. They rarely do. But doesn't deter them from trying.

Spring is in the air. The bulbs are all pushing up out of the ground. And some of the flowering trees are starting to open. They days are nice and warm and getting longer. Both Ginger and Coco are once again squatting for me so I'm very hopeful that eggs are not too far behind.

I think I'll give the babies another two weeks before I really work and integrating them. They know enough to stay away from the big girls. And I don't get the sense that the big girls would kill them at this point. But I'm not going to chance that.

I do think that Ginger is going to be more of a pain than Coco when it comes to getting everyone to get along. I'm not sure if that's because Ginger has been at the bottom of the pecking order her whole life and is not going to take it anymore? Or if she doesn't like the fact that these new kids look just like her.

Who knows what goes through those birds brains. I've long since given up trying to figure it out.

The babies move out for good

2012-01-21T15:54:00.000-08:00

Or unless Mother Nature decides we need another freezing night.

I ordered this mini hutch online. It was $70 so fairly reasonable. And screwed together in just a few minutes. You get what you pay for in that the whole thing is pretty light weight. I wouldn't trust it outside up against night time critters who are looking to dine on chicken. But if you can put it inside a protected run, a barn or garage, it will get the job done.

If it was just for the chicks, I'm not sure I would have bought it. But I'm almost positive that Coco is going to need some serious timeout time as we work to introduce the babies to her and Ginger. So it will come in handy should I need to separate her for a time.

What's nice, is that the babies now have a place to sleep. I just set in a 2x4 in the nest box area so they can continue roosting. And I think I'll cover the whole thing with a tarp for a while longer to help keep them protected from drafts.

The solid area on the end is one big nest box or sleeping area.

The temperatures dropped into the low 30's and high 20's last week, so I brought the babies back into the garage each night to sleep in the dog crate. But that was a real labor of love. Not to mention it seemed to incite Coco and Ginger each morning when I'd bring them back out. It was like they were saying, "Not them again. They're coming back again?!?" And the big girls just went ballistic when I gave the babies meal worms.

I'm hoping that if the big girls wake up and the babies are there that they will start to get more used to each other. But maybe that's just wishful thinking.

I had planned to do a test run with Ginger today to see how she'd react towards the babies if they were in her run. But when I knelt down with one of the babies, Ginger charged for her and she meant business. I was really surprised. So no getting to know one another this weekend.

I did notice that Ginger's comb is much redder than it was just the other day and I think she's FINALLY coming back into lay. She hasn't laid since September when she started molting and our days are starting to get longer. So she may just be a moody hen with some hormone issues going on.

I do hope I can start working on integration soon. Otherwise, I'm going to have to figure out something else. Maybe I can unscrew the end triangle of this pen and open it up into the dog crate to give them some more real estate. These babies seem to grow a little more every day. It's really quite amazing.

2012-01-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

That's my sweet Ginger who's today's Workday Chicken Picture model!!! Can you tell I'm excited.

So let's see, she's been on TV twice. She has a blog. Now this. I hope it doesn't go to her head. Not bad for a hatchery bird who entire life has been at the bottom of the pecking order. But her Flock Mistress loves her and watches out for her. I do hope this doesn't go to her head. She hasn't laid one of her beautiful brown eggs since September and I sure do miss them.

How do you isolate?

2012-01-16T15:38:00.000-08:00

Boy, will I think twice about raising chicks again in the future. They are adorable and loads of fun but it is a process. Especially, if you are going to integrate them with an existing flock. And it's tough for us small back yard flock owners who just have a few chickens as we don't typically have extra pens or space to isolate birds.

I have my 3 seven-week old BO chicks in a make shift brooder pen out inside the big girls run. But I have no way to seal them off safely at night. And I'm worried about rats or mice getting to them. It's not typically a huge problem and I don't think I have a full on infestation. But I do trap a rat once or twice a month so I know they are out there. And I'd be beside myself if I lost a chick this far along in the process to a rodent.

So for now, I'll be bringing the chicks into the garage at night to sleep in the dog crate. It's a bit warmer in the garage. And more importantly, it's safe in the garage.

The problem with that arrangement, it that it's lots of work on my part to collect them at the end of the day and then put them back out in the morning. And it get's Coco all riled up when I bring them back out. I think she would do better if they were just out there in the morning when she gets up.

