April 15, 2013

The Chicks/Chickens have now been moved out of the house into larger quarters. This is the shed that I have put 2 large boxes end to end to make a comfortable living space for the six young birds.

I am posting some photos to show you the latest developments

This is the Shed where I have moved the Chick's.
Observe the cardboard box on the left side of the shed
this is where the birds are being housed.

This is a picture of inside the box showing the feeder
and the dog dish that I use to give the birds their
water.

In this photo you see the Chicks are really growing fast.
I have place a small perch for them and the
heat light is still being used for the
next few weeks.

Since the Chicks are growing fast and they
are very adventurous I have place an old screen
over the top to keep the birds from flying out
of their temporary home!

We Are Starting A New Chapter

                                                      March 21, 2013
We got a new batch of Barred Rock Chickens. They are described as a heavy breed with soft feathers and they are very good for the NOVICE!  They are good layers of cream coloured eggs. They confine well and are cold weather hardy. Finally they are a meat bird as well.

The last experiment with raising chickens has been very educational. I bought six chicks and two were chickens and I had one die from the severity of the winter.

A neighbor who has just begun to raise chickens had all of his birds die but one this past winter. So I feel very fortunate.

I am including below a few pictures of the birds. The pictures aren't great because the heat lamp that the chickens need for survival cause a lot of things to appear reddish.

The three remaining chickens I hope to process for the pot soon. It is not something I look forward to but I need to make room for the new chickens.

I want to thank everyone who has looked at my blog in the past and I hope to make a post at least once a month.

The Winter is Over

Hi Friends;
   I haven't written on my blog for a while, but here is what is happening now. The Four C's, my Four Chickens now have a pen underneath some tall pine trees that they visit almost every day. I think the birds like the variety. They do a lot of scratching of the soil and eat a lot of insects.
  On Mother's Day, I forgot and left them in the Pen while I was away visiting my grandchildren. When I came home it was near dark. I check the Pen for the Chickens and they were all gone!
   To my surprise they had gone back into the coop and were sitting on the roost!  Now you are probably asking the question, "How did they get out of the Pen and into the coop?" That is a very good question, since I wasn't here, I don't know the answer, but obviously they either crawled under the fence or flew over the top.

Run Like A Deer, Eat Like A Chicken

What you see below is Unbelievable but TRUE! Chickens are MEAT eaters! The only things I thought that the Chickens would eat would be grass, grains and bugs.  Boy! Was I mistaken! Raising Chickens has really been an educational experience for me.!

I attached the front right leg of a Deer in the coop. (It was not usable for the table because of the way it had been shot.) The Chickens ate it to the BONE!

The Coop Is Ready For Winter

I have enclosed the bottom of the coop to keep out snow, wind and sleet.

The board next to the door is for the same purpose.

I have tried to keep a balance between protecting the Chickens from the weather

and imprisoning them  (which I don't want to do!)

Also, see the electric light in the window. I turn the light on for a few hours

and it helps the Chickens to maintain their egg production.

* Although you wouldn't know it by the picture, this photo was taken

January 10, 2012

Maple Syrup!!

Ann, a co-worker of mine said her husband was willing to trade a quart of MAPLE SYRUP for 5 GALLONS OF CHICKEN POOP!  Here we are making the exchange!

You may not have heard but Chicken poop is some of the best fertilizer in the world!