All in the family!

We may have more added to our family this weekend and are looking forward to a growing flock.
The little Australorp's are growing so fast it is hard to believe it. They are inside for this day as it is rainy and cold. Soon they will be old enough to know when to come in out of the rain. LOL
Looking forward to the new babies and posting picture's of everyone!

Playing tiddly winks..and missing my chicken bad..

Not much going on today! Lucy is still gone and the rest of the flock is doing great. The rain let up this evening for a bit so they get to play in the run. That is always a bonus for Oregon. They always go in and are sealed up at night though so no varmit can get to them.

Still no Lucy!

I am afraid I have lost her for sure. As short of time as I have had Lucy I have been smitten with her. Today is a sad day on the farm for me. Memorial Day will not be just about loved people but about the animals that have an impact on ones life as well. I just never thought one could care about a chicken so much.
Fly away home Lucy, you have been loved.

Praying for Lucy's Return!

The cats were after her today and I haven't seen her this evening at all. My friend, Annie, made this for me on my My Space, odd it is the very day my Lucy disappeared. I hope it's not a sign she is gone for sure.

Do Chicken's Chicken sit? The girls are back on board!

A bunch of fun today & a storm coming!!

Lucy in lush grass behind her dug out, Paul saying, "What?" The chicks have two different kind of rear end's and we are thinking there just may be a rooster or two in with the "Pullets"! And the last picture is a blurry picture of new found quails pecking under one of the bird feeder tree's in full delight. Our windows are leaded and old so this was it for clearness (if that's a word..lol).

Daddy, Tell Us About the Farm by Charles R. Moore

Daddy, tell us about the farm;
The horses, sheep and cows.
Tell us about the machinery,
The tractors and the plows.

The pleasant sound the milk makes
When the streams hit the pail,
And how we'll feed the baby calf
While sitting on a bale.

And how, on summer evenings,
We'll gather eggs with you.
And the way we'll awaken each morning
To the cock-a-doodle-do.

And can we help to feed the pigs,
And hold the baby lamb,
And help mom bake the homemade bread,
And watch her make the jam.

And don't forget to mention how
We'll saddle up the mare,
And then each one will take his turn,
We won't forget to share!

Then we'll work and play together
And then give thanks every day.
Daddy, tell us about the farm--
Can we leave right away?

Plate I won for naming, "The Outback Chicken Shack!"

Sweet Chick!!

Lets Snuggle

It rained hard the other night and my daughter forgot to turn on the heat lamp in the coop. When her husband went out the next morning, the "Henny Penny", Araucana, and the "Hippie Chick", White Crested Polish, large pullets, were huddled up in a plastic straw filled tub with chicks all under and over their backs. Later they were found with the two large pullets standing outside watching the chicks snuggled up in the nest all by themselves as they kept them in there.
I never would have suspected when we introduced the unlikely bunch that the pullets would have decided to be the adopted mothers. It was so sweet.

Chicken Round Up

Gabriel on the left and Paul on the right helped me round up Lucy last night! We skirted her around my car many times as she hid underneath knowing we couldn't reach her. We knew we had to put her back into her coop because it was supposed to rain and she forgets where her nest is in the day and the good Lord knows where her eggs end up.
A lesson in chicken herding was just what the boys needed, it's just one more step to rounding up horses, right?

Lucy thinks she's a Humming Bird

I have been around chickens a good part of my life but Lucy is not a normal chicken, she almost needs her own blog. Here she has perched on the Humming Bird feeder and was confused on the descent, how to get down. Then she decided she wanted attention from my daughter, Mary, with the dark hair and myself, the sad looking one! She loves me though!!

Lucy makes the Roost News again!

Lucy decided today that sharing a coop was not for her. How dare the rest of the chickens bother her while she lay her precious egg and then "Mom" wasn't with her either. I, Sugar, being the "Mom" to her.
Lucy flew the coop and was headed back to her familiar coop and her nest. I managed to see what was going on when one of my grandsons yelled, "She's out!" As I walked out toward the old coop Lucy followed along like she was glad to be rescued and ready to get her job done for the day.
I entered into the coop with her and had, Justen, my other grandson, run to the new coop and retrieve Lucy's nest. As he was running to get it Lucy kept clucking what sounded like, "Please hurry", while a bit indignant that we would have moved her private nest elsewhere.
I was tying the nest back for reinforcement and Lucy got so carried away she flew on top my head and just stayed there until I lifted her into her nest. She quietly started clucking and stirring until a few minutes later the treasure was produced. Lucy then got out and walked around her area. I left the coop with the door open and she stayed there until miss Sweet Pea chased her out again. Sweet Pea got her scolding for the day and went home. Lucy is now being a yard bird, but I doubt she will nest anywhere else from now on but her own private area! LOL

Lucy in the hood!!

