The Girls

She has an incubator and not afraid to use it!

2010-02-06T23:35:00.000-08:00

So, back in August I purchased a Hovabator Genesis 1588 as a precaution of my broody being a dingbat. Thankfully it arrived after the broody has refused the eggs for a weekend. So, I put in BBS Orp and Delaware eggs from my dear friend Cyn as well as some of my mutt eggs. Cyn was so sweet and knowing how much I love her Blue Orp roo, Suede, she sent me some eggs from he and his girls. 21 days later...8 new fuzzy butts joined our family. Here they are at 1 day old:

The Crew

Fattie

Sirius

Penelope

Severus

Athena

Thor

Draco

Cannonball

They are now 21 weeks old and a hoot. I am so in love with Thor and Cannonball, the two of them have unbelievable personalities. Here are pics of them now:

Cannonball

Sirius (back), Penelope (L) Severus (R)

Draco

Thor

Severus

Fattie

Athena

So, I have their NPIP paperwork and next month they get their vet check and certificate and then we all move to Kentucky. I could not leave my babies behind. I will take 20 total and 9 of my 11 ducks. The rest will stay here in Oregon with a new family.

Everyone is happy and ending their molt!

2009-05-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

Giving them treats and all I got was fluffy butts for the picture...they were all heads down in the rice and scratch.

I am hoping that Luna is going broody so I can some wonderful Blue Orpington eggs from GA. I am currently beading a blue orp rooster as a gift for my friend, speckledhen and she is going to send me some of his girls' eggs when I get broody to sit on them. hehehehe

But for now, only Speckles has inspected the new ducklings and Miss Thang was none to impressed with the little quakers. hahahahaha

Confusion Everywhere...

2009-05-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

Well the girls are as confused about the weather as I am. they are not sure if they should be laying or not laying, inside or out, cold or warm. Poor girls. One day it is beautiful and 70 and the next 5 it is 45 and raining.

I really wish the weather would make up our minds. meanwhile, we are expecting our ducks this week or next week on the secondary shipping date. This is going to be an adventure and fun. I just love ducks. Once they arrive, they will have their own blog of course...meanwhile, the girls and I continue to be confused over the weather.

They had an interesting visitor two days ago which did not make me happy one bit. With the nasty rainy cold weather I am assuming that mama fox has been hunting much or has been unsuccessful because she came calling. 9:30 in the morning, bright day outside and here she comes walking up the driveway. She took the time to look at the girls out in the run then look at me and then back at them as she headed for them. Needless to say she got the "Oh no you don't" and was promptly sent packing. So, now I am worried sick about leaving them even during the day so when I had to run errands I put them inside the coop, locked up safely until I returned.

So, time to finish the wire under the run for sure...no more waiting. That is the weekend project for me...get the run wire under and out away from the rest of the run to stop Mrs. Fox from digging in and get the netting up over the top to stop the girls from getting out (2 of them like to fly out) and to stop the hawks from getting in. While no hawk has tried, I am not trusting that.

So, onward with more work on Eggtopia and the Girls' kingdom.

The girls are a mess!

2009-04-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

The girls are big and spoiled! My three favorites above are super spoiled. Luna is just a giant fluffball of sweetness. I love my splash cochin to pieces. Then there is my loud talker, Ruby. A cochin also but much smaller than Luna. She has the most beautiful fluffy red and buff tail. then there is Speckles the silver laced wyandotte. She has been a mess since day 1. Spoiled beyond words and she loves to go for rides in the van.

The rest of the crew is all grown up now too and doing great. Domino my little Dominique got something stuck in her throat and we almost lost her. but thanks to the wonderful advice and suggestions from Speckledhen, she bounced right back after dislodging the obstruction.

Now we are waiting on our ducks to arrive next week...I cannot wait to see how this goes. Speckles and Sandy (one of our EEs) come in the house regularly so their reaction to ducklings should be humorous.

Wow what a week

2009-04-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

Well our little dominique decided to sacred us half to death last week. She was suddenly listless and stretching her neck like she was trying to throw up...which I know is impossible. So, in the house she came.

