Chicken Wisdom. . .

All I Need To Know In Life, I Learned From My Hens

Wake up early, stay busy, rest when you need to, but always stay alert.

Visit your favorite places each day.

Scratch out a living.

Routine is good.

Plump is good.

Don't ponder your purpose in life - your brain is too small.

Accept the pecking order and know your enemies.

Weed your garden.

Protect your children fiercely - sit on them if you need to.

Take them for walks, show them the little things and talk constantly.

Make a nice nest. Share it with friends.

Brag on your accomplishments.

Don't count your chicks before they hatch.

Protect your nest egg.

Test your wings once in awhile.

Squawk when necessary.

As you age, demand respect.

Leave a little something for those who care about you.

Chase butterflies.

Precious Poem By Michaele Oleson 

Amazing Artwork by Julene Ewert

Dixie's Reign Of Fame. . .

I want to thank everyone who left us such nice comments when we were helping and then losing our sweet chicken, Dixie.  It meant so much to us.  We really do miss her.  Daisy has taken Dixie's place at the top of the pecking order, and so far, she runs a VERY tight ship!  I think she's a bit "power hungry" at the moment.  She gets the girls to bed earlier at night than Dixie ever did, and she has been asserting herself even more than usual over the cats.  I'm sure she'll settle down to be a more relaxed leader with a little time.

When I wrote the post about losing her, I had someone leave me this comment:
"Hello! I'm an art student and I just stumbled on your wonderful blog while searching for the source of a reference photo I recently drew of your daughter playing saxophone for some hens. I saw it on a forum somewhere, and it was such a great picture, I had to draw it. I thought you might want to see the drawing, I posted it on my portfolio, www.flamingoboots.com. It's the first post.

Wonderful blog, I'll definitely keep following it :)
Sincerely,
Marianne M"

This is the picture that she saw from the post about Tara being in band:

And this is the picture that Marianne drew of Tara and DIXIE!!  

Tara was delighted to be the subject of her work.  We think she did a phenomenal job!  Thank you Marianne!!  We are happy to have join our adventures in the big woods!

Fresh Eggs. . .

I have been eyeballing this Egg Skelter for some time.  I don't put our chickens eggs in the fridge.  We eat them often and if they are not washed, the bloom on the outside of the eggs will keep them fresh for up to 12 weeks un-refrigerated   We have never gone that long, as we eat our eggs almost every morning for breakfast.  What this handy dandy toy does, is keep the eggs in order freshness with the older eggs at the bottom and the newer eggs at the top.  If you keep backyard chickens, this is a great thing to have!!

Goodbye Dixie. . .

You were an amazing pet.  We never knew that we could ever fall in love with chickens, but soon after bringing you and your sisters into our home, we did.  You had an amazing life for a chicken.  You got to go swimming, sledding, and played with the kids so often.  You were allowed to free range from dawn until dusk and gave our family so much joy.  You had the important job of being at the top of the pecking order and did a good job of eating weeds for me.  You rewarded us not only with your love, but also with your wonderful eggs.  You were a friend to Tara and Madeline and always made us smile.  You will be missed Dixie.  We will always love you.

Dixie died yesterday afternoon.  I finally found a vet an hour away that would see a chicken.  In my heart, I knew that I was taking her to him to be put to sleep.  She was no longer eating and barely drinking.  She was such a sweet amazing patient.  She always made the sweetest cooing noises whenever we were in eye shot of her.  She really loved when when the girls would sit and pet her while she was sick.  Dixie had a very large blockage in her crop and also in her abdominal region.  She is out of pain and I feel blessed that God allowed us to look after this precious chicken all of her life.  She was pampered and very loved.  Tara and Madeline took the news very, very well.  They had been preparing for that moment as they saw her getting weaker and weaker.  They are both happy that Dixie is no longer suffering.  We were very sad when she was suffering, but now that her suffering has ended, we are at peace.  We hope that one day we'll see all the pets that we loved and cared for again in heaven.  So today, we are so happy to have all the wonderful memories that Dixie gave us.  

A Girl With Her Sick Chicken. . .

