Wishing You a Merry Christmas!

Cat Asserts Territory

Peepers, our cat, asserts her ownership of crabtree- which is located just outside our entry door. Clearly, she was fed up with sharing her tree with the chickens. I am hoping for a sign that world peace is possible;
I will be sure to video Peepers and the chickens if they ever choose to cohabitate in the tree-Peacefully.
Peace and Goodwill to all...

Love,
Karen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoLV5m9Eujw

View post Who's at the Door 12/07/2009

A Civil War Hen Fact

During the Civil War, General Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Confederate Army, carried a hen with him so the hen could lay fresh eggs for his beakfast.

Huge egg!

Beautiful eggs from my beautiful girls!No wonder the egg was so big; a double yolk;twins!

Winter Blues

Just for fun, Karen's Backyard Chicken Blog has a new look.
The girls are still frolicking all over the yard. As long as the wind isn't blowing fiercely, I believe they will continue to venture outside. They do not like to be cooped up and they do not hesitiate to vocalize their displeasure with me when I close them up into the aviary which is attached to the back side of their coop.
The girls are five and one half months old now. Three are laying: Yolanda, Ditzy and Mabeline (I think). Yolanda's eggs are light brown with small white specks. Ditzy's are a soft beige/brown all over. Mabeline's eggs are dark brown. One of the girls layed an egg without the shell in the yard under some pine branches that came down during last week's strong winds. I am not concerned, as this is common according to experienced keepers.

Brrr Chilll!!!

Three brave chickens came out of the coop today. The rest remained inside-they don't like the cold and wind any more than we do! The coop is insulated; however, it is not heated. After researching the care of chickens- I took heed of the warning not to heat the coop. If the coop was heated the birds would not have acclimated to the cold, therefore if we experienced a power outage the entire flock could perish during the outage. The birds I keep, Barred Plymouth Rocks, New Hampshires, Rhode Island Reds and Black Australorps are all winter hardy. I may have to protect their feet and combs from frostbite- using a gel such as that used on cow udders. It's no wonder I felt right at home wearing an oversized flannel shirt today! I am turning into a farmgirl!

Who's at the Door?

"Honey, someone's at the door- could you get it?"

Our First Egg!

On November 28, 2009, Yolanda laid her first egg; she is now officially a hen. Yolanda was very vocal all morning and pacing back and forth from the coop to the side yard. In the afternoon, I traversed the yard to locate the flock- to insure their whereabouts (no need for them to be crossing the road or visiting neighbors' yards). Yolanda was not with the flock. Worried, I stepped up my search and located a wide eyed Yolanda sitting atop our potting bench which is tucked under the deck. Talk about being at the right place at the right time- she laid the egg right then and there- I scooped it up and ran into the studio to report the joyful event. Jay was in the midst of a large family portrait as I bounded into the portrait session with the freshly laid egg. Luckily, guests of our studio are always gracious when they encounter our "farm animals" and the enthusiastic wife.
I invited one guest to touch the warm egg; I proclaimed that it was still warm, so when after touching the egg and in fact finding it warm- I was slightly disheartened when she frowned and hastily retreated her hand from the egg.
This experience made me realize just how much we have lost touch with practices that were once common, everyday occurrences, in just a few generations.


A few days later I had three beautiful brown eggs for breakfast. My grandmother, Sara, taught me how to prepare eggs sunny-side up. When I stayed at her house, she always rose out of bed earlier than me. She would not cook breakfast for me if I straggled too long- which I always did; however, she taught me how to make perfect eggs! The yolks on these fresh eggs were so proud that when I initially turned them over I didn't think they were going to cook evenly because the whites were not laying flat like they do with less than "oh-so-fresh" eggs. Hard to believe that Gram would have been 100 years old, just a day after my Yolanda laid her first egg. Momma Jozina and cousin Jo P. say Gram would be proud of my flock. Thanks for the lessons Gram!

The Tell Tail Heart ATTACK!

A visit from this mouse was NOT welcome! While reaching inside the food bin- with both hands, to refill the chick feeder, this little field mouse was scrambling frantically for safety. To say I was startled is a gross understatement! I ran to the studio to explain the reason for the blood curdling screams that disrupted the quite autumn afternoon and to assure my family that I was indeed safe and not needing emergency assistance. I returned to the coop with the aide of a willing boy who was visiting the studio with his family. We turned the field mouse loose near the small wood pile just outside the coop. We were both amazed how far this little creature could leap. The thirst for freedom is a powerful motivator.