Chickens: Bowling-Pin Shaped Egg?

It started out as any other trip to the coop would. I have a bucket of water and feed in my hands. I proceed to dump a little feed out into the run to distract them while I feed and water them and gather the eggs. Feeding and watering goes as usual. I start pulling eggs out of the nesting box and on the bottom there laid this little odd shaped egg. I was like "WHAT is that?!" I still have no clue. Odd for sure! Anyone know what would cause this?

*Edited to add:

I found this website and it explains the odd shape.

Laying cycles - chickens coming into or out of lay will take a few days before their oviducts start to function properly causing poor quality abnormal shells. This can lead to thin shelled eggs. Furthermore, as the bird goes through her cycle, her oviduct loses its tone leading to oddly shaped eggs.

I'm sharing this post at Homestead Blog Hop.

Chickens: Our "Little One" is growing up.

He/She was so little just a couple months ago. 

Growing like a weed, indeed.

So, what do you think? Do we have a Rooster or a Hen? 

Big Momma Judy wasn't very happy that I was around her baby, at all.

I am sharing this post at Farm Photo Friday and Farm Girl Blog Hop.

Chickens: A Little One

My hens had finally been bitten by the broody bug. I noticed that Judy, the one in the front, had started wanting to sit. I put dummy eggs under her and dated the eggs I took out for a few days. When I had eight eggs, I put them back under her and took the dummy eggs out. It was official, we wanted babies. Only hen number two, Lucy, decided she wanted to sit on the eggs too.  This ended in two of the eggs getting crushed. 

Since Judy was on there first, we moved her and the eggs out into our goat travel cage and put chicken wire around the chain-link.

Soon we had a baby. Unfortunately, only one hatched. We haven't named the wee one yet as we aren't sure if he is a she or if he is a he.

Judy has turned into an over protective mother hen. She has tried to attack me numerous times when I try to feed and water them. 

Though, I was only bit once. No pecking for this girl. She bites! She had the side of my hand back in her mouth and wouldn't let go! Wild woman!

Chickens: A few recent pics of Foghorn

Isn't he regal? He always looks like he is trying to tell me something. Probably just to get the camera out of his face.

"Whatcha looking at?"

This one looks like he is trying real hard to figure out what the camera is...

and here he is doing what he does best! Being a Fog-Horn!

I took a few of the girls too but they didn't turn out as good. They are more skiddish than he is. He doesn't care one single bit to stare you down.

I'm sharing this post with Deborah Jean's Farm Girl Friday Blog Hop. 

Eggs, Eggs, and More Eggs!

I think Spring must be around the bend.. not only do we have Easter flowers blooming, but all three of the girls are laying every single day. I am so happy when I go out to the coop and actually find eggs. I thought winter and the great egg depression would never end!

Cheap Way to Raise Chickens: Four Eggs for $96.65

Eggs! Finally! 3, well 4 after today to be exact.

Yesterday afternoon I ran out the the coop to make sure the gang had enough food and water. I had cleaned the pan and refilled the water before I notice an egg laying in the floor of the coop. I'm pretty sure I looked nuts screaming for hubby, dancing around, and jumping up and down. Thankfully we have no neighbors. I'd be the next YouTube hit. I was pretty excited to say the least. I reach in to get the feeder so that I can refill it as it was running low, and there were two more eggs on the other side of the coop on the ground. I was stoked.

The excitement passed and I finally came to my senses. Grab the camera! Dalton was all too eager to hold the eggs so I could snap a picture or two.

We've been trying hard to be frugal with our chickens, using anything we can find that is free, borrowing things, and making our own. So far we have spent $96.65.

Here is a break down of what we have spent so far on the items we had to resort to buying:

Tent Stakes $2.88/pk x 2 = $5.76
T-poles $4.09 ea x 5= $20.45
Wire $29.99
Feed $13 x 2 bags= $26
Pine Shavings $4.49 x 2= $8.98
Everything else= Free

$91.18
+5.47 tax
$96.65

Even though at the moment each egg we have found is running around $25.00 we are optimistic that we will break even eventually and have fresh eggs to eat to boot!