While Cheyenne got her medical tote prepared with water, straw and a blankie. I began using a syringe to get vegetable oil down her. I called a wonderful friend from the BYC forum and talked to her about her and got her input as well. She came to the same conclusion that something was stuck. So she helped work out a care plan for her which included continuing the oil and getting water and food in her.

So, every hour she got 1/4 cc of vegetable oil, a throat massage, water and soupy food. Day 2 I was wondering if I would have to cull her. But she actually started drinking on her own so, I did not give up on her.

I kept of that regime and finally she was okay and back to normal so yesterday evening she went baack in the coop. Everyone was nice to her and there were no scuffles and today she was her normal self.

I am still amazed at how quickly they can go down but also how quickly they can bounce back. I love my girls and try to go the extra mile for them and I am so glad I did not lose my little pocket chicken. When she was a chick she would ride around everywhere in the pocket of my robe...when she was sick she tried to get in my pocket but she is too big for that now.

But Domino is here with us to stay thank goodness.

This is her as a baby sitting with me in my robe

Everyone else is doing fabulous and so is she now but she had us worried for about 5 days. life with chickens is never calm...it is always something. Either comical or scarey...it is always something.

Wow Spring is almost here!

2009-03-16T23:33:00.000-07:00

The girls and our boy are getting testy over all the rain lately. The past two days it has rained too hard and cold for them to be out. Oh the revolt is being planned inside the coop. They evern went on a two weeks strike from laying and I fear if the weather does not stablize soon they will go on strike again, but for now they are graciously providing over 2 dozen eggs per day.

Everyone has wintered well, despite a leak in the roof somewhere. It has been a constant battle keeping the coop dry this winter because the girls go out and track mud and snow back inside so that creates "wet". The leak which is to be found, really wet it a couple times following a heavy snow. Needless to say, there has been a lot of straw removed and put into the compost area. As soon as it dries out enough and the threat of rain is gone, husband is just going to tear the roof off and re-do it completely. he is not happy with the metal and the "skylight" of the opaque panel. The very nice and expensive metal roofing insulation that was put in is toast. It was nothing more than a huge sponge for holding the water from the leak. So, lesson learned. We fix it and move on. the girls had two heat lamps which helped tremendously, they had a radio for their musical enjoyment and they got plenty of outdoor time throughout the winter. they hated the snow but would prefer to be out in it that locked up inside.

I have to finish the run security real soon. The additional wire under the fencing and out away from it to stop the diggers...still have two sides to finish. Then I need to get bird netting on the top of the run to stop the hawks. The trees around the coop area keep the hawks and such from diving in but, you never know so I am going to put netting over the top of the run as an extra precaution because I love my girls. :)

Some random pics of the girls. Ruby, red cochin, visiting Cheyenne for a little saturday morning cartoon time.

Cheyenne learned "Never eat a sandwich with a chicken" when Sandy aka Diva Chick came in for some TV time.

So, everything here is status quo. Chickens are spoiled, they have a new guard puppy who is growing fast and happiness abounds beyond the winter cabin fever.

The girls get a new guardian....

2009-01-19T22:14:00.000-08:00

Oh the girls are not sure what to make of the new Guardian but he really likes them and wants them to play with him. He is a 13 week old Great Pyrenees/Black Lab cross puppy. A 42 lb pound puppy.

He is the sweetest little thing in the world...truly a gentle giant. However, his natural guardian instincts are surely asserting themselves. He has alerted to a fox and a stray cat being outside.

The girls themselves are doing well but they are ready for the cold weather to be gone. They want more outside time...preferrably warmer outside time.

Long overdue update on the girls...

2008-12-05T13:04:00.000-08:00

On November 10th we lost Lilly our light brahma and head honcho. she had a heart infection and succumb to heart failure. It was a tragic day for the household because she was such a special girl. She was our growling chicken. We miss her terribly.

Then on the 25th we lost Fancy, one of our little Salmon Faverolles. She was attacked by the other girls and lost all of her tail feathers. Then 2 days later when she back into the coop, they attacked her again a day later. This time she was hurt badly and an air sac was ruptured so she passed during the night.

