Meet N Greet - Part 1 - Chickens

Okay, so we decided we'd go ahead and introduce you to our chickens. Originally, we weren't going to name them(it makes them harder to kill), but we had to refer to them somehow. Besides, some of the them just LOOKED like their names - it came so naturally. Others were not so original. But, hey, we're not looking to win any awards here. So, without any further ado, the chickens:

From the G1(generation 1) -

Little Red (Red Sex-Link) - she's the leader of the generation 1 flock, and therefore, seems to be the leader of the entire flock. She was also our first egg-layer. Our rooster can't seem to dominate her yet, and does all kinds of funny dances to show her how attractive he is. She doesn't seem to be falling for it, yet. Stay strong, m'dear! :)

Big Mama (?) -don't know her breed, but she was our second layer, and a very good one - she gets VERY chatty when she's laying.

Mrs. Potts (Columbian Cochin) - she is very large and waddles everywhere with a pompous air about her - she reminded me of the teapot in Beauty and the Beast...Mrs. Potts. :)

Ms. Cochin (Columbian Cochin) - she walks side by side with Mrs. Potts, very pompously as well. The snobby twins turning up their nose when we offer them treats from our hands. THEY don't need handouts, they can get their OWN food, thank you very much!

Blackie (Austrolorp) - she follows skittishly behind the twins everywhere they go. She reminds me of the needy teenager seeking approval from the popular kids. She'll eat from our hands until she notices they've walked away, and then squawks loudly and runs, half-flying over to her group. "(out of breath) Oh, hey guys, what's up?"

On to our G2 group-

The Rooster:

Big Boy (Silver-Laced Red Wyandotte) - it's a rather unoriginal name, but it seems that it's always what we call him, so there you go. He's large, but very unsure of himself. He covers it up by crowing all morning long, and gathering his ladies from time to time. Josh and I have pretend conversations from him to his ladies all the time. Yesterday, it rained all night, and he insisted on sleeping in his tree as always. The ladies all slept in the greenhouse. This morning, he woke up, flew out of the tree, and stormed across our yard into that greenhouse, crowing over and over again. You could see the determination in his strut. He was GOING to get HIS ladies.

Darkie(Red Sex-Link) - we call her darkie because she was the darkest of the sex-links. It was the only way we could differentiate between them. Don't have much else to say about her. She stays out of our way...

The Buff (Buff Orpington) - We got her because Buff Orpingtons are known to be one of the friendliest chickens you can have. Whatever! She is NOT friendly, and borderline ornery if you ask us. She tails Big Boy all day trying to be his favorite lady, to which he responds by giving her the cold shoulder. Just like the typical male, he wants nothing to do with anyone throwing themselves at him. No, he wants the one that ignores him, and abuses him. So, she gets even by bullying all the chicks. After all, she's better than ANY of them...

Game Bird(?) - I've grown to like Game Bird quite a bit. When we first got her, I thought she was so ugly, but Josh loved her coloring. We thought she was an Ameraucana, but when we brought her home, she started to display characteristics that were unlike the rest of the group. Her instincts seemed fresher, and she was much more aware of her surroundings. She taught the flock to sleep in the trees, she herds the chicks under shelter when birds fly overhead, and she fights the other chickens instead of just challenging them. She might not turn out to be the best layer, but her behavior is fascinating to say the least.

G3 flock- the chicks -

Rooster (Ameraucana) - we call her this because she started carrying her tail straight up in the air, which made her look like a rooster. Hopefully, she's not one, but only time will tell...

The Twin(Ameraucana) - poor girl, we have the same name for her and another one. We just refer to them as the twins. Beautiful, though. They seem to be warming up to us faster than the other Ameraucanas...but we can't tell which one is the friendly one...

Miss Shanty (Chantecler) - she looks like a Miss Shanty, doesn't she? She's girly, but not snobby. She comes off as sweet, but timid. I think she'll warm up to us...

The other Twin(Ameraucana) - this is a better picture of the Twins. So, you see this, that's what the last one looked like. Pretty, huh?

Wheaten (Ameraucana) - named for the color of her feathers. She's a rare coloring. Very skittish at first, but getting better...

Silver (Ameraucana) - named for her coloring to distinguish her from the rest of her family. Very pretty...

Hawk (Ameraucana) - named appropriately because she looks like a hawk to us - not so much in this pic, because her tail is up. But, there have been a number of times that we run out thinking a hawk is running in our flock, only to find it's her. You can't see it in this pic, but she has the heaviest feathering around her face too.

Mrs. Butterworth (Chantecler) - we WERE calling her Miss Shanty, and the other Chantecler Little Shanty, but we changed it once when Josh mentioned she looked like a Mrs. Butterworth. I thought it was funny because I had thought the same exact thing a few days beforehand! So, it stuck. She's the largest of the G3 flock, and she seems to know it. She mothers the rest of the flock, defending them from other hens, and today, we noticed that, now that they are all getting bigger, they seem protective of her, too. The dynamics between her and the group is interesting - she is definitely a leader, but not an aggressive one - more like a sweet stack of pancakes... ;)

Itty-Bitty Red (Red Sex-Link) - she was named Itty-Bitty, because we had so many Red Sex-Links (3 have died - apparently Sophie's favorite flavor), and she was the only one in the G3 flock. She looks much more gang-ly and awkward than the other Links. Long legs. We'll see if Big Boy thinks those legs are pretty...

