Chicken Out!

I haven't done a chicken post in a while.  Shame on me for that.  So, I am going to try and make up for it today.  It was such a lovely weekend.  Saturday was a bit cool, but great weather.  Sunday, I was wearing a t-shirt and chillin' in the sun!  Of course, when we have days like this Mike and I spend it outdoors.  Even if there is nothing to do, we still go outside and find little projects to do.  This past weekend was no exception.  The chickens got to spend a bit of time out of the coop, as well.  I only took a few pics when they were still inside, though.  But they were getting a good bit of sun there, too.

Mike's been buying crumbles instead of pellets because we get a better price.  I throw out a few handfuls for them to scratch for, but I put the bulk of it in this feeding trough someone gave us.  It works great, but they climb on top of each other to get to the feed.

This is Little Chicken, the first chicken we ever hatched.  He's come of age and has been in with the hens.  But he's gotten mean since we took those four other young roosters out.  And since these eggs are for eating only, he got removed this weekend.

The big breasted gal in the box is one of my first.  She was full grown when we got her last February, so I don't know how old she is.  She's really a broiler, so we're not getting any eggs from these girls as of yet.  They may get the chop-chop this year.  The red headed girl is from one of the broilers and the RI Red rooster.  She was hatched early last summer, so she should start laying soon.  These girls don't have names yet.  The white stuff is lime powder.  We cleaned the "stuff" off the next boxes and sprinkled the lime to cut down on the smell.  It ain't bad, but we don't want it to get that way, either.

Dana is our sorta pet chicken.  She's got an enlarged left foot, and as far as I know, she's not layed an egg for us.  She walks with a limp and always gives me a laugh when she tries to run.  It's the funniest sight!

This was Stripey Cat's first encounter with a chicken.  He plays out back behind the coop in the small grove of pines, but he rarely pays any attention to the birds.  He just sniffed a few times then sprinted across the yard.  His attention span is still about 15 seconds cause he's so young still.  Heading out to my parent's this weekend.  Haven't been out there since the new year.  I'm sure I'll get scolded.

Today is the last day to get in on the give away!  Leave a comment, make sure I have a way to get up with you!  I'll announce tomorrow who the winner is!  Stay tuned in!

Chicken Pics

My Blue Splash Silkies.  The hen got Mereks when she was a small chick and lost one eye.  She's still pretty young, but seems to be doing okay.  Her name is Blueberry.  No name for the rooster yet.

This is Dana.  She's a White Cornish Rock.  She was being raised for Perdue, which sells chicken in the grocery market.  I have a few others, but she has a messed up foot.  One foot is bigger than the other.  She walks with a limp, but gets around just fine.  Very sweet, gentle, and loving.

One of the five little silkie chicks.  They are so fuzzy and cute.  They have huge eyes!

This is Little Chicken!  Can you believe you big he has gotten!  He's about 8 months old now and is just starting to get his pubescent, sick-sounding crow.  He's a biter, but I think he's just an eater.  He loves to eat!  He's turning out to be a beautiful rooster, though! 

More chickens later, y'all!!

A Bit on the Gang

Well, I'm not where I can start posting pics yet, but I suppose I can at least give you some wordage about the gang. Mike and I live on a small plot. It's a little over a half acre, I believe. We have a nice neighbor on one side, Henry. He's divorced with kids that stay with him part time. He's a good guy. He's always offering to lend us things like a hoe for the garden, scratch when we run out before I can get to TSC or things like that. On the other side used to be Ron and Susanne, but they, too, are divorcing. They put their house on the market and moved away. Now the home is empty and up for sale. Don't know much about the folks across the street. Mr. Wade lives across the field behind the house. He owns the field. This Spring he plowed a few rows for Henry and us to plant. I have squash, canteloupes, watermelons, okra, tomatoes, beans, radishes, eggplants, corn and cucumbers growing. Sometimes I let the hens out and have to watch them. They try to get in the garden to scratch.

We have two dogs, Max and Minnie. Max is a Toy Poodle. He's smart and loyal. He's a good dog and very "motherly". Minnie is a Rat Terrier mix. She's over weight. She loves to eat and eats almost anything. I try to keep her on a diet, but she sneaks in bites of cat food and everything. We have two cats, Elvis and Priscilla. Elvis is about 6 years old and all black. He spends a lot of time outside. He's fixed and has no front claws because he was supposed to be an indoor cat. But he wouldn't let that happen. Prissy is a gray tabby. She had kittens in April, but there was no way we could keep them in our little place. I tried to find homes for them, but no one would take them. They went to the pound. I hope they were adopted out, but I'm not going to ask. Prissy stays inside a lot and is still young. She's not even a year old. She was way too young to have babies, anyway. We have a Quaker parrot. Her name is Becky. We got her as payment for a debt. She used to be so mean to me. She tried to bite me every time I walked by. She's changed lately, though. I can't pick her up, but she lets me change her food and water and pet her head. We also have a couple of fish tanks. One has a bunch of Fire Belly Mickey Mouse Platys in it. The other has two African Cichlids, two Opaline Gouramis, and an African Brown Knife.

Then there's the chickens. We have four roosters. Perogi is the first rooster we got. He's a Rhode Island Red. He is so mean. He will spur you in a New York minute. He even tries to spur or bite me through the fence when I feed him. He's by himself at the moment. Bojangles is our Dominique rooster. He's very young. He's in a round with a buff hen, but he's not messing with her. Bucky is our Bantam rooster. He's pretty fiesty, too. Mr. Wade brought us a bantam hen for him. Hopefully she will start sitting soon. She had nine eggs this morning. Henry's bantam started sitting at 13 eggs. Then we have Col. Sanders. I don't know what he is. I don't even know if it's a he or a she. I thought she layed an egg once, but someone suggested it was left from the white hen that had been in the round. Mr. Wade swears it's a rooster, but he don't crow. We have four Buff hens that don't have names (yet). We have 10 black Sex Link hens (also nameless) that are still a bit young for laying. And we have 13 White Leghorns that were rescued from Perdue that lay very large brown eggs. One leghorn has a gimp foot. She doesn't lay. Her name is Dana, after a high school friend also with a gimp foot (lol). We have two bantam chicks that we got from Henry, and should be getting one or two more from him. I think one is a rooster, but I would prefer if the others were hens. I have a small Red/Leghorn mix chick that we hatched in the incubator. His name is Little Chicken. He follows us everywhere and comes when we call. Yesterday her rode around on my shoulder. His sister died in an escape attempt their first night outside. And we have five bitties that just hatched this weekend.

That is our gang. Yeah, I've put a lot up here. But it's a necessary introduction. Hopefully I can start posting pics soon. Hope you like what you have read, and will stick around for a while!!