I have to say, I'm REALLY worried about her ability to accept them. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. But I'm seeing signs that tell me I should be worried.

So I bought a mini chicken hutch over the weekend. It's super small. But just big enough to house the chicks while they grow up into hens. And I should be able to lock them inside that little nesting area at night to keep them out of cold drafts and safe from rodents. The whole hutch will sit inside my predator proof run. I've read reviews that say the latches on it are sub-par and that just won't be an issue since the chickens can't get it open.

And it might just come in handy if I need to remove Coco from the picture for a week or two after introducing the chicks. If she decides to go after them. I'll remove her and try to re-set my pecking order. And I'm sure it will come in handy in case I need to isolate sick chicks in the future.

Unfortunately, some assembly is required. Not my strong point. But hopefully by next weekend, I'm posting pictures of this hutch with three 8-week old happy Buff Orpington chicks lined up inside.

It is under $100 so the price was right. And we've talked about getting a bunny so I suppose that would be just the perfect house for a bunny should we go that route. Anyway, if you are the keeper of a small flock. This little hutch is worth considering.

I can safely say, no one is happy right now

2012-01-14T16:26:00.000-08:00

I knew today would be a big day and I had been both looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. Today, I moved the babies who are 6 1/2 weeks old of the garage and into the big girls run.

I let the big girls out into the garden which is something they love. So I knew they'd be distracted for quite some time. I broke down the fencing of the brooder and moved everything into the outside run and set it all back up. I then brought the babies out to the run and turned them loose. This was their first time with this much freedom and their first time in the dirt so they were having a blast. And I was enjoying the moment of peace and harmony while everyone was happy.

And then it happened. Coco realized that the gate to their run was closed. I never lock them out of their run. And she started to scream. Which got Ginger's attention and the two of them came up to the closed gate and saw the baby chicks in their run and went ballistic. I've never heard those two make so much noise. I was frankly, horrified. So I ushered the babies into their brooder pen and opened the big gate so the girls come come back in.

But that did nothing to quiet them down. They were not at all happy about their new guests and the modifications to THEIR run.

And before I realized what was happening, Spice, who is the leader of the babies, rushed up to the fence and puffed up her chest at Coco to inform her that she was in charge of this three-some. At which point, Coco stuck her head through the fence and BAM! Nailed Spice on the head to inform her that she was the Alpha of anyone and everyone in these parts.

Okay, good. Got that out of the way.

Well, all 5 of them whined and cried and whined for what seemed like hours. I stayed close by to make sure that nothing crazy went wrong. But I could clearly see from Coco's posture that given half a chance, she'd kill each and every one of those intruders. ACK!!!

Coco is trying to figure out how to get inside the chicks brooder.
She's convinced they have better food in there and desperately wants to sample it.

But I'm glad I did it. It was time to get the babies out of the garage and sooner or later, they were all going to have to get to know one another.

I'll bring the babies back into the garage for another week or two as the temperatures have been dipping into the low 30's at night. The garage stays around 50. And then we'll see about having them actually spend the night in their brooder outside.

It's going to be weeks before I let the 5 of them co-mingle. The babies need to at least double if not triple in size up to about 3 lbs before I'll even consider letting them all get together.

And another shot of the babies in their brooder with Coco inspecting them closely.
That blurry blob in the foreground on the left is Ginger who desperately wants to be in the shot.
And is also convinced that my camera is food.

The Pinless Peeper

2012-01-09T20:35:00.000-08:00

As you know, back in early December, I had my Vet put a pinless peeper on Coco. Coco was bullying Ginger to no end and I was really afraid Coco was going to kill her. And really, one should be able to do this themselves. It's not that difficult. But I couldn't do it and Coco being such a feisty bird, it really was a two person job.

So for starters, be sure you are putting it on correctly. Many people accidentally put them on upside down. See the image of Coco to get the idea.

They say that you don't need a tool to do this. Either pry the plastic apart if you have strong hands, or soak the plastic in hot water for a few minutes. But a pair of snap ring pliers really do make it easier. If you soak them in hot water first, the bird has a better chance of knocking it off with its foot before the plastic has a chance to cool down and set.

