Showing posts with label farm life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label farm life. Show all posts
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farm life
Time for some chicken updates! As of today, we think we have 5 layers. It is very exciting to go to the coop to collect eggs! These chickens are hilarious - watching them is so much fun! There's really never a dull moment in the ranch!
These hawks are always flying around. Makes me nervous, actually. I am afraid they would swoop down and snatch one of the chickens!
Funny picture taken by hubby. It looks like the chicken wants to be in the frame!
The ladder provides them with exercise and entertainment! In this picture, she's showing everyone who's "top chick."
This is how they get up in the morning. They make a beeline for the door and start the day!
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Chicken Updates
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farm life
One of our pullets is finally amom hen!
I saw these two eggs which were sandwiching the golf ball, and I gave out a little squeal of delight. It really was egg-citing. Hahaha.
For those of you wondering why there are golf balls in the nesting boxes, it is to train them to lay eggs in that spot. We were also hoping that it would stimulate them to start laying early, and I guess it did work. Buff Orpingtons are supposed to lay around 20 weeks, but one of our girls laid at 17 weeks.
Surprisingly, the first egg was not jelly-like (as some "first" eggs are due to the lack of calcium in the pullets' diet). I think it is because they get a bit of sand every time they peck from the ground.
I am eagerly waiting for the other pullets to lay! Time to line up my egg recipes!
P.S. Did you know that unwashed chicken eggs will stay fresh for up to a month without refrigeration? It is because of a natural substance called the "bloom" which coats the egg shells and prevents bacteria from getting into these shells. Market-sold eggs typically have been washed and their blooms removed, hence you need to refrigerate it.
So yes, those two little eggs in the picture have not been washed and are sitting in our kitchen counter waiting to be eaten. ;-)
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Our First Eggs!
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| Find the golf ball! |
One of our pullets is finally a
I saw these two eggs which were sandwiching the golf ball, and I gave out a little squeal of delight. It really was egg-citing. Hahaha.
For those of you wondering why there are golf balls in the nesting boxes, it is to train them to lay eggs in that spot. We were also hoping that it would stimulate them to start laying early, and I guess it did work. Buff Orpingtons are supposed to lay around 20 weeks, but one of our girls laid at 17 weeks.
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| Look how small they seem in hubby's hand! |
Surprisingly, the first egg was not jelly-like (as some "first" eggs are due to the lack of calcium in the pullets' diet). I think it is because they get a bit of sand every time they peck from the ground.
I am eagerly waiting for the other pullets to lay! Time to line up my egg recipes!
P.S. Did you know that unwashed chicken eggs will stay fresh for up to a month without refrigeration? It is because of a natural substance called the "bloom" which coats the egg shells and prevents bacteria from getting into these shells. Market-sold eggs typically have been washed and their blooms removed, hence you need to refrigerate it.
So yes, those two little eggs in the picture have not been washed and are sitting in our kitchen counter waiting to be eaten. ;-)
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farm life
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Of Chickens and Chicken Coops
Not long ago, our chickens had their 2nd month birthday. As a special treat, we gave them some watermelon rinds, and boy, did they enjoy them! I made sure not to trim the watermelon so low so the chickens would have some sweet fruit to nibble on, but what we saw after a few hours surprised us. The watermelon rinds were eaten down to the skin! Literally. It actually looked like rolled paper - it was that thin!
So far, we found out that their favorite treats are strawberries, cantaloupes and watermelons. Oh, and they also like corn cobs and worms. In fact, they like to tug on hubby's untied shoelaces thinking that they are worms. We like to give them a variety of treats, but we always check to make sure they are safe to eat. And when in doubt, we go to backyardchickens.com. All the answers are there!
Anyway... we finally finished our chicken coop (just in time for hurricane Debby!). Despite the strong winds and seemingly endless rain fall, the coop (and its 10 tenants) survived! We are also very pleased that so far, the chickens are safe and the coop is secure. No sign of critter break-ins whatsoever. Son actually calls it "Fort Knox" and he is mighty proud of it. After all, he is the "architect" of the coop.
So, in order to familiarize the chickens to their new digs, hubby has to bring them in one by one at night and put them in their individual nesting boxes. As for the rooster, he has a special spot in the corner of the coop! Hubby did it for 2 consecutive nights, and come the 3rd night, they already knew what to do! When we came out to put them in their coop, they were already there! These chickens are really smarter than I thought!
I also found out that they recognize the sound of our voice. One time, they were huddled together under their coop, and about 10 feet away from the coop, I started calling them (I like to call them "Cheepy"). Well what do you know. They started to break away from the group and respond to my calling. It was the sweetest thing. I really am a proud momma.
Of course, it is not always fun. Feeding them in the mornings is always a pain. Cleaning the coop is also a big task - but we have to do it so our chickens would not live in a pig sty (haha). And waiting for them to lay eggs... well, let's just say we are getting antsy and want to see some eggs soon!
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| They LOVE watermelons! |
So far, we found out that their favorite treats are strawberries, cantaloupes and watermelons. Oh, and they also like corn cobs and worms. In fact, they like to tug on hubby's untied shoelaces thinking that they are worms. We like to give them a variety of treats, but we always check to make sure they are safe to eat. And when in doubt, we go to backyardchickens.com. All the answers are there!
Anyway... we finally finished our chicken coop (just in time for hurricane Debby!). Despite the strong winds and seemingly endless rain fall, the coop (and its 10 tenants) survived! We are also very pleased that so far, the chickens are safe and the coop is secure. No sign of critter break-ins whatsoever. Son actually calls it "Fort Knox" and he is mighty proud of it. After all, he is the "architect" of the coop.
