The Chick Feed

Cock-a-Doodle-Doo I was turning over the straw under the chicken coop when I heard it. Thankfully Scott was out in the yard too so he knew just which one did it.   This one. On New Year's Eve. 19 weeks old. What the $%#! Noooooo, is what I wanted to shout. This wasn't supposed to be happening at 19 weeks! From what we'd read, by 8-12 weeks you'd know if there was a rooster in the hen house. I emailed pictures of Lily to the hatchery, but with the holiday we didn't hear back right away. I also snapped a picture of Verbena. I say snapped because to be honest, I'd been having trouble telling the two of them apart for the past month. So while Scott was holding Lily, I went in search of Verbena. I didn't have to look far, she was right behind me, looking at Lily in a puzzled way. See Verbena's puzzled look? The fact that I couldn't tell them apart should have been a clue as to what happened on New Year's Day. Yep, anoth

Walking in a Winter Wonderland... Well, we are at least. The chickens are trying to figure out what happened to their yard. For the first three days of the snowy landscape, the chickens did not want to come out of the coop. On the fourth day, I think the chicks got a little stir-crazy.  And then they got creative.  Where there's a will, there's a way. The chickens' ability to fly out of the coop and land on the least snow covered object or person is amazing. So out came the chickens, in search of grass or anything green.  I cleared paths in the yard to help them forage, to show them that the grass was still there. The chickens came out timidly and then didn't seem to mind the snow. Since the weather is much colder, then chicks need additional calories to keep their bodies warm. I made a  Fruit and Nut Wreath  for the girls.  The chicks love it!! I also put seeds and cracked corn in an empty berry container. I a

Personalities Galore! Chickens are not animals often described as having great personalities. But let us tell you, they do!!  Oh Petunia while you are the smallest, you aren't a little birdie   When we told people that we are getting chickens, a lot of them said, "Why?". We were then regaled with chicken horror stories and antics. Nonetheless we forged ahead with our plan, and we are so glad that we did.  If we hadn't, we would not know that Verbena is a photo-bomber. Or that Violet could lead a prison break. Or that Lily and Merigold are our broth connoisseurs. OR that Lily, Forsythia, and Daisy would be snuggle-bunnies. We love having these chickies in our lives. We look forward to seeing them each morning. They burst out of the coop to explore the yard.  I enjoy sharing my garden beds with them. Yes I know, in the summer I may not feel the same way, but for now it is awesome. With the days getting shorter, the chicken