Last night, the girls brought Dixie outside to spend some time with her in the fresh air.  Last night, It was really difficult for Tara and Madeline to go to bed.  They were both crying and not wanting to leave Dixie's side (afraid that she might die in the night).  They love their pets so much.  I think these photos speak for themselves.

Dixie is not really showing any improvement.  We are so very sad.  I just pray that God heal her, or take her soon so she doesn't suffer.  Poor Tara and Madeline.  One thing is certain, this hen as with all of our hens are very pampered and live very happy free range lives!  Please everyone, please pray that Dixie heals.

I Hope Dixie Doesn't Die. . .

My poor sweet Dixie.  I feel just awful.  Dixie is very sick and I didn't realize it.  I'm hoping it's not too late.  I brought her in the house on Sunday to give her a bath to see if I could find out what was wrong.  Her symptoms:

• She is very bloated in her abdominal region.
• She had diarrhea (consisting of clear liquid, green and white)
• She waddles like a penguin.  I didn't know that it was because of being so bloated. This has been going on for several weeks (the wattling).
• She began to get a droopy tail on Friday.
• Saturday, she was unable to go up the ramp to the coop and had to be helped.  Sunday morning she needed help getting down the ramp in the morning.
• Her chest seem emaciated, but she does not seem underweight, in fact is very heavy when I hold her.
• She is not laying eggs, but I'm sure she's not egg bound, because she'd surely be dead by now. 

What I've done, and am currently doing: 

Sunday I gave her a bath and made the discovery that she was so incredibly bloated.  I also let her soak for a very long time in the warm water.

 

Blow dried her as she struggled to stay awake during her relaxing spa treatment.

Monday morning, I set up a brooder box for her and brought her into the house so I could nurse and monitor her.

Yesterday, I fed her scrambled eggs made with oatmeal, organic whole milk, coconut oil, and garlic for breakfast.  She is eating and drinking.  The rest of the day yesterday, I was feeding her a mash consisting of Organic Chicken feed, mixed with organic plain yogurt.  This morning I fed her the yogurt mash thinking that the yogurt will help heal her gut.  Her water has Duramycin 10 (a broad spectrum antibiotic), I also gave her de-worming drops yesterday thinking that perhaps she may have a horrible case of worms?

Is there anything else that I can do for her?  Is there some insight that you may have for me?  Any guidance would be so greatly appreciated.

Recycle Project For School

Madeline has to create a recycle project for school.  She needed to take something that you might normally throw away and make a new use for it.  She wanted to use her chickens.  So we started to save the Henny Penny's beautiful eggshell.  Last week, Madeline took the shells outside and filled them with top soil.  While she did this, ALL of the Henny Penny's were EXTREMELY interested in what was going on.  It was hilarious!  I ran in to grab my camera.

Just look at all those fuzzy fluffy butts!!

We had already sprouted some sunflower seeds, so Madeline planted them in the eggs shells.  When it's time to plant them outside, she will just knock the shells on the ground to crackle them.  The dirt filled eggs get planted directly into the ground, and the roots of the sunflowers will use the shells for added nutrients! A good idea implementing her pet chickens!

So What's Up With The Chickens?

