Betty's Day Off

As the official mascot for Twelve Acres, Betty is one busy biddy. Not only does she have her spokeschick responsibilities, she's also a working girl and dutifully lays 5 eggs a week.


I gave Betty the day off today and treated her to a day of fun. First we went shopping. She checked out the Bargain Bin but didn't see anything she really wanted. She was hoping to find a pair of pumps on sale.



Then we went to the arcade. Betty had a lot of fun shooting the terrorists in "Operation Thunderbolt". She's very good at shooting the bad guys! She was showing off her high score of 159,483. No one wanted to challenge her so we left the arcade and headed home. She spent the afternoon browsing in the yard with the sun shining on her back. Her after dinner treat was a pea pod from the stir fry we had for dinner.


She went to bed a happy chook!

Growing, Growing!

The chicks are almost 5 weeks old and I can't believe they are the same birds I got in April. They change each day and I swear they've gotten bigger each morning I come home from work.

Here, Derek holds Roo in his right hand and Roseanna in his left. I told him he's a chick magnet and he said "Can I get a shirt that says that?" Gives me an idea!

Each of us has a chicken to call our own; Derek has Roseanna, Ian has Rudy and I have my little pullet, Betty. Jim hasn't yet bonded with a bird, but he doesn't spend time with them like the rest of us. Perhaps some day a bird will choose him.

Jim and I put the fenced run in last week. It measures 20' x 23.5' and is attached to the chicken coop. I will get photos tomorrow. I'm planning on letting some of them out to forage in it. Betty and the smaller chicks can squeeze through the 2" wire so I can't put them out and leave them just yet. Also, the hen door isn't cut in the coop, so there's no way for them to go in and out as they please. It makes it a real chore to let them out when I have to pick up each chick, then catch it again when it's time to back in!

Here's my little girl, Betty. She insists on sitting on my shoulder. I broke her of the habit of trying to perch on my head, a big no-no in the bird kingdom. Top bird is me, not Betty! I don't mind her being on my shoulder though.

I'm seriously considering keeping Roo, who was headed for the butcher block if Derek hadn't spent time with him and tamed him down some. Now he's quite nice to be around and doesn't mind being picked up if you move slowly.

I am so glad I ordered some Barred Rocks. I like them so much I'm thinking about getting more next spring when I get my Brahmas and Barnevelders. Maybe I'll try some Partridge Rocks just for some color?

The last photo shows Roo in his handsome plumage. Won't he make a fine looking rooster? He's my biggest bird, too. One of the Barred Rock boys is going to live with a friend from work. He has 15 pullets and no rooster, so I offered him one of my seven. I think he'll like the rooster I give him, he's got tons of personality and is a spunky boy! The smallest BR boy is going to be butchered. My goal is to end up with no more than three roosters: Rudy (Buff Orpington), Silver (Hamburg), and one other, probably Roo. I was going to keep one of the Australorp roosters but they are already acting like roosters at this early age and I don't like them constantly pecking at the Australorp girls. I want my layers to be stress-free and that means minimal attention from roosters. So those Australorp boys better be nice or I'll make a nice roast out of them!

Yard Birds

I awoke to a beautiful day today well rested and ready for my week off. I got myself together and checked for eggs while the coffee brewed. Betty was busy laying an egg and I left quietly without disturbing her.















It's partly cloudy today and the air has that wonderful fall crispness with a nice pine aroma mingling with the sound of chirping crickets. I don't have much to do today besides washing the linens, so I'm having fun taking photos of the yard. Of course, there are yard birds wherever I go.
















The soybeans are just beginning to yellow. It won't be long before it's time to harvest. And then there will be an open field seven acres in size. I wonder what the birds will do with all that open space?

Violet and Betty were practicing their synchronized grazing. Betty is a bit off I think. But that's normal for Betty.














I hadn't seen the ducks feeding so I strolled to the back yard to see what they were up to. They were no where to be seen and I couldn't hear them. Were they napping? I called to them as I approached and then they started popping out from under the spruce trees. There they were! Good morning ducks!
















They waddled up to me eagerly, expecting me to pour some cracked corn on the ground for them. No corn this time, sorry! They are five weeks old and almost their adult size. Their voices are still changing; some of them peep while the rest of them quack. One of them sounds like an old Model T horn.
















The chickens had to follow me, of course. They've learned that if they follow me around the yard they might end up with a tasty treat such as a frog or tomato worm. As the chickens approached the ducks, they each kept to their separate groups but got close enough for a social call. They grazed for a while together and then the ducks went for a drink at the pond's edge.

