Anyone know how I can convince these girls to lay their eggs in the nesting boxes rather than on the floor of the coop? I already replaced the chips in the boxes and laid fake eggs in there. Anything else?

Chickens: Foghorn shows off his crowing skills

Chickens: A recent pic of Foghorn Leghorn

Good ol' Foghorn! Isn't he the handsomest thing you ever saw?! I sure think so. He has certainly put on his crowin' shoes. All day and all night. I think his internal clock is messed up. Thank goodness I have a fan that sounds like a windstorm or I'd never sleep. I reckon his handsomeness makes up for the fact that he is a pain in the patoot.
I am sharing this post at Fresh From the Farm: Farmchick's Farm Photo Friday.

He Crows

or at least he tries! Foghorn that is.

He sounds like someone is choking him to death, and boy is it loud. Michael had heard him several times, but I had only heard him attempt it a couple times.. until last night. Blackie {one of the goats} would beller out and then Foghorn would attempt to crow. They went back and forth at least ten times. My niece Deidra said they must have some sort of language we can't understand. He had a set of lungs this morning too... bright and early. Maybe putting their run that close to my bedroom window wasn't such a bright idea. 
I'll try to get a video on my phone next time to share.

A few pics of the Chickens

This is crowbar. Michael and I agreed that we think she is in fact a female. She is starting to get her feathers, finally! Now she doesn't look so bad. She is still super wild compared to the cool, calm and collected Sussex's.

This is Joanie,

Foghorn,

and Lucy.

Aren't they beautiful? And they are growing so!
I didn't get a pic of Judy this time. I'll get her next time.

Family: Just a Normal Sunday

Yesterday was a great day with the family. Bailey and Dalton had a blast dressing Slinkie up as Woody from Toy Story. She is such a good dog, she will let them do anything to her, and she sleeps in the oddest ways.

Michael and I worked on the electric fence AGAIN. Then he weed-eated around it. It is FINALLY working right. Maybe Ill be able to keep some flowers now. One of the bushes {what was left that the goats didn't eat} in the yard has broke out in some beautiful buds and bloom.

Michael, the boys, and I; my uncle and his wife; as well as my niece, her hubby and baby rode on top of the mountain to look at view, take some pics, and check out the goats a friend has running loose up there. While there, Bailey came running to me and said.. "MOM! There is a drug-usin goat up here, we have to leave." I went to see what on earth he was talking about; the goat was chewing on a empty cigarrette pack. It is pretty hard to get something away from a goat when it doesn't want to let you have it. Just sayin.

It is such a beautiful place up there. We took a few family pics of Deidra, Sammy and Kylee.

and before Kylee was dressed in the adorable denim, she had on the shirt I bought her. Melted my heart.

After our trip, we came and changed the water in Crowbar's waterer and gave him {but I believe he is really gonna be a she} some fresh food.

Foghorn and the gang came out to see what all the commotion was about.

Foghorn is starting to crow and it is so comical.

Oh and like I mentioned before.. Peaches is THRILLED to be home! Can't ya tell?!

I am sharing this post at Homstead Revival's Barn Hop. Stop by and see the other submissions as well.

Chicken Waterer - Issues again

Michael and I made a homemade waterer a few weeks ago when we first got the chicks. It works perfectly when sitting on the ground as it is now {crowbar uses it}, but when we sit it in our coop it would leak all the water out because the coop is not level. We made another to hang, but evidently our screw wasn't in the exact center and it didn't work out either. So finally, Daddy loaned us one he had years ago when he was raising chickens and we are still having issues.

Our first issue: the chickens had been getting the wood chips into the waterer and they were soaking up what water that was in the reservoir. The second issue: once the reservoir is below where the hole is, it is suppose to let more water out. It didn't.

Michael said the water wasn't filling the reservoir was because I had the whole turned too far one direction. So last night I turned it the total opposite direction and when I came out the whole waterer was bone dry. All the water ran out.