Either way, once on, the bird can't see what's in front of her. And it DOES work. I'd put treats into their treat bowl and Coco would give Ginger a warning Bok Bok. But when she looked up to peck Ginger, she couldn't see her, and would go back to eating.

But it forced Coco into a molt. Which I felt awful about. Depriving a bird of food is a sure fire way to force them into a molt. And she just wasn't getting as much food as she was used to. And she molted hard and ugly as you can see from some of my older posts.

So I removed the peeper after about three weeks. Coco was much more passive and docile and it gave Ginger a chance to finish her molt and get some much needed weight back on her. So I don't regret doing it. But would I do it again? Tough question to answer.

I can see how people with larger flocks swear by these things. They really do work. But when you just have two hens that you treat as pets, they do seem rather cruel. But it did nothing to reset my pecking order or change Coco's "alpha" ways.

Coco is definitely my alpha hen and makes her position known. The problem with only having two hens, is that all her aggression is directed directly at Ginger. Thus, the reason for me to get more chicks to help mix up my flock dynamic. But out of this, Ginger has learned to recognize Coco's warning Bok Bok's and quickly moves out of her way when she gives her warnings.

The babies are growing up quickly and I'm eager to integrate them in with Coco and Ginger. I'm hopeful that out of this, Ginger will have a buddy she can relate to, since the new chicks are Buff Orpingtons just like her. And that as Coco asserts her position as the alpha hen, it's not all directed at Ginger as there will be three other hens roaming around.

And I also have to wonder if Coco won't have a run for her money as the alpha hen. Spice is quite the feisty chick and clearly in charge of Honey and Sugar. Her name fits her PERFECTLY!!!

So stay tuned. I promise to keep you all updated on the process of integrating Honey, Sugar and Spice in with Coco and Ginger.

They ROOST!!!

2012-01-08T09:05:00.000-08:00

The babies are roosting!!! They are 5 weeks and a few days old and I wondered why they were not yet interested in roosting. Maybe they just needed one to start so they could all follow suit. They do love to copy one another. If one goes to eat, they all go to eat. If one drinks, they all drink. And so on. Everything is a group sport in the chicken world.

Anyway, I peeked out at them last night around 10pm and this is what I saw. Of course they hear the door open so they all croon their necks to see if I'm going to come out to give them treats. The camera flash woke them up and they all stood up and started running around so this was the only shot I got but you can clearly see they have all mastered the art of roosting.

Guess I'd better get over to the hardware store and buy an extra 2x4 so I can modify the big girls house to accommodate them once they are big enough to roost with them. Probably in another 4-6 weeks.

Still growing up and finishing molting...

2012-01-08T08:58:00.000-08:00

I don't have much new to report this week. The babies are growing up so fast. They are just over 5 weeks old now and are mostly feathered out. They are getting so BIG. They are also quite frisky and love to come busting out of the brooder anytime I open the door.

I LOVE their steely green eyes at this age. Once they mature, their eyes will turn golden orange. I did take them outside again today in the dog crate and let the big hens out who still show no interest in getting to meet the new girls. And maybe that's just as well.

The sand box is still their most favorite thing in the whole wide world. They roll around and bath in the sand, they poop in the sand and they sleep in the sand. I thought my babies before were roosting by 5 weeks of age and while they will hop up on the 2x4 in their run, they won't sleep on it.

Ginger has finished her molt and is getting back to her happy go lucky old self. Her wattles and ear lobs have turned red once again and her comb is getting there. I figure we've got another week or so and hopefully, she'll begin to lay eggs again for us. She's also put on quite a bit of weight. I didn't get a chance to weigh her today. But I'm guessing she's well over 4 lbs and probably close to 4.5.

Coco is still molting and at lightening speed. I couldn't get her to hold still for a nano second in the garden today so this is the best shot I have of her. But if you look back, you'll see that her neck was totally naked a few weeks back. Today, she's 4 weeks into her molt and her neck and backside are totally covered with feathers. They still need to grow in a bit, but at least the poor thing is covered.

Hopefully, in a few weeks I can move the babies brooder out to the big girls run and get them out of the garage and start integrating the two flocks. I still think I was crazy for raising babies in the dead of winter. But come May/June, I should be getting more eggs than I know what to do with. Around the time most others are just working on integrating their babies into their flocks. Then this will have all been worth the efforts.

