Improvments

We have a had a fairly productive couple weeks, and some days the weather has literally blessed us.  Of course today, its pouring down rain....  But such is life in western Washington.  Without the rain we wouldn't have the abundance of good things we do have, so we rejoice! 

Finally, we got all the post holes dug for our new run, and the wire up; there is still more work to do but its all in phases, you know? We have quadrupled the run area, and they are still able to do free ranging.  But our hope is to provide more area for their play ground.  We cant have them free ranging ALL the time. I plan to eventually install a few "toys" for them in the run, happy chickens make happy eggs!

During the nice days, all of us were outside doing a bit of clearing here and there as well. I was looking at our place with a critical eye, having experienced that critical eye before from seemingly pleasant folks, until a young mom and book customer came to visit our farm.  She thought what we were doing was awesome, and really....  we have done a great deal.  Our place has been cleared not by a bulldozer but by hand tools, mostly pruners and sweat.  So yes, we can be very proud of what God has given us!  Thank you Nathania for reminding me.  We still have a lot of things to do, but we take it one day at a time.

We do indeed have two roosters, and Hubs doesn't want to eat them himself, he said he raised them to be hens and has grown attached, however they must go.  At this time we can't devote the time to rooster care and hens and chicks.  In the future yes, but not now.  So we are looking for a new home for Big Head (a beautiful Americana) and Roaster (a Bard-Rock, missing some tail feathers--which is a long story in itself).  Would you be willing to take these guys off our hands?  They are being offered up on the Buy Nothing Page. 

LASTLY:  Great news is that at least one of our younger hens is laying now; small eggs, but eggs nonetheless! Soon we will be able to add more customers on a continual basis.  This is fun!  I am excited to spread the chicken love to others!

Welcome to the Farm

I do enjoy my chickens.  I admit it.  They are so funny, and I really do enjoy how they greet me, and follow me.   When they are roaming around outside they will indeed follow me around, almost like puppy dogs, when the mood strikes them.

It was a really joyous time when we found our first eggs in late November.  First just two or three of the girls were laying eggs, then finally after a week or week in a half we were consistently getting five to six eggs.  We now are selling our excess eggs, which is fun.

I have also begun to try to ferment my chicken feed as well.  Yes, I have read that it makes the food easier to digest for the hens.  On top of their feed I have also been making them a "warm meal" through the very cold days.  Sometimes this is a pumpkin which was gifted to us by people, or a cooked yam or sweet potato, and sometimes even oatmeal with a few apple slices or cubes.

Thus is the life of a crazy chicken lady. 

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As the next few months go forward I will talk more about the feed and raising this little flock of feathered personalities.  They each do have personalities.  Blackie was suppose to be a barred rock, by she obviously  isn't.  I'm not exactly sure what kind of chicken she is, but her feathers have a very pretty greenish and blueish tinge in the sunlight.  She is a friendly little thing that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle of the barred rocks.  Here she is eating oatmeal, apples, and a favorite treat... cranberries.

Here they are eating a mixture of quinoa, millet, and another grain, lightly cooked and sprinkled with raw hemp seed/hearts.

Do you have chickens?  Please share some special treats you make or give them!