Silver seems to be unsure of how to handle the ducks. He's the leader of the chickens, but does that mean he should lead the ducks as well? He approaches with wings flapping as if to announce his omnipotence. They don't notice. They're too busy grazing.
















He tries coming closer and giving them "the eye". It has no effect and he seems to be frustrated. He gives up on the ducks and goes back to bossing the chickens around.






Isn't he handsome?

The Smartest Hen in the Flock

Jim made one final pass with the tiller in the garden before I put up the chicken wire today. Betty, the official mascot of Twelve Acres, quickly learned weeks ago that the worm digger roto-tiller provides plenty of fresh, juicy worms to eat. While the other hens run from the big scary machine, Betty doesn't.

I love Betty for her pluckiness, sass and gumption. Did I mention that Barred Rocks are my favorite breed?

Autumn Day

Autumn arrived with a vengeance today. It's cool, brisk and downright chilly out there with a strong wind blowing from the northwest. I can so relate to the lady who writes "It Blows Here".

This blustery day gave me the opportunity to check the coop for drafty areas and get it ready for winter. I spent an hour or so sealing drafty spots and covering the vents. I left only one vent open and it faces south. It was difficult to work without feeling like I was interrupting the chooks' egg laying. I tried to work quickly and get out of their way.

Out of 14 pullets only two are not yet laying at 6 months of age. Ollie and Poppy (Orp and Australorp) are refusing to participate. I had a talk with Poppy yesterday and she said she'd get started soon. Ollie is another story. Ollie only does things on her terms. She told me to stuff it. Even though she's stubborn, Ollie is a pleasure to hold. She is tightly feathered, like a duck, and feels like a big poofy pillow.

Betty bit my lower lip last night. She's a mean little wench, that ornery little Barred Rock! Yes, I am the one who requires supervision when in close proximity to the chooks. You'd think I'd have learned by now. Surely I should know better than to get my "sure-looks-like-a-fat-and-juicy-worm" lower lip within reach of Betty, but NOOOOOOO! Anyway, I've still got a sore and somewhat split lower lip tonight. That girl's got the fastest beak in the midwest I tell ya!

In a nut shell, it blows here and Betty bites!

Tomorrow the 8th grade football team takes on our longtime rivals. Derek is psyched and said he's going to give their linemen a run for the money! It's going to be fun but cold. I'll take along a blanket and a warm jacket. Dontcha just love football weather?

Ollie Has Babies!

I woke up at 6 this morning, very early for this night owl. The first thought on my mind was that I had to check on my hens. I put on my bathrobe and slippers and headed straight to the chicken coop. I let all the hens out to forage then checked on Ollie. I listened for the sound of peeping and I heard it! Faint peeps were coming from under her! I lifted carefully and found a dark chick, just barely dried. How exciting! Ollie is doing such a great job.

I went back to bed after trying in vain to get photos. Have you ever tried to photograph chicks under a very protective hen? Lemme tell ya, it's darn near impossible! And if Ollie wasn't such a nice hen I'd have bloody hands by now! She tolerated my poking and prodding but just barely. After my nap I finally managed to get some decent shots. Here are the first chicks' legs. I wanted a photo of its face though.

There, that's more like it! Its mama must have been an Australorp.

I could also see that another egg had been zipped. The chicks' beak was poking out and it was breathing. See the white egg tooth on the end of a black beak? Hatching is hard work! Come on little fella, you can do it!


The other two eggs have not pipped that I can tell. I'm afraid to do too much poking around in there for fear of killing them. I hope you enjoy the photos, I risked life and limb taking them!


Daisy's clutch is due to hatch today too. I haven't heard a single peep. She's sitting like a statue and hasn't taken a break at all today. I'm thinking there's something going on but I can't see a darn thing. The drakes are beside themselves with nerves.

OK, maybe they're not that nervous, but I think they sense that something is going on. Waterfowl form very tight bonds as a family unit.

There's not much to do when you're waiting for babies. You can knit booties, clean house or, in our case, plant trees. Betty was a bundle of nerves too, so she helped me plant some trees by the chicken coop.

Hang in there Betty, the babies will be here soon!

Day Off From Everything

For the first time in months, I have absolutely nothing to do today! No trees to plant, no mulch to spread, no one demanding my attention. Jim is out mowing the lawn and I'm about to *gasp, wheez!* take a NAP!

Earlier we were out in the chicken coop caulking gaps in the boards and I snapped this cute picture of Rocky sitting on his shoulder. The little bugger has grown quite a bit since he first stumbled into our lives. Jim is very attached to him and I have to admit I like him too, as long as he isn't nibbling on my ear!