The Babies are Growing Up

2012-01-01T15:52:00.000-08:00

My little babies are really babies no more. They are four weeks old and just getting so big.

Today was a big day of firsts for them. Their brooder desperately needed to be cleaned and it was quite warm today, I think it was 65 degrees and felt much warmer in the sun. So I put them outside in the dog crate while I cleaned out the brooder.

I really wonder what goes through their little heads. Outside for the first time and in the warmth of the sun. It was so cute watching them perk up and listen to the other birds. I let Coco and Ginger out of their run too and was curious to see what would happen. Coco came over for a closer look. But Ginger stayed as far away from them as she could. I even gave them a small bowl of grit and tried to entice them with a small meal worm. But they really showed no interest. Honey, eventually ate once she saw it wiggling around.

Probably the last time my girls will show no interest in meal worms.

Here are some updated photos of Honey, Sugar and Spice.

The Ugly Molt continued...

2011-12-23T14:51:00.000-08:00

The one good aspect of the Ugly Molt, is that it happens fast. The typical molt can take 12-16 weeks. And the Ugly Molt or fast molt can take a mire fraction of that, 4-6 weeks.

Coco started her molt about 10 days ago and look at her progress:

Ouch. Look at those pin feathers. That just can't feel good.
But the top ones have already started to open up.
Hopefully, it won't be too long before she doesn't have to sleep
with her bare butt out in the cold at night.

She lost almost all her wing feathers at once. She just has the one row left and you can see how ragged they are.
Look at all those brand new wing feathers just pushing out from their keratin wrappers.

Oh, and her head and neck. It's like she lost every feather there all at once. She won't hold still for a second.
It's like she knows I'm trying to take her picture. But you can see all the new feathers coming in and the
progress from last week. (See last week's blog for comparison photos.)

The Ugly Molt

2011-12-16T19:30:00.000-08:00

Molting is the process that chickens go through each year where they replace their old, worn feathers and replace them with new ones. Their feathers are more than just pretty, soft things that give them color. They keep them warm. If you've ever held a chicken and wriggled your fingers up under their down coats, you'll feel how very warm they are up under there.

Kind of like the warmth you feel when you wear a down jacket or vest or even sleep under a down comforter. Mmmmm, so toasty warm.

Anyway, some chickens will molt slowly over months. Others will just seem to drop every feather at once, something we call the "ugly molt". I'm not sure which is better. Faster molters will get back to laying eggs sooner than slow molters. But they also look worse while they molt, thus the term, ugly molt.

Either way, Ginger is just finishing her molt and Coco has just started. And Coco is molting fast. I've been picking up all the feathers in their run each day. But I just can't keep up with her dropping them. It's so difficult for me to watch.

My sweet Coco. Missing nearly all her neck feathers, clearly all her tail feathers and just looking so roughed up.

I know, I'm terrible for photographing her not so fluffy butt. But I couldn't help myself. I just can't believe
all her bare patches. Look at the backs of her legs. She's lost all her leg feathers too.

Oh, and her neck is just the worst. And she can't reach those pin feathers to nibble them open from
their keratin wrappers so those will just have to open when they are good and ready.

Solving issues one at a time...

2011-12-12T19:20:00.000-08:00

I took the peeper off Coco Saturday. I just couldn't take it. Her whole personality had changed. She was so sad and forlorn. Yes, it prevented her from pecking at Ginger. But that was really driven over the fact that I was over treating them. Cease with the treats, and that problem goes away.

Well, Coco also likes to peck Ginger off the roosting bar. And the peeper didn't really help with that. Because Coco knew that Ginger was right there just a few feet away. So she'd lumbar down the roosting bar like a gymnast down the balancing beam right for Ginger and drive her off.

So I wondered, if I divided the roosting bar in half with something so they couldn't see each other, would that work. And I think it just might. I didn't get home in time to watch them go to bed tonight. But they are exactly as this photo shows them from last night. Coco on her side and Ginger on the other with the cardboard divider in the middle.

If you look closely, you'll see a flat piece of cardboard wedged up in the hen house.
Poor Ginger was first sleeping on the wood jump block to the left. And then went over to one of the nests.
But you could see her urgent desire to be up on the roosting bar.