Delaware (Delaware) - pretty original, huh? We just started calling her that, don't know why, but the name fit her. She was difficult to get a pic because her head is always deep in the food bowl. She's Julia's and Daddy's favorite. She nearly jumps into your hand sometimes! She is spirited and holds her own quite well with the large birds. She's spunky!!

Blink (Black Sex-Link) - we had the hardest time naming her, because she doesn't socialize like the others. She hardly ever leaves the coop, and when she does, she's off on her own somewhere. But she's not fearful or weird, just very independent. Although, she has wandered into the other groups of chickens a few times, forages the ground a bit, and then realizes where she is and scurries back to her own group. Maybe she's got bad vision...

So, that's our chicken group - we have a great time watching them, learning from them, and playing with them. They are an extended part of the family. Hope you'll get to know them too. And get some eggs....because next summer, we'll be overrun with 'em...

Now, you think our chickens are entertaining...wait 'till you get to meet our turkeys! THEY are a sight to behold...and NOT a pretty one... :)

Are Chickens smart? This one is...

(our G1 flock - Little Red is on the left)

Let me share with you this story...Sunday was an eventful day for us. It was the day Arrowhead was attacked. We held a funeral for her (requested by Xander). But, our day was filled with much more than just this. You see, we were up early, before dawn, with a purpose. For the past several weeks, one of our layers, Little Red, stopped laying. We thought it was because her sister was attacked and killed. Kind of traumatic...we've heard that layers will temporarily stop laying when experiencing any kind of stress. But, Little Red had stopped producing all together. Then, we started to notice that she was disappearing every morning and returning to the group after a few hours. Hm...something was awry.

First, we SCOURED the orchard, looking for her nest. No luck. We called for her. No response(which is very abnormal - she ALWAYS clucks back to us when we call her). For the past SEVERAL days, we began watching her. Trying to catch where she was coming from. I would come out and work in the yard, and note when I noticed that she was back in the group. I timed her arrival. Then, for two days, I sat and waited for her to return at the time she normally did. Both days, she didn't return until I left. One of those days, I sat out there for THREE HOURS, and waited. When I went inside to grab a quick drink of water, I came out, and there she was. That stinker! I knew she was catching on...so I had to think of something new.

So, there we were, Sunday morning, bright and early when the rooster crowed, out with the flock enjoying the sunrise. And I waited for Little Red to wander off. And waited. And waited. And waited. She went WELL past the time she usually wandered off. I sat in front of their hang out. She started to head off somewhere twice, but turned around and came back. It was VERY apparent that she would NOT disappear until she thought I was gone. So, I had to outsmart her. Hah! First idea (which I admit now was sort of ridiculous, but oh well) - I said, "So long chick, chicks!" and started to walk away from them, and ducked down into the long grass! I waited, quietly, and listened to her gentle clucks as she started to wander past me. At one point, I could see her through the grass - could she see me? No, she kept going. Then, it got quiet. Where did she go? I popped up to look around....when I heard a gentle cluck behind me. I slowly turned around to see Little Red looking at me with her head cocked to the side, as if to say, "Whatcha doin'?" Darn it!

Idea number 2 - since she was now following me, I led her into the chicken coop. I lay some hen treats inside, and then lay some more treats into a nesting box. She hopped into it happily. Nice! I sat there to see if she stayed. No sound. Good. I walked to the orchard fence and looked back. Still good. I went to the house and opened the door, which creaks noisily. I watched out the window. A few seconds went by. Then, out pops Little Reds tiny head! She looks right, left, up, and all around, and walks out! She looks again, tentatively, and walks slowly around the coop - darn her hide! I tried to slip back out, but that door is SO loud, and as soon as I opened it, of course, Little Red's head pops up my way! So, I pretend to start working in the yard. She goes back to creeping around... I walk a little closer, quietly, but - BLAST! - now the turkeys are following right behind me - gobble, gobble. I shoo them away, but they came right back. Why is it they follow you when you don't want them to, but they don't when you want them? Anyways, they followed me into the orchard, where I pick a few plums; Little Red, watching us, creeps over towards a small pine tree. I shoo away the turkeys, then look up - wait, she's gone! Oh, shoot! So, I run over to the tree. Surely, she'll answer my call if I call her now! I say, "Little Red, come here, chick, chick.." softly. Sure enough, she answers softly! Now where is that coming from?! I start bending down the tall grass carefully. I cannot see her at all. But I hear her RIGHT THERE! Finally, I notice just a little tiny fleck of her white tail. I say, "it's all right Little Red. See you later." And I get up, and jump in the air, pumping my arms!! I found it!! I ran in and told Josh. We discuss whether or not to move her into the coop. Yes, that's what we'll do. So, we go back out there, grab her, and put her in the coop.

