My family takes a break to look at the birds.A lot has gone down in the last few months. During the summer, I fell ill. Then when my brother came to visit me during my recuperation, he had a heart attack. Suddenly our house was filled with concerned house guests. And the chickens? They were …
Hooked up for power
After a couple grueling weeks digging a trench, and having friends come over to do the handiwork, the electrical line running to the chicken coop has passed inspection!The Ferndale city inspector came out bright and early at the beginning of the week. We started out in the yard, where the electric line came out of the …
In the trenches
With the last bit of summer running past us, I decided to embark on a large pre-winter project: running an electrical line out to the chicken coop.Why do chickens need electricity, you ask? Mostly so I can plug in a heated water jug. I just don't have it in me to run fresh water out …
A green egg!
Exactly two days after we received our first eggs from the girls, today we were greeted with another gift.A green egg.I knew Gigi was holding out. With eggs from Nellie and Loretta, it was easy to do the math. Two brown eggs meant we were waiting on Gigi's coveted green egg.In her showgirl style, Gigi bypassed …
Week 19: We have eggs!!!
Two eggs in one day? That's how our first special delivery arrived this evening. As soon and Matt and I got home from work, I went out back for my daily egg check. I wasn't really expecting anything; the last two weeks had come up empty every time. And then I saw it. Nellie's light …
Week 17: Prepping for eggs!
Tonight, Loretta squatted for me! In chicken-speak, this means she'll be laying eggs in the next week or so. For some reason, she wouldn't come out of the coop today. Normally she's the first one barging through the door. But it took coaxing, and finally me just picking her up and putting her outside. That's …
A dirty little secret (resolved)
It's a backyard chicken keeper's worst nightmare. That barnyard smell. For the first month, it was totally fine. Then one hot, muggy day, after a heavy downpour, it arrived. I had to be standing literally at or in the coop, but the smell was undeniable. Of course, I freaked out. I worried about it getting …
Combs and wattles
In the blink of an eye, my girls are almost grown up! Tonight, as I let them out for their evening stroll, I saw all three are sporting big combs atop their heads. Also, wattles now hang below their chins. The combs and wattles are bright red, too. These changes signify that the girls are …
Week 15: Nite-nite
http://youtu.be/VikuubsVIMQ If I ever had any doubt before, I now know the chickens are in charge. Up until tonight, they were just humoring me. After dinner, I let the girls out for a quick evening stroll in the yard. They sauntered over to a cave-like bush near the house, and set up camp. Matt and …
Toe trim trial
The other day as I was watching the girls perch on a homemade jungle gym, I noticed Gigi's toe nails seemed long. Instead of laying on the surface on the wood, aligned with her toes, the nails seemed to curl sideways. I went inside and Googled "how to trim chicken nails." After watching a tutorial, …
Chicken Scratch Fever 