Well, it's been a bit of a roller coaster.  Sadly, we lost all of our baby chicks that we got last year.  Rosie died the second day we had her.  She was really weak, but while the girlies were at school, I made her very short life comfortable as I fed her with an eye dropper and kept her well hydrated and warm.  Unfortunately, she just was not meant to survive.  Though her life was short, she was treated with love and tenderness every minute.  It was very painful for Madeline since Rosie was her's.   I told Madeline that I knew she was hurting and that God was right by her side and feeling her pain. I said that it was times like this that we need to lean on Him for comfort because He knows our hurts better than anybody else. Madeline got a really soft blankie to wrap Rosie up in and we put her in box. We were in the process of burying her when I got a call from the feed store where we got our chicks. A lady had ordered 4 chicks and wanted to know if she could change her order to 3. God, in the midst of us burying Rosie, gave us a new baby.  Her name is Blossom.  We finished making a special place in our flower garden for Rosie and headed to the feed store to get "Blossom".  Lexie and Buttercup lost their lives to a raccoon (or raccoons).  It was a night that I had locked up the big girls and Ron didn't realize that I had.  We had not fully integrated the original chickens with the new younger pullets.  The babies were sleeping in the run, and the hens were in the coop.  He was making a roost for them and I figured he'd just lock the gate when he was done.  The babies were inside where they belonged  but he didn't realize that the original hens were already in the coop so he left the run door open.  Alas we lost Lexie and Buttercup that night.  When Tara went out that morning to let the chickens out for the day, the evidence of the raccoon's was undeniable.  They had taken the bodies of Lexie and Buttercup and left a ton of feathers everywhere.  Tara came in the house in a total panic as you can imagine.  I bolted out of the house followed by both my girlies and we began calling to our babies and discovered that Blossom had survived, completely unhurt and hiding in the garage!  It was clear that she was traumatized though.  She was so exhausted.  I picked her up and hugged and held her and she immediately closed her eyes and began to fall asleep.  While the kids swam and played that day, I spent a lot of time with Blossom.  The older hens had not yet accepted the younger ones into their flock, so Blossom was alone.  She kept jumping onto my lap and falling asleep.  On that very same day, I jumped onto Craigs List and found a guy who had a ton of Rhode Island Reds.  He had a photo posted with his ad, and in that sad looking, over crowded mob of chickens, there were about 5 Buff Orpingtons.  They were the same age as Blossom (about 6 weeks).  The next day, we drove one hour to pick up (and "rescue") 2 little pullets who we named Diamond and Ruby.  He kept his hens in a small penned area with little wiggle room since there were so many in such a small area.  When we got the 2 new girls home, I was wondering what Blossom would do when introduced to them.  I knew the new girls would have no problem with her since they were raised in such a large mob, but the three of them accepted each other immediately without any problems.  The poor Craigs List hens didn't even seem to know what grass was, but they quickly learned how to find 'real' food while free ranging.  The big hens and the pullets would free range everyday from dawn till dusk.  The hens established a pecking order over the babies and for many months, the babies would free range away from the big girls.  Eventually, they all became a united flock (at their own rate and in their own time).  I love seeing all six of them together.

They get to spend all day from dawn until dusk free ranging.  They are such happy animals.  This is Jasmine.  She is friendly to anyone and everyone who gives her attention....except me.  Jasmine has decided that I am NOT above her on the pecking order and if I get too close to her, she'll puff up and posture sideways in a warning.  If I try to pet her, she'll promptly peck and bite me.  She's a brat, but since she's nice to everybody else in the world, she can stay.  

Here's Ruby and Blossom.  Ruby is one of our rescue hens.  Ruby took a long time to warm up to us.  She was afraid.  We were very patient with her, and when she felt comfortable enough, she started to get closer and eventually,  she became less afraid.  She would come near when we called her name, and began to eat treats from our hands.  Now, she lets us hold, snuggle and pet her.  She and Diamond (who we also rescued along with her) are very special.  Blossom, on the right, is a very sweet chicken as well.  As I write this, I think to myself...these are chickens!  I never knew that chickens could have so much personality and bring so much joy and entertainment, but they really, really do.  Each one has a very distinct personality which is delightful!

My Daisy.  Daisy is such a precious girl.  She loves me. She will gently tug on my clothes and is always waiting to be picked up.  She is also known as Daisy The Cat Dominator!  The cats cower under the stare of Daisy, and she enjoys chasing them down.  When she does this, the cats will sometimes roll onto their back in submission while Daisy cocks her head moves in very close to their face to stare them down...beak poised and ready to peck.  If they stay still, she'll lose interest and relent.  If they make a move, a good peck is guaranteed!  Yes. . .this is Daisy the Dominator!

Hello Dixie!  Now this little girl is at the top of the pecking order.  She is also our biggest hen.  Her walk is absolutely hilarious.  It's more of a penguin waddle than a chicken walk.  It makes me laugh when I see her.  She has been top hen ever since she was in the brooder.   AND, she is one who lays our magical eggs!  She does it consistently too!!  If only they were golden eggs. 

And finally, we have Diamond.  She is one of the girls that we rescued from that over crowded flock of chickens and she is at the bottom of the pecking order,  This chicken is the sweetest of all.  She loves to be petted, held and is always the first one to come running when we call the girls.  All of our hens know their individual names and will come when we call them.  I swear...I really never knew that chickens would be so fun!!  I love our chickens.