Meanwhile, everyone is doing well. We will see how the winter goes and keeping it warm enough inside for them with only 2 heat lamps.

They are in the Keep of Eggtopia!

2008-10-19T01:11:00.001-07:00

The girls are all in the Keep...all 32 of them. That was no easy task. I will get pictures of them in it tomorrow but here is the update.

The red paint was applied, the hardwire cloth was added to the outside of the two windows, chicken wire was put around the outside bottom of the coop itself, a small temporary separation wall with chicken wire was made to house the babies separately from the big girls and the move was begun. The big girls and little girls spent their first night in the coop last night and all three groups are inside tonight.

The medium girls when put in with the big girls had a couple of hours of uncertainty. The big girls immediately began to express their displeasure and display their dominance, especially Maggie and Holly. They went right after them. Speckles bothered no one unless they got to close and then she sent them packing. Sandy was very pouty and threatening in her posture and Lilly just plain ignored them as did Molly for the most part. We spent a lot of time inside with them and scolding the older girls about their behavior and by bedtime, everyone had settled nicely for the most part. The two bigger groups are still sticking to their groups but there was no tustling going on between them and that was a good sign. The laying did not cease either...we got 5 eggs today from the 7 that are laying so I was pleased about that. We will see what happens tomorrow now that the new girls were added.

Here are some updated pics.

The first coat of red paint on:

The Flooring before the wall and shavings was added:

So, the next step is to build them nest boxes and finish the run. there are some minor things needing to be done like added the lined curtains, an extra heat lamp, a new weatherstrip at the bottom of the exterior door and finish the sign and interior Pop door. The exterior door is in place with double interior latches so they are secure.

More pics tomorrow...

Long overdue update...life keeps getting in the way...

2008-09-27T22:14:00.000-07:00

The little girls are gorwing up a storm and are now 9 weeks old:

Our big girls are well...big! They are laying and being very spoiled of course. This is them attacking leftover grits:

And coop construction has begun and is nearly complete. They have a 12' x 12' fortress that has been named "Eggtopia".

Hopefully, they will be in the coop with a completed run for them by next Thursday, Friday at the latest. They will be happy to get out the hot tub and the garage where they currently are. They come out everyday in their tractors but they will enjoy having their own place to come and go from during the day.

The paint inside is a beautiful pastel blue with a darker brighter blue trim...

The outside will most likely be barn red with white trim or grey with white trim. I think the barn red has won but we will see. A couple cute pics:

Luna following me around:

Ginny fascinated by the camera:

More later....

We have suffered our first loss...

2008-07-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

The new little girls came home and all seemed good but late that night one of the Salmon Faverolles began showing signs of not thriving. So, the special care began. Hand feeding her every hour or so, then ordering infant vitamins and we struggled for 3 days but she passed away. We had named her "Miracle" because we were really praying for one.

We took her over to our new house (we are moving this Friday) and buried her under a beautiful shade tree.

New Fuzzy Butts are here!

2008-07-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

Well now our chicken total is up for sure. We have our 6 spoiled girls, 5 black australorps that are about 6 weeks old and now 22 day olds. They hatched yesterday in Ohio and arrived here in Oregon this afternoon. What a crew. All doing well and eating, drinking, sleeping and being cute.

The girls are growing...

2008-07-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

Our 6 girls have been joined by 5 unexpected newcomers. 5 little australorps. they are about 6 weeks old now and still not liked by our girls. So, everyone is separated right now. I can only imagine how they will handle the 21 new girls coming later this month. It is going to be interesting.

Lilly has gone through her leg healing and is doing well, but I do not think the girls will ever let her have feathers on her legs. :(

More pics of the girls soon. Still no losses and all are healthy and spoiled rotten!

Wow the girls are big now...10 weeks old

2008-06-01T01:53:00.000-07:00

The girls 6 wks - 10 wks old

We have been very fortunate with our first 6 girls. There have been no serious illnesses, no injuries (aside from a couple scraps on Lilly's leg) and no losses. The girls are thriving and getting really big.

