Summer has arrived a couple days early, with scorching hot temperatures. Today it was in the high 80s most of the day, then inching into the low 90s around dinnertime. I kept a close eye on them throughout the day, looking for obvious signs of heat stress. Around 5 p.m., I went back out to …
Week 12: Hey, that’s my foot!
Tap-tap-Tap! Startled, I looked down at my feet to see Nellie pecking away at my turquoise gardening shoe. I know chickens are attracted to the color red. In fact, their feeder and waterer are red, and I've had more than one chicken peck at my painted toenails when I'm barefoot. But turquoise? Apparently Nellie has …
Week 11: My, how you’ve grown
After spending a week away from the girls to visit family, I wasn't sure what I would come to. As the girls ambled out of the coop, I was amazed at what I saw. "My how you've grown," I cooed as I looked them over. Loretta was visibly larger, and Nellie had the start of …
Free range (sort of)
Today the girls got a taste of free range life, sort of. As Matt worked on the yard, I opened the door the coop and let the chickens come and go as they pleased. The first thing they did was explore the yucca bushes in front of the coop. The bush's long green leaves held …
Coop design
We're just unpacking from a weekend trip to Kalamazoo to see our friends Eric and Char. We had a wonderful time, eating, and hiking ... and talking all things chicken. The great news is that Eric agreed to help us build our coop. After looking at a photo of one that Matt and I like, …
Chickens on the brain (full planning mode)
I've got the lyrics to "Chickenman" by the Indigo Girls rolling through my mind. "Chickenman, hold my hand." But really the song has nothing to do with chickens at all. Goes to show I've definitely got chickens on the brain. Since we've decided to raise hens, we've been trapped in a whirlwind of ideas. Our …
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Chicken Scratch Fever 