The chick continue to grow every day. But it will still be months before they are big enough to roost with Coco and Ginger. So enjoy your separate rooms while you have them girls. Cuz the youngsters are growing up big and strong and they're gonna wanna roost with you before you know it.

December Updates

2011-12-10T13:55:00.000-08:00

Well, I have good news and bad news.

Let's get the bad news over with. I lost one of the chicks. I'm not really sure what happened. But looking back at photos of them when I first brought them home, one was holding her wings out and low. And the others are so healthy, happy and strong, that I really don't believe it was anything I did wrong. I just think she wasn't meant to be with us more than those few, precious days.

So the three now officially have names, Honey, Sugar and Spice. And my, they are growing up quickly. They are ready for some dowels to perch on and things to jump off of in that ever shrinking brooder of theirs.

Honey, Sugar and Spice. I have no idea how I'm ever going to tell these ladies apart.
Hopefully, they will grow up with unique personalities or distinct combs.

I just love how everything is a group sport at this age. They eat, drink and nap together.

The peeper has worked in that Coco is no longer pecking at Ginger. But it also has stressed her and she's beginning to molt. It is possible that she was destined to molt and the peeper had nothing to do with it. But I have my suspicions. So I removed the peeper today.

Her personality has definitely changed. She no longer goes after Ginger. But Ginger did insist on drinking water from the exact spot that Coco was drinking. Coco gave her two fair warning Bok Bok's but when Ginger came back the third time, she got pecked. But she didn't go cower in the corner. She just moved over. It's like she knew she was asking for that. So maybe those 9 days with the peeper worked. Only time will tell.

I also had a long chat with a fellow back yard chicken raiser, who pointed out that the big handful of seeds I'm tossing out to them daily is much to much. It's so important that the majority of their diet comes from their feed which is balanced nutrition for their high protein, high calcium dietary needs.

If you follow my blog, you'll know I've blogged before about over treating. It's so easy to do. They are just so cute and curious and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it when you come bearing things to eat. And it was always around treats that caused the pecking and fighting. So really, this may just be a blessing all the way around.

And honestly, those huge bags of black oiled sunflower seeds are quite pricey. So I'll be very happy not to have to lug home those expensive extras. The two hens may be mad at me for a bit. But hopefully, they will get over it. And maybe they'll decided that a nice hug and some love from their Flock Mistress is just as nice as a handful of seeds.

Meet the Babies

2011-12-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

They are bundles of cuteness. And very happy. I don't think my last batch of chicks were this content.

Their Flock Mistress, however, is a nervous wreck.

It's dipping into the 30's here. I'll pause for the laughter I'm getting from everyone who reads my blog except for my friend, T, who lives in Hawaii.

They seem to be fine under their heat lamp. And I don't seem to have any trouble keeping one corner of their brooder at 95 degrees. But I think I've driven my husband absolutely nuts with all of my worries. What if the power goes out? What if the heat lamp bulb blows in the middle of the night? What if, what if, what if? I can see why people love, love, love their broody hens who raise their babies for them.

Day 1 - SERIOUSLY, LADY! We hatch. Our mama is no where to be found. We get vaccinated, shoved in a box and shipped off to this store. We're just getting comfortable when you come along and put us BACK in a box and drive us an hour away and put us into, what I have to admit is a beautiful brooder complete with holiday lights strung around the top. We're just getting warmed back up and NOW YOU WANT PHOTOS? Well, stink eye and bird butt is all you're getting. HRUMPH!

Day 2 - Com'on Girls, let's go check out the water-cooler.

Update on Coco

2011-12-03T19:26:00.000-08:00

Well, the Pinless Peeper works! It's been 48 hours with it on and Coco is a much more mellow chicken. And Ginger is becoming more confident. The two of them can eat out of the same treat bowl with no drama. Although, when Coco looks up at Ginger, Ginger is clearly still scared and moves away quickly.

But the improvement has been so quick, that I'm really hopeful we can break Coco of this naughty pecking habit.

The one area that persists in being an issue is the roosting bar. Coco hops up and just lumbers at Ginger like a gymnast down the balancing beam. She KNOWS Ginger is at the opposite end. The fearful squawks Ginger lets out just before hopping down, break my heart. But Coco usually does this twice and then it quickly gets too dark for her to see and Ginger hops up, moves as far away from Coco as she can, and settles down.