The chooks have graduated to the big kids feeder. I'm glad they did, I was getting tired of filling the little baby feeder twice a day! I can fit 30 pounds of feed in the big feeder. I bought feed yesterday and noted that it hasn't risen in cost since last year. I braced myself when they gave me my total at the cash register but was shocked when the price hadn't changed at all. I bought 50 pounds of cracked corn for $7.34 which is exactly what I paid for it last fall. So it seems the grain prices at the elevator are holding steady, thank the Lord!

Here, Rocky tries to show the girls where to put the eggs. Squirrels are gravity-defying creatures.

I thought I'd post some photos of two of the named chicks. The first one is a friendly little Barred Rock named Betty. Notice her stripes showing on her wings. The Rocks started showing their stripes after 5 days. Betty loves to sit on my knee and take naps and sometimes she'll come up to me and practically beg to be picked up! Such a contrast from Roo, the BR who avoids people like the plague.

The second chick is Violet, who was named on Saturday. She's a medium sized Black Australorp with a quiet, calm temperament. She also finds her way onto my arm or knee when I'm out in the coop. The chicks are 16 days old today and have most of their body feathers, which are gradually making their way through all that baby fuzz.

Chicken Eyes

It's hard to tell what a chicken is thinking by looking into her eyes. I often wonder if I should be afraid. After all, if I was just a bit smaller I'd be fair game for my flock of modern velociraptors. Betty doesn't look too scary in this photo but she was running up to me to bite my pant leg--something she does to get attention.

Rosanna seems to be a friendly chook based on her expression. But do chickens have expressions? Unlike Betty, she doesn't bite to get your attention. She tries to sit on you, wherever she can fit her big 6 pound rear end. She's very sweet and loves to be carried around. Derek and I just love Rosanna. (She is always dirty!)

Lily is also very friendly to people. But lately she's been very grumpy with her flock-mates. Yesterday she grabbed poor Violet by the neck feathers and threw her to the ground, WWE style! Then a few hours later I saw her do the same thing to poor Rosanna! What's wrong Lily? Why the bad mood?

Special Egg

This is a special "first" egg because it comes from a special chickie. My girl Betty (Barred Rock) laid her very first egg today at 21 weeks old. It didn't take her very long either. I went out to check for eggs while dinner was cooking and saw that Betty was in a nest box. She's been checking the nest boxes out the past few days so I figured she wasn't far from producing an egg. I went back in and about 10 minutes later Derek came in the house excited and holding this rather pointy, speckled egg. Isn't it sweet?

So it's official, all the Rocks are laying. I also found a light creamy egg with tiny speckles in the run this afternoon. I suspect it's an Australorp egg but I didn't witness the event so I'm not sure. It's obviously different from the other eggs and it's obviously a first egg. Perhaps tomorrow the pullet who laid it will get caught in a nest box. I'd rather they put their eggs in a nest than in the run. I have a feeling it was laid there because Sweetheart, a rather pugnacious Orpington, was laying an egg at the same time. And when Sweetheart is in a nest don't bother her! The other girls will stand outside the coop as if they are waiting for her to finish so they can get in there and do what they want to do. Picture a line of girls waiting at the bathroom door with their knees crossed!

The girls laid 5 eggs today total. Tomorrow I will cook up our first ever fried egg dinner using our own chicken eggs. They are small so it might take a dozen to do it. Derek had 5 eggs for breakfast this morning.

Egg Whodunnit

The first egg arrived on Monday. The second egg arrived today. I had to wait four long, agonizing days in between! I swear these chickens love to tease me! I awoke at 3 and made my coffee then headed to the coop to look for eggs. I saw this cute little egg and when I picked it up I found that it was still warm. According to my forensics experience (zilch) it must have been laid sometime between 2 and 3 pm.

I still don't know who is laying the eggs. This one is not as long and pointy as the first. Could it be from a different chook? I suspect the Australorps, a breed known for laying early, but no one is fessing up!

Did you lay this egg Lily? She's not talking.

How 'bout you Betty? Did you lay this egg? She just turned her rump to me and ignored me. I compared the egg to her fluffy butt. But Betty is a Barred Rock and shouldn't be mature enough to lay yet at 20 weeks.

The world may never know!

Frigid Fowl

Hey chooks, wanna come out today?

How about you Betty, wanna come out? No?



The ducks don't seem to mind the cold. They're so well insulated I bet they can't even feel it. They keep their little swimming hole open despite the cold. They'll be so happy when spring comes!