Our girls, when nobody is molting, consistently give us 5 eggs a day.  Unfortunately, as you can see,  several of our girls are currently in "some" stage of molt so we are getting inconsistent amounts of eggs.  Boy are their eggs ever WONDERFUL!!!  These are 6 extremely pampered, and happy hens.  If I was a chicken, I'd want to live at our house where you get to free range all day every day, and get so much attention from the human family!  I don't think that every chicken owner would want to say that.....but I would.  They are an integral part of my children's lives as well.  They are always included in their outdoor play.  

Here, Tara and Madeline were having a play date with Tara's friends Madison (far left) and Carley (far right).  Carley had never been around a chicken in her life.  This child was so incredibly enamored with the our chickens.  Whenever they were outside (which was pretty much the whole day), a chicken was in her arms.  And Madison  is Tara's best friend in the whole world.  They have been best friends for 4 years.  They are like a well oiled machine.  They are truly "kindred spirits'.   Madison, got her first flock of chickens last year (I helped to convince her parents into it).  Her dad had raised chickens as a kid, but on a huge scale.  We're talking 500!  Thoughts of life with that many chickens kept turning him off.  I convinced him that a small backyard flock is nothing at all like that and now they have a happy flock of 7, to which they just added 10 more to it this year. . .

But Carley....she couldn't get enough of our sweet Henny Pennys!

And this is Abby.  She's Madeline's bestest friend and she's also Madison's little sister.  She's such a sweet little girl.  She and Madeline always have so much fun together.  What a cute couple of peanuts they are!!

Having kids growing up in the country is good!  Especially when they get to spend most of their time out of doors playing, and not being shuffled to tons of after school activities, or spending time in front of a T.V., gaming system, or computer.  My kids have very rich imaginations, and creative minds.  It is because they play outside so much, and are not burdened with the hectic schedules that so many parents put upon their children that this is true.  Life is good in our humble house in the big woods.

Woodland Friends. . .

I really love where we live.  We are surrounded by acres of woods and there is never a shortage of wildlife to enjoy.  Yesterday, I felt like I was literally surrounded by deer all morning.  It was so wonderful.  They are such sweet, graceful and beautiful animals.  I was literally standing 10 feet away while I took this picture.  Just look at his beautiful face. . .

He was looking directly at me as I stood motionless with my camera to my eye in front of my window.  Even though he could see me, my lack of movement likely made him view me as an inanimate object.  Soon he'll be regrowing the antlers he shed this winter.  I so badly wanted to pet his beautiful face and scratch him between the ears.

I never get tired of seeing the beautiful deer. . .

Even Caspian got in on the wildlife watching.  She poses no threat to them.

Aren't they pretty?  I especially love when I see our precious Henny Penny's free ranging with them.

Today, I saw some turkeys.  They are very cool as well.

And the Henny Penny's have even been known to hang out with them!

It's so fun living in the country!!

You know, I couldn't help but think that if I had quietly stepped outside with the deer or the turkeys, they would have fled in a heartbeat at the moment they saw me, but our pets will mingle harmoniously with them.  And then I remembered what God said said to Noah after the ark had settled and God made his Covenant with Noah.  Genesis 9:2 says "The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. "  I love when I can see God's word in my everyday life.  Don't you?

************************UPDATE************************

I just had to add these photos that I took today 3/28/13.  She's so pretty!

Sheltered By Gods Loving Arms. . .

People who live on a farm, or simply raise backyard chickens like us, know that danger is always lurking.  When a threat does actually strike, a mother hen spreads her wings and covers her little chicks with her feathers. Then she pulls her chicks in close - right underneath her wings where she hides them from danger and protects them until it has passed.

I love this psalm because it reminds me that God is my Shelter in stormy times. I can rest beneath His wings until the storm has passed knowing that He is close and unwavering.  He is with me through every moment of every trial.  It assures me that when we go through trials, not if, but when we go through them, those who know the Lord, not those who just know "of" Him, but those who have a personal relationship with Him, will receive His comfort.  Even in the worst of circumstances, God will use every situation for my good. . .

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. 

What's in an eggshell??