Sandy aka Diva Chicken has become the total Diva. She simply loves and adores Cheyenne. We so love her that we ordered 3 more Ameraucana's for our July order.

Speckles is just spoiled rotten. She rides with me in the van to go get my favorite mocha latte in town, goes to school with Cheyenne and swings on the swing set at school.

Lilly is still head honcho in the brooder. She took over top spot from maggie at about 4 weeks old and they still scuffle for that top spot every now and again. Lilly has had a couple scrapes on her leg from tussling with Maggie.

Molly and Holly are adorable. They look like vultures some days.

Maggie is still aloof and trying to take the head honcho job. She is great when you pick her up she just does not make that easy. LOL

They are still living in the spare bedroom in the hot tub frame and have their tractor for outdoor playtime but we are not building their coop until we get into our new house the end of July. They will also be joined by 21 new babies coming from Meyer Hatchery around the 23rd of July.

Today they were joined by 5 more Black Australorps that are a week old. I will be raising these and taking care of them for Sir William O'Farrell. He is building my coop and will supply their feed and eat their eggs. I am a sucker for fuzzy butts so I agreed to this plan.

The Girls were none to pleased to see the new babies and I am sure they are plotting their demise. The sent glares and nasty looks at the little ones. Spoiled brats they are.

More updates later and pics of the new girlies.

The girls are getting Huge!

2008-04-26T23:43:00.001-07:00

Holly & Cheyenne

Speckles & Cheyenne

The girls are almost 6 weeks old now and getting huge. Maggie is the largest, followed closely by the two Australorps, then Lilly, Then Sandy and finally Speckles coming in as the smallest. But what she lacks in size, she makes up for in personality. She is a hand full. She flies out of the brooder and onto my shoulder. If I leave the room for too long, she flies out and comes looking for me. She is going to be a problem when it comes to taking them outside...I do not think she is going to want any part of that.

They are finally roosting on the limb, they still nap and such on the floor of the brooder. I think once they have a flat roost, they will spend more time on it. They are just spoiled and like stretching out on the floor.

I bought them some earthworms from a local lady who raises them. I took them to the girls and put a few on a disposable plate and waited. Lilly was the first one to see one move and grab it...it was on then. Oh my at the yelling, running, chasing and frenzy over the ones on the plate. I think you could safely say that they liked them. LOL

More chicken news and updated pics later.

New digs for the girls...

2008-04-12T23:35:00.000-07:00

This morning the girls ran to the side of the brooder, bumping into each other and chirping like criminals in solitary confinement. They got to me.
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I took the frame for my portable hot tub ( 6' in diameter ) and moved it into the living room and set it up for the girls. They were running, jumping and play fighting as soon as I released them in it. Naturally, Speckles flew up onto the side. She is the alarm bird. So we repeated the fly up and perch, me pick her up and say no and put her back, her fly up, me pick her up and say no and put her back...finally she gave up and stayed inside.
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I took the saw outside and went up the ridge behind the house and found a dead fall to cut the perch for the girls. I cut it off and brought it inside and they were not too sure about that. Finally they pecked at it and jumped on it so they are now sitting and roosting on it for short periods of time. I noticed when it was time to sleep, they were sitting on the shavings snoozing. So, in a few days they should be doing okay.
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More chicken news later ....

Three weeks old and getting rowdy

2008-04-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

They are growing, becoming very independent and demanding. They want attention, treats and freedom from the brooder. They sing and chirp to get your attention and when that fails to get the response they want, they begin pecking the side of the brooder. Maggie continues to be the fastest maturing and Lilly the slowest...which is right in line with their breeds. It is nice still having Lilly so fluffy and fuzzy.

The love baked yams, steamed broccoli, yogurt and plain pancakes. This morning they had some baked yams with flax seeds which they seemed to enjoy immensely. I put a dish of calcium grit in the brooder last night and that was a huge hit. They spent time eating it, playing in it, guarding it from each other and sleeping in it.