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| "Fort Knox" (notice the brick that keeps the door shut haha) |
So, in order to familiarize the chickens to their new digs, hubby has to bring them in one by one at night and put them in their individual nesting boxes. As for the rooster, he has a special spot in the corner of the coop! Hubby did it for 2 consecutive nights, and come the 3rd night, they already knew what to do! When we came out to put them in their coop, they were already there! These chickens are really smarter than I thought!
I also found out that they recognize the sound of our voice. One time, they were huddled together under their coop, and about 10 feet away from the coop, I started calling them (I like to call them "Cheepy"). Well what do you know. They started to break away from the group and respond to my calling. It was the sweetest thing. I really am a proud momma.
Of course, it is not always fun. Feeding them in the mornings is always a pain. Cleaning the coop is also a big task - but we have to do it so our chickens would not live in a pig sty (haha). And waiting for them to lay eggs... well, let's just say we are getting antsy and want to see some eggs soon!
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| Kissing cousins! |
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farm life
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"Teen-Agers"
Our chicks don't look like chicks anymore. In fact, they are starting to look like chickens! They even cluck like chickens! Kinda' sad because my "babies" are now "tweeners".
They still have a long way to go before egg-laying, though. Not sure what we're gonna do with our rooster... if we decide to keep him, we should build a separate pen for him. Otherwise, we are gonna have more chicks! We actually want eggs to eat!
They are very active now. They love catching insects, and running around. They are soooo funny to watch.
Can you think of a funny caption for this picture? :-)
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| Quite the funambulist, no? |
They still have a long way to go before egg-laying, though. Not sure what we're gonna do with our rooster... if we decide to keep him, we should build a separate pen for him. Otherwise, we are gonna have more chicks! We actually want eggs to eat!
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| "So... did you hear about Clucky from down the road?" |
They are very active now. They love catching insects, and running around. They are soooo funny to watch.
Can you think of a funny caption for this picture? :-)
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farm life
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Don't Count the Chickens...
Yes, I know we're not supposed to count the chickens before they're hatched. But in our case, we are counting the eggs!
Since the chicks are still too young for us to be able to definitely tell their gender, we had to always guess based on what we read online. And so with this in mind, we THINK that we have 9 females and 1 male. Not a bad ratio, right? Especially since we bought them for egg production. However, it just dawned on us that at their peaks, these female chicks could lay an egg a day! So 9 X 7days = 63. Sixty three eggs a week. That's over 3,000 eggs a year! What are we gonna do with that many eggs?!?! But that scenario could be just in a perfect setting. Some hens might not lay eggs, or we might have more roosters after all. Who knows?
Anyway, the chicks are now 3 weeks old, and although they are not as cute anymore (they are starting to look like chickens now!), they are still as funny and entertaining! They are definitely more active, and it is so hilarious when they run around in their (bigger!) place. They also "chest-bump" in mid-air, which makes me nervous. They are very curious and would peck just about anything!
We can't wait to build a coop so they could have a real place of their own!
I better start lining up "egg" recipes... flan, quiche, deviled eggs... yummy!
Since the chicks are still too young for us to be able to definitely tell their gender, we had to always guess based on what we read online. And so with this in mind, we THINK that we have 9 females and 1 male. Not a bad ratio, right? Especially since we bought them for egg production. However, it just dawned on us that at their peaks, these female chicks could lay an egg a day! So 9 X 7days = 63. Sixty three eggs a week. That's over 3,000 eggs a year! What are we gonna do with that many eggs?!?! But that scenario could be just in a perfect setting. Some hens might not lay eggs, or we might have more roosters after all. Who knows?
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| "Hey sisters, check out the view on the other side!" |
Anyway, the chicks are now 3 weeks old, and although they are not as cute anymore (they are starting to look like chickens now!), they are still as funny and entertaining! They are definitely more active, and it is so hilarious when they run around in their (bigger!) place. They also "chest-bump" in mid-air, which makes me nervous. They are very curious and would peck just about anything!
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| Chest-bumping while other siblings watch in anticipation! |
We can't wait to build a coop so they could have a real place of their own!
I better start lining up "egg" recipes... flan, quiche, deviled eggs... yummy!
Labels:
farm life
Meet the newest members of our family - 10 Buff Orpington chicks. We chose this breed because we read that they are docile and calm. Which makes me wonder if these chicks are really Orpingtons.
These girls are rambunctious! At 7 days old, they are already testing their wings. We placed them in a bigger box and they played in it like it was a ramp! One actually managed to finagle herself out of the box. They are so funny, and can literally entertain you for hours! What's bothering me is that they "play-fight" a lot. Sort of like cock fighting - you know... chest bumping while jumping in mid-air. I worry that they would get hurt.
In a few months, we hope to harvest some fresh eggs (crossing my fingers that we got all pullets). But for now, we are content at just watching them grow. I guess it's official - we are now farmers. :-)
Do you have any tips on how to raise chickens? I would appreciate them!
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Buff Orpingtons
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| The chicks @ 3 days old |
These girls are rambunctious! At 7 days old, they are already testing their wings. We placed them in a bigger box and they played in it like it was a ramp! One actually managed to finagle herself out of the box. They are so funny, and can literally entertain you for hours! What's bothering me is that they "play-fight" a lot. Sort of like cock fighting - you know... chest bumping while jumping in mid-air. I worry that they would get hurt.
In a few months, we hope to harvest some fresh eggs (crossing my fingers that we got all pullets). But for now, we are content at just watching them grow. I guess it's official - we are now farmers. :-)
Do you have any tips on how to raise chickens? I would appreciate them!
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