Esther and Betty are staying in though. I've been giving the girls a flake of high quality alfalfa each day to pick over. They eat the little leaves. I'm sure they miss grazing in the green grass.

I've installed a light on a timer inside the coop, something I swore I wasn't going to do. I am only getting about 2-3 eggs a day right now and that's not enough to keep up with customers and my baking. So I'm putting the girls to work again. They're young, healthy and very well fed. Time to end the strike!

Moonlit Pond

This is my one night off this week, and as per usual, I'm using it to relax and prepare my body for a 48 hour marathon at work. I do this every other week and the older I get, the harder it is to recover from it. Needless to say, Jim and I are pushing hard for an independent life through his new business and my desire to homestead.

As I look out the window I am enjoying this moonlit scene. The sparkling water is our pond. You can just make out the spruce and pine trees that make up our windbreak if you look at the center. And if you listen closely you can hear the sound of the wind blowing through the pine trees. My grandma enjoyed this sound too and it's one of the reasons I've chosen to name the Twelve Acres "Whispering Pines Farm". This is one of those nights when I'll wait till 2 a.m. when everyone else is deep asleep and wrap up in a quilt, go outside, and listen to the night while breathing in that sweet country air. Pure heaven!

We have a pair of Barn Swallows nesting in the security light above the east end of the house. They are welcome to raise a family of voracious, insect-eating youngsters. In fact, they can raise two broods as far as I'm concerned! It's a welcome sound to hear their alarm call when anything gets too close to the nest. It's funny to watch them dive-bomb the cats too! They chose a good location for their nest; it is the lowest foot traffic area on the property.

The chicks are fast asleep in their little coop. Derek and I spent time checking leg bands tonight, replacing any outgrown cable ties with permanent, 3/4" leg bands. The Australorp pullets are large enough to keep their leg bands on and Sweet Pea (Barred Rock) is just barely large enough. Little Betty will have to wait a bit longer--she's my smallest bird and the band slips right off her foot still. The next time I get chicks, I'm going to order some smaller leg bands to fit the awkward teenager phase so I don't have to use cable ties again. Roo, the Barred Rock rooster, is sporting his bright red leg band on his very large left shank. I hope his shanks don't get much larger or I'll have to either buy a goose sized band for him or let him go without one altogether. It'll be easy to tell him apart from the other chickens, so if I have to, I'll opt for plan B. He's a really large bird and I'd guess his weight at over a pound at 6 weeks old. Now that's a rooster! He's a sweet boy too, and doesn't harass the pullets like the Australorp roosters. I have to give Derek credit for working with Roo and taming him down. Roo owes his life to Derek. He was slated for butchering up until two weeks ago! But now, he's a sweet boy with a good temperament, so he gets to stay with Betty and Sweet Pea. Lucky Roo!

Vegetarian Chickens?

At left, Betty says, "Where's the beef?"

Since I began raising my own chickens in April, I've paid a bit more attention to the packaged meats I buy at the grocery store. For instance, I never really paid attention to the fact that factory butchered poultry is injected with a saline solution to promote juiciness. So that's how they get that pre-salted flavor!

Today while preparing a package of chicken thighs for the grill, I read the label. It came from a local grower, Miller Amish Country Poultry. The upper left hand corner of the wrapper read, "...fed an all-vegetable diet* and are hormone and antibiotic free." I'm all for the hormone and antibiotic free, but since when did chickens become vegetarians? In addition to fresh grass and grains, my chickens eat worms, insects and frogs for cryin' out loud! They get the fat trimmings from pork and beef as well. If I fed my chooks an all-vegetable diet they would knock me down and peck my eyes out!

Have we gone and flipped our lids? Why do we feel the need to deprive an omnivorous creature of its natural diet? There seems to be a notion that feeding chickens "animal by products or fats" is a bad thing. I eat animal by products and fat every day! I'm an omnivore!

This just enforces the fact that I prefer to raise my own food. I want my birds to free range and eat whatever their little hearts desire (except my pansies). I like knowing that they spend their days doing what chickens do best: foraging for their own food.

I'm going to start my chickens on an all-vegetable diet...I'm going to feed them nothing but vegetarians.

*The all-vegetable diet consists of "a mixture of corn, soybeans, minerals, salt and vitamins that is mixed at our own feed mill and there is no animal by products, animal fats or coloring added, never."