More chick news later...

20 days old and new location

2008-04-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

The girls are 20 days old and growing fast. I moved them into the living room today next to the front window. They loved the sunshine coming through the window. I also got them a perch and put it in the brooder and took the top off...Lilly loved it! Speckles did her normal of flying up to the side and hopping onto me. I guess to her I am a more comfortable perch.
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They also got their first taste of baked yams. I baked them plain, peeled them and gave them the firm center cut into small pieces. it was a frency in the brooder. The would chase the one who had a piece and then realized there was more on the plate and they went after it.
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Later this week I will start getting the wood and such for their coop to start building it. They are all doing great, getting feathers and getting big. Maggie is the biggest one and the most matured. She is almost fulled feathered at 20 days.
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Much more chicken news and fun to come.

Girls get new feeder...

2008-04-04T23:49:00.000-07:00

I wanted to try to keep them from scratching shavings into their water so much, so I bought them a long feeder and moved their water to the corner. It is working so much better. They have plenty of room to lie down, more food available to them and cleaner water....mission accomplished!
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Cheyenne is making sure that Lilly gets one on one attention as well as Sandy...the other girls get attention from me also. Here is Cheyenne and Lilly today:
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Sandy getting loving from me:
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So the girls are all happy, healthy, and loved. What more could a chicken ask for?

A few minutes outside

2008-04-04T02:13:00.001-07:00

It was nice, warm and sunny out today so I took three of the girls outside for about 10 minutes. I took the three flyers at 16 days old. Maggie, Molly and Speckles fly up to the top of the brooder whenever I open it so, I took them out first. They had a blast once they got up the courage to start looking around. They enjoyed the hummingbird buzzing around, playing with the grass and the rocks. Maggie and Molly were the most curious, Speckles ran to perch on Cheyenne's hand to see if it was safe. After the girls started looking around, it was a fiht to get them to come back inside. However, once I got about 5 feet away from them, they came running. So back inside they went. Tomorrow if it is nice out again, I will take the other three girls out for a few minutes.

They are growing so fast. They are looking a big ragged right now as they loose their fluff and get feathers. They are really a joy to have around, although messy! I have to clean their waterer out about every 2 hours because they kick it full of shavings. LOL

More chicken news as they grow!

11 days old and growing!

2008-03-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

They are trying to fly and are soooo cute. I caught a couple of them sneezing and so I put them on antibiotics and will keep them on it for 7 days. The girls are growing like mad and are absolutely adorable.

Each of them has their own personality and they are showing their differences daily. Maggie is still Mizz Bossy. More chicken news later.

One week old and growing!

2008-03-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

The girls are one week old and a trip. Speckles likes perching on my shoulder and now runs at my hand and tries to hop up on me. when I do not pick her up, she tries to fly up to me.

Here are the girlies...Speckles is trying to fly up to me and she likes perching on my shoulder... their slideshow :

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v219/CetaWin/Chickens/?action=view&current=33898a6e.pbw

The Girls

2008-03-22T01:50:00.001-07:00

<---Sandy, the Ameraucana.
The girls are a trip. I put a small piece of lettuce in their brooder and they scattered. They were not sure what that thing was. Well, the two curious critters, the Australorps, went to check it out...then the game was on. One grabbed it and ran, all the other girls were chasing her. Then another one got it from her and ran...the pursuit continued until they decided they could all put it down and attack it LOL
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Lilly still has a bit of a pasty butt so I am checking her every couple of hours. She is doing great aside from that. She eats, drinks, sleeps and plays as well as the next. So, I clean her up when and if she needs it. I already have plans in my mind for a larger brooder for the girls. They will outgrow their tote befor they can go outside. If I make it right, I could use it for a rabbit or for Cheyenne to get another rat for her room. We will see.
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Today will be "clean the brooder" day so the girls will all get to come out of the brooder and play on the floor with Cheyenne while I clean the brooder and replace the bedding. We will see how that goes. hahahahaha There will be new pics of the girls.
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More chicken news to come...