Well apparently a LOT!  While making breakfast for Tara and Madeline earlier this week, something, well, different caught my eye.  One of our Henny Penny's lays very light colored eggs.  I never really thought much about it, that was until this week.  Here is what her "cracked" shell looks like next to one of her sisters eggs.

See how pale her egg is?  It has little brown speckles on the bottom as you can see.  Sometimes they aren't speckled, but this one was.   Now look here at the inside of her sister egg. . .

See how it's white in there?  Well, all brown egg laying chickens have white eggs, and the color is applied in the very last stage of egg travel before it's laid.  Which means that all brown eggs have white insides.  This is not true however for blue egg layers which lay eggs blue inside and out.  There is an actual science behind this, which is clearly explained here.  The article says " It takes about 26 hours for an egg to go from the ovary until it is laid. First the yolk is encircled with whites and membranes. Then this jelly-like mass goes into the shell gland, where it will spend about 20 hours while the shell is formed.

The shell is made up almost entirely of calcium carbonate, which is a white mineral. White eggs are white, through and through. But, during the last four to six hours in the shell gland, a brown egg-laying hen adds pigment to the mix. This is why the insides of brown eggs are white – the egg starts out white, and gradually becomes more colorful. In the last 90 minutes, the rate of shell formation slows, and the cuticle, a viscous, protein-rich fluid (also called the bloom) is added. (The cuticle is the first line of protection against bacterial infection in the egg.) This is also when the hen secretes most of the pigments into the shell."

So what do you think happened here??

How on earth did she get the color on the INSIDE??!!

And which of you girls is the amazing magician who performed this magic trick??!!

Tara's Amazing Gift. . .

. . .is the ability to learn easily.  She is an academically gifted child.  She is very humble about this and knows that it is truly a gift from God.

I need to give the back story here.  Back in December, we received a letter from Tara's school stating that she had been invited into an accelerated math program.  In this program, she would leave her school campus  to be instructed in math by Professors from Michigan State University.  We went to an informational meeting, and found out more about it.  It's called CHAMP (The Cooperative Highly Accelerated Mathematics Program). It's designed to allow mathematically gifted students to master the standard high school mathematics curriculum within a two year period--consisting of 2 years of algebra, a year of geometry and a 4th course including trigonometry and college algebra as major components (all while in middle school). CHAMP covers the equivalent of one year of high school mathematics in one semester: the 2 algebra courses are covered during the first year and the geometry and trigonometry/college algebra are covered in the second year of the program. Students who successfully complete the two years of CHAMP are ready to begin calculus. This program will replace her schools math curriculum and she will be taught by MSU professors. Only a few children in her school were invited into this program.  What an honor!!!

In order to qualify for the program, the students needed to take the ACT and she needed to score at least a 21 in the mathematics section and have a composite score of at least 23. There were approximately 40 children vying for one of 21 openings into this amazing program and life opportunity.

I immediately hired a tutor who could help her prepare for the test which was given February 9th, as I knew there was no way that I could effectively prepare her!   Tara met with her tutor 2 times per week.  She did very well on her practice tests, but in math, lack of speed was catching her up.  Tara is very thorough with her work and at the tender age of 11, she just wasn't fast enough.  When testing day came, I tried to calm her nerves as we drove there.  Along with praying together, one of the things I told her, was to do all of the easy math problems first, and then go back and do the difficult ones.  When she came out of the test, she said "I did terrible!  I forgot to do the easy problems first and I ran out of time.  I had to randomly guess on like 20 of them!!".  I asked her how she felt she did on the math problems which she completed, and she said she felt like she did well on those.  I asked her how she did on the rest of the test (English, Reading, and Science) and all she said was "It was hard".  I told Tara that I was so proud of her for even getting invited into the program, and for working so hard with her tutor.  I said "If it is God's will, you will be in it.  If not, then He has another plan for you at the moment."  Hearing that gave her a sense of peace.  I told her that just having the opportunity to take the test was a great experience and not many little girls get to experience that.  Knowing that ultimately it was in God's hands made the waiting period for the test results very easy for Tara.  On Friday, we got the results.  She was at school and was not coming home that night.  She and Madeline were having a sleep over at a friends house.  Alone in the house, I opened the envelop and started reading her results, and I began shaking.  I could not believe what I was seeing.  Here are her results.  Notice where she ranked against all of the other testers in the entire U.S., and remember, eleven years old!!

