Winter

Winter

Monday, July 11, 2011

A Chicken Post


I haven't written about my "girls," in a while.
This is my three Mille Fluers. Two are from chicks
I hatched and one is the Mom. The silly ole white
Silkie is sitting again. On nothing, just being broody.
I have had my hands full with broody hens. I am so tired
of broody hens. I have tried every thing I know of to break
them but they are more determined than me. I think being broody,
must be like worse case PMS ever. I know why the other hens
beat the tar out of the broody ones. They are just so grumpy.

This is one of the Cuckoo Marans. I would like about 10 more of these
ladies. I enjoy them so much just for the sweetness of the dispositions.
I also love the dark, dark brown eggs. They are just so pretty when
I get them out of the nest box.


I haven't taken many pictures of this lady but she is a favorite.
All summer I was afraid I was going to loose her. She had not been
well and I couldn't tell you what was wrong but she is a singer.
So was her sister who died earlier in the spring. They sing all of
the time and when she isn't singing she is talking in a sing-song
kind of way. She also lays nice brown eggs. I have spent so much
time outside with them since it has been hot. I have been so afraid
of loosing them. I am glad today is a bit cooler just so they can have
a break.

We have had a skunk hanging around. He comes up on the porch
when the kids are in the dining room playing games and watches
in through the door. The poor kids who leave at night have to do
a sprint to their cars just because you never know where it is.
He found a way into the back yard and I found his little holes that
he had dug getting bugs all around my chicken coop. When we redid
our chicken coop after a couple of senseless deaths, we buried our
wire down in a trench so nothing can dig under. Skunks favorite food
is chicken eggs. I have found where it was getting in and blocked up
the hole. But my neighbor next door said, we have a fox and it was
looking around this morning.
I hope it eats the skunk.

I thought you might like a chicken update. My chickens just look so bedraggled
and they look like they need a vacation. They are such good
layers. You know of all of the things next to being a mother and a wife,
having chickens has been such a joy. I really do love my chickens,
and I can just spend so much time fooling around with them.
You have no idea how squeamish I used to be. When the chickens
were my kids chickens, I wouldn't even touch the eggs. :)

Who knew when my nest started to get empty, that chickens would
help me get over that hard patch. Now, I love that my grand children
love nothing better than coming with Gama to get "chicken eggs."

I hope you are having a lovely week.

Kim

17 comments:

From Beyond My Kitchen Window said...

This post is exactly why I want hens of my own. I have my list all ready to go Kim, but my husband is dragging his feet. Loved this post!!

Vintage Gal said...

Oh Kim, thank you for sharing your chickens with us. They are not bedraggled at all. They look so sweet. I love my chickens too. They relax me. I love to watch them peckin' and a scratchin'. My favourite is Rosie. She has such a sweet disposition.
Thanks again ~ ;-)

Denise said...

Thanks for you chicken post, I certainly can relate to your post. I am slowly working up to touching my hens, but when they jump I scream, LOL. Yesterday we got four new girls, they are about 8 weeks, I am hoping that the smaller girls will helpe me to get over my issues in regards to handling the chickens. I will be posting about them in a few days, have some busy stuff keeping me away from the computer tomorrow. Thanks again for sharing.

TexWisGirl said...

how sweet. i hope that skunk doesn't have rabies! out in the daytime? usually not a good sign! be careful!

Debbie said...

fun post....i love the white one!!!

we have a skunk too!!!!

Kessie said...

I'm glad you did a chicken post. I've been wondering how coop politics were going with it being so hot. I'd find them dead in the nest boxes, like they went in and died of heatstroke.

Jacque. said...

Interesting to read about your chickens. Hope the skunk stays away...or that the fox gets it...but then what do you do about the fox?

Silver Strands said...

Loved the chicken update Kim. And I laughed right OUT LOUD when you said you hope the fox eats the skunk!
oxoxo
Denalee

Florence said...

Love your chicken stories, oh how I miss my chickens, some day I will have them again. Farm Girl Florence

Pom Pom said...

Can you take a picture of the different eggs? They sound beautiful. Brooding hens. Hmmmmmmm. Bill and I sit in front of our living room window every morning and sometimes we see city skunks and city foxes. We haven't seen any this summer. Weird. I'll pray the skunk goes away!

Patrice said...

E-mail me if anybody gets sprayed. I just got a new recipe online for getting rid of skunk spray. Our German Shepherd got sprayed a couple of years ago. It was almost freezing out and she needed to go out in the middle of the night. She took off and we had trouble calling her back (highly unusual). When she came back, I could smell her halfway across the yard. Hubby bathed her at the outdoor spigot. I think she will never do that again for fear of freezing. That must have been a cold bath. She still stunk for about two weeks. NOW I have a recipe. I needed it THEN!

Kim said...

Chickens with PMS.....Hahahahahaha. Crush up a midol tablet in their water and see if they get in a better mood! (Sorry can't stop giggling)

The fox eating the skunk reminds me of that old song about the woman who swallowed a fly!

Gumbo Lily said...

Every one of my buff orpington chickens is broody. I pull them off the nests every single evening when I get the eggs. Ah well. I don't know of the Cuckoo Morans.

Jody

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

They are just great chickens...nice to see them again and hear their stories and yours.

Julia said...

Your hens may be broodish because of the heat. I hope that they all will perk up as soon as the cooler weather sets in. I love the early fall because I feel better. It's the humidity that gets n=me down.

Hugs, JB

no spring chicken said...

I love that it was the chickens that helped cure your empty nest syndrome! I can relate... The other day I was explaining to a friend how much pleasure I get from my hens and she had this look on her face like I was crazy...

Blessings, Debbie

Miss Debbie said...

Part of my job is taking the daily deposit to the bank. Before taking it, I use the copier to make copies of the checks. Yesterday, one check had chickens on it and that reminded me of you! :-