Day 2 for the Girls

2008-03-20T21:44:00.000-07:00

The girls are now 2 days old. They are a joy to have around for sure. they are comfy and quiet...most of the time. Everyone is doing great. Lilly has a pasty butt so she is getting her backside cleaned with warm water a couple of times per day but she is doing great too.
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All the girls are eating, drinking, sleeping and experiencing life around them very normally. The brooder is set up in our bathroom where it is draft free and comfy all day. Their heat lamp is above them, plenty of food, water and attention...so happy chicks.
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They are very particular though. Everyone says the brooder should be about 95 degrees for their first week. Not these girls...at 95 degrees inside the brooder, they move as far away from the heat lamp as possible. So, I raised the heat lamp and watched the thermometer...with it raised, the temp is holding at 90 degrees...the girls are very happy with that temperature so I am leaving it there. I figure they know what temperature they like best.
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They each have their very own personality and it is starting to show. Lilly is getting so much better about her little butt baths...I think she understands that I am helping her. Speckles is just a snuggler...every time my hand goes into the brooder she hops on it...she comes to the side of the tote to look at me when I come into the room. This morning, all 6 of them were at the side of the tote watching husband shave very intently. They seemed fascinated with what he was doing. All of them are good girls.
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More chicken news later...

For my nephew....Here is Lilly

2008-03-19T23:49:00.001-07:00

Lilly

The Girls are Home!

2008-03-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

The Girls Riding Home

The girls handled the car ride really well. They were in their box and chirping up a storm. I put the box in the floor in front of me and the heater was on so the box got real warm and toasty...the girls settled down right away and slept for the rest of the trip home. I was very surprised at how fast they can fall asleep...I guess I had forgotten after so many years of not having chickens around. Poor little Maggie was eating and fell asleep with her head in the feeder!

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More chicken news later...

Almost BABY time!

2008-03-18T23:12:00.001-07:00

Almost time to pick up the babies. About 11 am tomorrow I should pick them up and by 1 pm, I should have the girls here, tucked inside their nice warm little home for the next 4 or 5 weeks. They are going to be spoiled, I can tell already. Much going on...pics of them tomorrow!

Have a great night!

I should have known better....

2008-03-15T23:16:00.000-07:00

<---New Hampshire Red

I stopped by the co-op today to make sure the chicks would be here Wednesday and also to find out what time would be good to pick them up. Well, I was considering adding a Buff Orpington to the group of girls and found out that all the chicks that were coming in on Wednesday were already reserved. Chickens, Guineas, Ducks and Turkeys...all reserved. The gentleman checked to make sure that each of the breeds were in fact completely reserved and he then told me there was 1 lone New Hampshire Red that was not claimed. Soooooo, I reserved her. I mean all the babies going home but 1...I could not let that happen. The reds are supposed to be good large brown egg layers, docile and good in confinement. That was important to me for the winters when they will have to be n the coop so much of their time. So, on Wednesday I will bring home Molly, Holly, Lilly, Sandy, Speckles and now Maggie.

Just a few more days and I will have pics of the new babies here...home, safe & warm in their new little brooder. I have their brooder ready with pine shavings, a feeder, a waterer and a nice heat lamp with a infrared bulb just waiting for them to come home. Oh I foresee spoiled chickens. hahahahahaha

More news and pics of the babies later...

An so it begins...

2008-03-08T22:49:00.000-08:00

The chicken ownership has begun. The plans for the coop purchased, the food, waterer, feeder, container and chicks ordered. On March 19, 2008, we become a family with chickens!

I am going to modify the coop plan in the picture to remove some of the nest boxes. I only am getting five hens and do not need 8 nest boxes. I am also making one side open completely with two hinged doors, putting a solid floor in and making a separate portable run. With our winters here, I am going to add a light fixture and hinged panels on the front so it can be open as pictured in the warm winter but closed in the cold.

This should be an adventure but progress pics of chicks and coop will be forthcoming as time goes on. Meanwhile, I am getting everything ready to pick the girls up on 3/19...I will post a pic of the fuzzy cuties when they come home. :)