I contacted the coordinator of the CHAMP program, because I wanted to explain to her that Tara's math score did not effectively rate her ability.  I wanted to explain that her score (which is VERY, VERY good!!!) would have been better if she had more time.  I wanted her to know that I felt strongly that Tara would be a great candidate for the program and that her school was rallying behind her and the teachers were going to support and help her with the math.  When I told her what her scores were, she was floored.  She said that they will be making the decision in May, and that she sits on the panel who decides.  She told me that she is almost positive that Tara is in.  YAY!!!!!!  God is truly blessing this child and I love her so very much!

Pink Eye. . .

Madeline woke up this morning with both of her eyes crusted shut from pink eye.  It took several trips back and forth to the sink to warm a washcloth and gently soften the gunk before she was able to open them.  It is so expensive to go to the Doctor.  We have a $3,500 out of pocket max that we must meet before we have any coverage.  So in a nut shell, we pay "in full" for all doctor visits and prescriptions every year.  If something catastrophic were to happen, we'd pay the $3,500 and then the rest would be covered in full.  Suffice it to say, I have been using natural remedies for just about everything, and we RARELY visit the doctor.  So what to do for pink eye?

Head on over to a health/vitamin store and buy this for $14.99.  Be sure to ask for an eye dropper for it.

Put one drop in each eye 3 times a day.  It will clear up over night!  Once the symptoms are gone, it's gone.   It's an amazing treatment and works WAY better than the over the counter drug store drops or the Vigamox Rx (which costs $45!).

I first tried it this earlier in the winter with Madeline.  I gave her one does before bed, and by morning, her eye had completely cleared up.  I promise you that this treatment WORKS.  It does sting however when you put it in the eyes while the infection is present.  Once the symptoms are gone however, it does not hurt.  Today, she has pink eye in both of her eyes.  Even if you only have symptoms in one eye, you must treat both eyes because of the highly contagious nature of the bacteria.  Also, lots of hand washing is necessary and don't forget to wash the bedding!  This is way better than going to the doctor and far less expensive!!  The great thing is, Silver Sol has so MANY other great uses!  Click here to see what else it can be utilized for. 

Happy healing!!

********************UPDATE*********************

Because Madeline's eyes were SO bad when I began this treatment, It took a little longer to see results.  She stayed home the first and 2nd day of the infection.  By the third day, she was symptom free.  It really does work.  Even on a bad case of pink eye.

God is such an amazing artist!!

I've been seeing this picture of a rooster floating around on Facebook, to which I was certain just had to be photoshopped.

I have a lot of experience with digital artistry and know how easily this could be done.  But I really wanted to know if God would really create a fowl that looked as beautiful as this, and I was stunned to find that He did indeed create a bird to look like this!  I found several more photos of this gorgeous bird.

It's called the Green Junglefowl, and It's found in Indonesia, Java and the neighboring islands of Lesser Sundas E to Flores, Sumba, and Alor.

Green Junglefowl are of only a handful of species of gallinaceous birds (heavy-bodied largely ground-feeding domestic or game birds) capable of sustained flight over open water.  There are many documented cases of the species flying over the sea between islets.  The male has a unique and unusual call.  I like it!  You can click here, and it will take you to a page where if you scroll down below the map, you'll see a bunch of sound bytes that you can click on.

My research of the breed found that in the wild, pairs remain together indefinitely and there is an extended relationship with both parents and their chicks of successive years.  I did find another source however which stated that they live in small flocks with one male providing for a flock of 5 females or so, to which his position can be challenged by other males.  The latter makes more sense to me.

They are in the pheasant family, and can be kept as pets!  They do great in hot temperatures, and require specialized diets.  They do not fare well in cold climates.

The female Green Junglefowl are much more subdued in appearance, but they have very sweet faces with big eyes!

Just beautiful, beautiful birds!  If you have any desire to buy a pair, you are looking at $500 on up!!  That's quite a leap from my $2.50 per bird with our Buff Orpingtons, and VERY much out of my range (and climate)!!

Tara said that if we had one of these, she'd name it "Rainbow".