Today I tried to put it in between where I had it at first and where I had it last night. Hopefully it works.

Michael and I found some sort of step made out of wood under the storage building. I have no idea what my brother used it for, but I put it in with the chickens and sat the water on top. So far it keeping the wood chips out of the reservoir. That is one battle down.. now to figure out how to put the waterer so water comes out when it should and stops when it should.

Here is the step and the waterer. You can see it is wet where all the water ran out.

A couple of the girls wanted to know what I was doing.

Then foghorn joined in.

Eventually they were all trying to figure it out. Thankfully, didn't seem to mind the step up.

While I was out there trying to sort out the issues with the chicks, I stopped by to see how Crowbar was. His personality is so different from the others. He is WILD and jumpy. He does appear to be a little healthier.

I think we will figure this all out eventually, right?

Foghorn and Judy, Maybe?

Tonight, close to dark, I went out to make sure the chicks had water before bed. I squat down beside the run and all four of them line up in a row and stare at me. Only Foghorn and Judy were in a position to get a good picture, though.

The ladies are starting to look so much alike. It is really hard to tell who is whom. I believe this is Judy because of her beak. I compared it to previous pictures of them all.

Then we have Foghorn. He is always front and center.

and from the other side.

Aren't they beautiful? I love them! They make me so happy! I shared this post at Barn Hop, Your Sunday Best and The Simple Things. Stop by to see the other submissions.

RIP Cluckey

Poor Cluckey met an unfortunate end today.

Bailey had mentioned getting the chicks out this morning and I told him to just leave them in the pet taxi's. Unfortunately, he didn't listen. He wasn't watching it and our Shih Tzu killed the chick. I don't know if she was trying to play with it or eat it, but either way, she done the little one in. I had no idea he had even got the chick out until it was too late.

Cluckey has been buried and given a proper funeral.

RIP Little One.

Cluckey and Crowbar- Update

I was concerned that Cluckey was pecking Crowbar and that was the cause of the hair loss so I put them in seperate pet taxi's and then wrapped chicken wire over the cage doors to make sure they couldn't get out. I am hoping that by tomorrow Crowbar is doing at least a smidge better. Poor little one.

Cluckey and Crowbar

Here is a quick pic of them today after I freshened up the tub they are hanging out in. I'm going to add woodchips, but just hadn't got to it yet.

Crowbar is on the left and Cluckey is on the right.

Michael had put them in with the other chicks yesterday but Foghorn didn't like them too much. He started pecking them, so Michael took them back out. We decided to keep them in a tub until they are a little older and can defend themselves.

We are having a little issue with Crowbar. His/her feathers on his stomach are missing. I know it is hard to see, but he is pretty much bald. Why?

 

Do you think he is sick?

Cheap Way to Raise Chickens: More FREE Chicks!

Michael, the boys and I went by Mel's house today for just a sec this afternoon and without even getting out of the car we left with two new chicks. Her family is so kind. Thanks Harold {Mel's Dad}. The boys LOVE them. They are 3 weeks old.  Bailey and Cluckey.Dalton and Crowbar.Their personalities are so different. Cluckey is cool, calm, collected. Crowbar is a wild one. However we think Cluckey is a Sussex and Crowbar is a Game chicken. Mel said Crowbar may be a Rooster too.  I hope not. Apparently Game Roosters can be mean. We are hoping Crowbar is a Female.

I shared this post with Farm Chicks Farm Photo Friday, Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop, and Shopping Superstars.

A Temporary Home for the Chicks



Michael and I set up the chicks a temporary home in my brothers goat taxi. We put the tarp over it to give the chicks some shade. I then pulled it over the end that has the door and strapped it down. I didn't want the kids to get any wild ideas and let them out.

The feeder is working out great so far.

They feasted.

Checking out the new home.

They seem to like it.

I don't think they are so sure about Sophie and I don't think she was so sure about them. They just gave each other the eye.

Tomorrow we will *TRY* to finish up the permanent home.