Sweet Pea


Well the little miss Sweet Pea had a hay day yesterday. Poor Lucy, the Pearl White Leghorn, was out doing the Chicken Scratch in the yard, which is a favorite passion of hers, and Sweet Pea decided Lucy was supposed to be in a cage with the other chickens.
Upon her unwarranted decision Sweet Pea went charging after Lucy, scaring her so bad she, Lucy, squawked as I ran searching to see the emergency, and saw Lucy scrawling into the motor of the van that had the hood lifted.
Lucy left some good sized gouges and was so scared she even allowed me to hold and comfort her. She is usually so independent you can't touch her in a marathon.
So we all decided until I get a run for her area she will stay in with Hippie Chick, the Little Red Hen, and the baby Lorps.
Lucy was indignant to being in a cage until she had the baby Lorps trained not to tug at her red comb. With the lesson came a hard one from one brave little guy who kept challenging Lucy by stretching his neck about 1 or 2 inches and giving direct pecks back and forth with Lucy. Lucy won of course.
Lucy's dignity at least partially restored and her safety insured she is a tad happier but wants to free range in her own place soon.
We are just waiting for a duck or turkey to put Sweet Pea in her proper place..

New Lady in the Coop and Coop is Complete

And the coop is ready

Brian finishing up the Coop

LUCY Pearl White Leghorn

Dinner anyone??

The number of generations that can be produced in a relatively short period of time: Chickens reach sexual maturity at about 20-25 weeks of age, then take only three weeks to start producing the next generation. Each hen can produce up to 150 progeny within a year of its own hatching).
I am thinking this means we can have fried chicken at this point!! Yum!! Too bad for the ROOSTERS!!!

How do they do that?

Did you know that chicks, just before they hatch, draw their egg yolk into their abdomen? The yolk provides the newly hatched chick with all it needs to eat & drink for over 3 days. This is why they can ship them from the hatcher to your house without any food or water.

New Chicks on the Farm!

WHITE CRESTED BLACK POLISH
MARY the Mother Hen LOL

ARAUCANA

They arrived yesterday and we helped them get used to the great outdoors where the "Other" types of chicks go.
Mary, the mother Hen of the Australorps, is sitting on the bale of grass hay, and Justen, my grandson, is displaying the "Hippie Chick" for all to see. We are still waiting on the Pearl-White Leghorn.
The chicks had a great and comfy night and will work well with the small amount of cross breeding we want to do with a couple of the Australorps. An Australorp with a top knot will be a site indeed.

AUSTRALORP HISTORY

This breed, originating in Austrailia, developed from Black Orpingtons imported from England, and the emphasis of the breeding program was on egg production without sacrificing too much in size and meat quality. Some sensational results were made in the Australian program, and one hen set a record laying 364 eggs in 365 days. Introduced into this country in the 1920's, they have become useful and popular and are certainly one of the best layers of light brown eggs of all the heavy breeds. A flock of Black Australorps with their glossy black plumage which has a greenish purple sheen, and their larger than average bright red combs, make an unusually handsome sight. They are big birds, with males weighing 6 to 8 pounds at maturity and females 5 to 7. They have a pinkish-white skin and plump bodies which dress out nicely once birds have their final plumage.
Females mature early and many will be in production between 5 and 6 months of age. They are quiet, very gentle, and stand confinement well. Baby chicks are black with a good deal of white in the underparts and small patches around the head and wings. This breed has been handled for many years and it is thought to be one of the best of heavy breeds.

Getting ready to COOP the chickens!

Brian's first attempt at building a chicken coop/outbuilding. He had to tarp it for the night because of rain, but will have it finished in no time. Small but efficient!

Escapee's

Wanting to fly all the time now and knowing who Mother Hen is!!!

AND WE HAVE FEATHERS!!!

Lately the little chicks are trying to fly and react to their provider for food. They will attempt to get on Mary's (owners) hands and peck her rings. Obviously they know who their "Mom" is!

Chicken strolling..

Not much happening today, but glad that all are safe and sound. The cardboard box seems to be the answer along with the great walking weather. The 70 degree weather is a bit different than the snow a couple of weeks ago.

We lost one...

Due to what we believe was a slight over crowding, we lost a baby chick the night before last.
We moved them to a larger area consisting of a cardborad box and they seem a bit more comfortable and growing like crazy. We wonder if they will have legs like stilts.

Welcome Home!

We are now official Australorp Chicken owners and everyone is healthy and happy. What a good time the grandkids had!!