The Cooking of the Irish Grub

I'm not Irish but St. Patrick's Day gave me an excuse to make a favorite stew recipe and my first loaf of Irish soda bread. The stew recipe is from Tyler Florence and can be found here. It's a fantastic recipe. I've thrown away all my other beef stew recipes because I've finally got the best one.
The Irish soda bread recipe can be found in any Betty Crocker cookbook in the "Quick Breads" section. You can also read it online here. Since I'd never made it before I wasn't sure what to expect. And this was the first time I've ever kneaded a quick bread! The texture reminded me of heavy biscuit dough and it smelled like pancake batter. The taste was mildly sweet and the raisins added a nice flavor. It wasn't a dry bread, but it was very dense. Here's how it looked when it came out of the oven.
I learned that the cross on the top is not a religious symbol but simply an escape vent for the carbon dioxide that is formed from the baking soda. Without it, the bread would take on an unappetizing exploded look by the end of baking.

Waiting for Peeps

I don't know which is worse - waiting nine months for a baby to be born or waiting 28 days for ducklings to hatch. Tomorrow is Daisy's hatch date, Saturday is Ollie's and Macaroni's. I'm on pins and needles waiting, something I'm terrible at doing.

I've read that if you listen closely you can hear the chicks peep to their mama's through the egg shells when they're getting ready to hatch. I'm listening closely to all three hens' nests. You should see me, kneeling down above the sidewalk and deck with my ear to the floor like an Indian listening for thunder in the distance. I haven't heard anything yet.

I've moved Violet to the floor beneath the nest boxes. Her hatch date is June 15. Violet is low in the pecking order and not very good at defending her nest. The other hens were getting in there with her and laying eggs in her nest. I don't know how many times I had to haul a hen out of there and put Violet back in! So now she's got a private nest to herself and no one can bother her. She wasn't keen on the box at first but now she's content. Earlier this week Poppy got in Violet's nest and stepped on one of the eggs and broke it. I was so upset. I had that girl's neck in my fingers but didn't do it. She's a good layer. An airhead, but a good layer. The egg that was broke wasn't one of the Silkie eggs.

And now another of my Australorps is broody, this time it's Iris. I don't think I'll indulge her though. My back surgery is June 18 and I won't be able to look after chicks then. I might let a broody hen hatch some eggs after that though. Lily's been plucking her belly feathers lately and she may go broody. She's my biggest girl and could easily cover a dozen eggs. We'll see.

I'm hoping that I'll be posting pictures and videos of baby ducklings tomorrow. In the meantime, Betty and I (and little Scarlet) are just waiting...

SURPRISE!

I had every intention of sleeping in this morning. Then Jim came into the bedroom and asked me if I was expecting the new chicks today. I said no, they were due to arrive next Wednesday. Then he informed me that the post office called and said there was a peeping package waiting for me.

What?!?

I had planned to get the brooder cage ready on Monday, plenty of time to get things set up. I was completely unprepared for the arrival of baby chicks today! I had 7 new layers and 9 broilers waiting for me at the post office. Gack!

As I leapt out of bed, I barked orders at Jim to go get the brooder cage then run to town, pick up a bag of chick starter, then to the post office to get the chicks and hurry up about it! I got dressed and ran to get the feeder and water font prepped. I still hadn't cleaned them from when the ducks used them last July.

By the time Jim got back with the feed and chicks I had the brooder set up and ready for them. I ran out to meet him in the driveway and grabbed the box of chicks and ran inside with them. I quickly put them in the brooder and they all got a drink. In a few minutes they found the feeder and then they crashed. They'd had a long trip from Ideal Hatchery in Texas and they needed a good nap. Hatching day for chicks is very stressful.

I'm happy to report that the two Barred Rocks are full of personality. One is rather shy, the other is brave and bold. I got the bold one out for a while and let her explore the computer desk. She is fearless and I can tell she's going to rival Betty in personality. I'm going to have to think long and hard about an appropriate name for such a funny little chick.

I am pleased with all the chicks. They all seem to be full of character and there's only a few shy ones. It's been my experience that sometimes the shy ones turn around and become quite friendly when they reach maturity.

For those who will not be indulging in spring chicks this year I give you Peep TV. Enjoy!























Speckled Sussex, sleepy on hatching day

Welsummer chick

Red and black broilers

Delaware

Sleepy little Delware

Nice variety of chicks

Cute little chipmunk stripes on the Welsummer (and she's wearing eyeliner!)

Spunky Barred Plymouth Rock explores the keyboard



Sweet little Delaware chick

"What's going on in there?" asks Fern. The big chooks lurked on the front porch today, listening to the peeping babies.