My roosting bar is one four foot long bar. I've been tempted to add two smaller pieces on either side to make it into the shape of a cross. This way, I could easily house 5 full sized birds w/ out issue. The house might be a tad small, but living where the weather is mild, my girls don't spend anytime in their house unless they are sleeping or laying. So it could work.

The real problem is my lack of handyman skills. But I suppose I should just go buy a small saw and a two by four and see what I can rig. I could probably even just put them up and let tension hold them in place and watch them to see if it's a good idea or not.

The other thing I think will help is adding chickens to the flock so that Coco can't direct ALL of her aggressive tendencies towards one bird. And I was afraid I was going to have to wait till February to pick up more chicks. But I called the local feed store today and when she said they just received a box of Buff Orpingtons in, well, I quickly set up the brooder and headed over the hill.

So in my garage right now are four baby Buff Orpingtons. OMG, can we say cuteness? I only plan on keeping two. But I wanted to be sure I GOT two girls out of the deal. And already, I have my suspicions. Stick your hand in there to adjust the feeder or temperature and one will come right up and peck at my hand. Hmmm, not a good sign. More to come on the babies. Check back soon.

I'm a bad Chicken Mama

2011-12-01T19:41:00.000-08:00

So I quarantined Coco yesterday from Ginger because she was bullying Ginger. I'm not sure who suffered more, Coco, Ginger or me. Coco gave me a tong lashing that was pretty brutal. Ginger just stood there like, I don't want to be alone and I don't understand why I'm all alone. And me, I was a nervous mother hen wreck.

I took Coco to the vet this afternoon because I didn't have the stomach to put a pinless peeper on her myself. Turns out, the vet had never done it before either. ACK. It took him four tries before it didn't just come flying off. And at that point, she had had enough. He set her down and she closed her eyes, went limp and just rolled to one side. I thought she was dead. I was horrified.

I scooped her up in my arms and she clearly wasn't dead. But she wasn't happy either. I had all I could do not to just take the peeper off of her. But I resisted. I brought her home and put her out back w/ Ginger and she really came around. The two ran around and scratched and pecked together. But not at each other.

I even dumped a pile of meal worms on the patio for them to share and there was no fighting. Clearly, the peepers slow Coco down and affect her ability to see what's right in front of her. But I watched her closely and she can eat and drink and get up onto the roosting bar just fine.

So I'm going to leave it on for a period of time to get her to calm down and leave Ginger alone. I'm not sure how long that will be. Only time will tell.

Coco's in Jail

2011-11-30T20:11:00.000-08:00

I separated Coco from Ginger tonight. She was bullying her. I realize this is instinctive and to a degree, is simply normal chicken behavior. But it's tough when you only have two hens and all Coco's aggressions are directed at Ginger. While she wasn't drawing blood, she was preventing her from eating. Which is not good.

Ginger has lost more than a pound over the last month while she's molting. And being bullied away from treats and food is not helping. I need Ginger to get her strength back. The final straw was watching them go to bed. Ginger would hop up on the roosting bar and Coco would hop up and peck her off. She did it three times and I knew I had to do something. Ginger seemed so frightened.

So I set up their brooder pen in the garage for Coco. They say you can separate a bully for about a week and that when you put her back with the flock, she'll be at the bottom of the pecking order. I don't know if that will work with just two hens, but I had to try something. And anything I try, is going to require some sort of separation.

Ginger already seems so much happier without Coco. I hand fed her some worms before tucking her in for the night.

Coco on the other hand is not at all happy about this situation. And she's half asleep. I'm not quite sure what to expect tomorrow morning. I'm afraid that Coco could hurt herself if she decides to really thrash around inside the cage.

But maybe, just maybe, penning up Coco and only giving her feed and water, while Ginger has full use of the house and run and treats all to herself, will build up just enough something in her to give Coco a swift peck back if she gets in her space. That's all I need is for Ginger to stand up for herself.

Say a prayer for me, this is harder on me than it is for either of them. We'll try this for a day or two if I can stand it that long, and then try introducing Coco back with Ginger and see what happens.