How many eggs were in there?

25 eggs!!

Want to know the most amazing part? Only 3 were bad. All these eggs at one a day - that means 3 weeks, they've been sat on, super-heated by our dear Little Red, in the hot 90 degree weather, and only 3 were bad!! That's amazing!

What a SMART, funny little hen...

A Farewell to Arrowhead...

On Sunday, Arrowhead was killed by a hawk. Xander was devastated as Arrowhead was his favorite chick. She was friendly, beautiful, and extremely entertaining. She will be missed greatly.

A Hard Day on the Farm

We returned Sophie to her seller today. This was a very difficult decision for us to make. She is a super sweet lover of a dog, and with good training, she'll make a family (without chickens) very happy. So, why did we give her away? Am I not knowledgeable in animal behavior and training? Yes, I am. Am I not committed once I get a pet? YES, I am. So, why did we give up Sophie? Well, let me explain.

When Sophie killed our first chicken, we weren't entirely sure that she had done it. I checked everything I could with her, and found NO evidence that she had killed it. We wanted to believe that a hawk (we see them all the time) had done it. Or something else. Not our dog. After all, Sophie was a livestock guardian dog. She was bred to protect them. Not EAT them...

But when the second bird was attacked, we knew it was her. We decided then, that we would try to use the shock collar with her. Yes, we've heard the awful story of wrapping the dead chicken around the neck of your dog for a week, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that with my chicken. I guess I'm not a true-blood farmgirl, yet...

But, the third attack is what did it for me.

It happened while we were in town to get batteries for the shock collar (which we forgot about while we were running other errands, but that's besides the point). We locked the dogs up rather than the chickens because it takes so long to round up the chickens, and it was already late in the day. We were lazy, I know. But, at least they were separated. But, as we were finishing up with our last errand, we were commenting on the sun setting when Josh says, "Oh, shoot! I wonder if the chickens will start trying to roost in their trees for the night!" You see, our chickens sleep in the trees in the South orchard...which is where we locked Sophie and Reuben up while we were gone. "Surely, they wouldn't try jumping over the fence to get in there, would they?" Josh asked. "Of course, they would! It's their survival instinct!"(where my common sense was before this, I will never know).

We pulled into the driveway, and were already blazing towards the orchard - we spotted Mr. Big, the Americauna, and the Buff sitting on top of the chick's coop. Good. Running over to the orchard, we saw a sex-link in the tree. Another one good. One more. We looked around. Couldn't find her. We let the dogs out. Josh goes to get water. I grab a flashlight and start walking around in the orchard. And I saw her. Laying awkwardly in the middle of the path. Still breathing. I yelled out to Josh. To the kids. To anyone who could hear me. We picked her up and brought her inside. We soothed her. Josh pulled her wings out, and we found a wound. But, it's not too bad, I thought. She actually looks pretty good. But, she was in shock. We cleaned the wound, and wrapped her in a towel. Xander sang to her for awhile. I set on some music as I had read somewhere that chickens liked classical music. She seemed to be getting better. She relaxed in my arms; she drank some water. This is good! I settled her down in a blanket by our bed, and started getting the kids ready for bed. I checked on her every 5 minutes. She looked like she was peacefully resting for now.

Now, I feel this couple of months of farm life has taught me a lot. I've learned incredible things about chickens. I LOVE them. They are responsive, playful, and humorous. They seek attention, and love. They are incredibly close to nature, their instincts are not entirely lost because of purposeful breeding.

I love to watch them.

I love learning from them. I love what they've done for our family.

They look to me as their protector. That's all they ask of me. Can't I do that?

Running around the house, doing some last minute chores, I realized the music had turned off. I went into the bedroom to check on her, and she had stopped breathing. She was gone. I couldn't help it; I cried. Now, I know you are probably thinking, that's silly, she was a bird destined for the pot anyway. Yes, I know. But, I promised myself that these birds would have a great life before their time. I felt this bird was cheated. And the other birds, too. Why was I letting Sophie do this? It wasn't like we were training her to stop chewing our shoes. If she had attacked Reuben, we would have gotten rid of her. If she had bitten one of the children, we would have gotten rid of her. Why was it not the same for the chickens? She was taking lives. This was beyond destructive behavior. It wasn't fair to the chickens. It wasn't fair to Sophie. Not fair to anyone.

So, we sat down as a family and discussed what we should do. Everyone voted to give her a nice home without chickens. So, we took her back today. We gave her hugs, we said our goodbyes. That was hard, too. She trusted us. We were her family.

But, when I got home, I let out all the chickens and turkeys. I let them roam. I went inside and fixed dinner. I put the kids to bed. Then I walked outside, and took a big breath of air in as I realized this HUGE burden had been lifted from me. Because when I went outside, I knew all the birds would be there. I wasn't afraid to turn a corner and see a dead bird on the ground. Order had been restored. I felt peaceful. Even joy.

So, yes, it was a hard day on the crazy k farm today... a hard one, but a great one.