The backyard is littered with feathers …. and a reliable eyewitness reports that the perpetrator of the attempted murder was a member of our household. Meet Willow. She is a Bernedoodle, who joined us in Decembers, at age 7 months, and will be one year old next week. Although she is our third dog, she is …
Category Archives: Chickens
Babies, babies, babies
We have been waiting with great anticipation for Luna’s due date as we all love baby goats. Luna must love them too, because she got an early start, with the babies arriving 4 days before we expected to see them. Early this week I came out for on evening goat walk at the end of …
The chicken saga continues…..
When I last wrote about the chickens, I told you of my failed effort to have a broody hen do the work of hatching and raising chicks for me. You may recall that the first broody chicken gave me a good effort, but failed in the end, and my second broody hen rejected my suggestions …
In the battle of wills, the chicken is winning
Last year, after a series of missteps dealing with a broody hen, I thought I had it all figured out. But as it turns out, NOT! Three weeks ago, when one of my chickens decided she wanted to brood, I knew I was going to allow her to sit on eggs. Free chicks! To try …
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Chicken Hawk
When I look in my bird book there is actually no such bird as a chicken hawk, but according to Wikipedia it is an unofficial designation for three types of hawks: Cooper, Sharp Shinned and Redtail. Recent personal experience has given me a pretty good idea of how a hawk becomes designated a ‘chicken hawk’. …
Chicken Feathers
I have been taking every opportunity to be outside to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather this week. And given the number of chicken feathers decorating the yard I suspect that I am not the only one at the farm grateful for these warm days. In general, a pile of chicken feathers can be an ominous …
Chicken Chat
So far (thank goodness) we seem to have avoided any bird flu, and the ladies are thriving, and laying well. The first broody hen has long since moved back into the regular coop, leaving her three teenagers to fend for themselves in their little “private shed”. They are getting pretty big, and I have started …
Broody chicken mistakes
It all started a couple of weeks ago, when one of my hens decided she wanted to be a mother. When a hen’s mothering instinct kicks in, she “goes broody”. A broody chicken wants to sit on eggs, and once she has decided to do so, she can be pretty determined! She leaves the nest …
What to do about bird flu
I was so excited to be adding ducks this year….. but I have put that plan on hold. You may have heard that a very pathologic strain of bird flu is circulating this year. It is in Michigan, and has been detected in wild birds and in kept flocks, both commercial and backyard. What does …
A missing chicken
If you have never lived with chickens, you might think the concept of letting them free range seems a bit crazy. After all, chickens not closed into their coop at night are easy prey for nighttime predators like possums, raccoons, foxes and coyotes. Who wants to be responsible for rounding up chickens to put them …