The Never Ending Egg Hunt

Hello friends!! Gosh, it's been a while since I rapped at you, but the fall has been a busy time for me and the fam. My sister got married in September (woot!) and that kept me from blogging for a while. But don't get the wrong idea! I was not neglecting my chicken duties. I was still taking pictures and being as insane as ever, knowing I would eventually get back to posting. SOOOOOO the last time I blogged it was regarding the chickens actually laying eggs. It was thrilling, I'm telling you. Since then we've had, er, some issues. The chickens, as you know, are basically feral. They sleep in a tree, won't go near the coop except for food and water, and generally live outdoors 24/7. They are great foragers and were loving the arrangement, and I was too because I never had to clean poop except off the porch area. Downside: we couldn't find any of their eggs. They were laying them in a secret place that was so effectively secret we couldn't find one single laying spot out of five!! Until one day, I got lucky. I caught sight of something out of place in my herb garden one day as I was hauling a giant Amazon box full of diapers in from the front porch.  See anything strange in this photo?

 It's Sunshine!! And she was laying EGGS! GAH! 

She was so cute sitting there in her little mulch nest, just clucking and cooing and laying away. I wanted to lay down on my basil plant and use Sunshine as a pillow. 

A while later, after she was done, she got up and left and we found this cache of eggs. It was SO exciting. Sooo...

  

My sister and I did this for a while. My neighbors saw us and now think I'm even more insane than they did before, when they'd see me meandering around the yard in my bathrobe with a chicken tucked under one arm and a loopy look of contentment on my face. But I didn't care!! I was in egg heaven. Heaven, I say!! 

 Things went downhill after that. Sunshine picked a different spot to lay. I think she was mad that we took her eggs (ridiculous) and we didn't have luck finding any of the other four hens' laying spots. Our yard is about an acre, and one quarter of it is forested with scrubby trees and brush. I figured they were laying somewhere in there. So I locked them up in the coop to try to get them used to laying in there instead. 

But I felt too guilty making them miss out on what was left of the summer so I let them out after one day. They were giving me the pathetic chicken eyes. I'm a sucker for a pathetic chicken. So out they went into the wilderness again to forage, and I was once again left with five chickens and zero eggs on a daily basis. 

One day recently I got determined to find their eggs if I had to comb every inch of our property. I put on my outdoorsy attire (shorts, t-shirt, and rubber ankle boots. very practical. Ok I'm not outdoorsy!) and headed into the deep, dark, bramble filled, scary forest with my oldest girl to assist me (she wore a dress). 

This is what we were up against. Daunting? Definitely.  Haunted? Maybe. Filled with eggs? Apparently NOT.

At one point, when we were getting pretty tired, bedraggled, and thirsty we caught sight of the house and almost gave up. "There are popsicles in there!," I thought to myself. "And water! And beers! And wafers which are 'nilla flavored!" But Evelyn and I trudged onward (for a few more minutes). 

And in the end, this is what we had to show for it. ONE dirty brown egg of unknown age and origin. It was in the dirt near the house, and had rolled into a crevice. 

 I also had dirty, scratched up legs to show for it. It's the first time, but not likely the last time, I cursed the chickens in my mind. But I love them still!! 

Vivian was there too, but she hung back and blew bubbles the whole time. I'm not going to lie. I was frustrated. BUT I knew that once the cold fall weather arrived they'd be pecking at the bit (see what I did there?) to get into the winter coop and cozy down in the dry hay and have their meals brought to them like the Queen Mother herself. And that is exactly what happened. They are now in the coop and they are happy and I am happy and getting eggs every day. Everyone wins!! 

Until next time, chickadees.

XOXO (cluck)

CL (chicken lady)

EGG-MAZING NEWS!!

Guess what happened!

Sunshine the chicken...

...made this!!! It finally happened. One of our chickens laid an egg.  Well, actually she's laid many eggs. We just didn't know until very recently. Let me tell you the story of how we discovered this amazing feat of chickendom (whatever that means) while I also pepper the post with pictures I took of the very exciting moments right after we found Sunshine's cache of eggs. 

I had noticed that a few days this week Sunshine had not been scooting around the yard in the morning with her sisters. She was absent from all the scratching, pecking, and pooping that normally occurs. She is 21 weeks old and that's prime time for her breed to start laying, so I was on red alert for any suspicious behavior. Vivian and I decided to venture out and see if we could locate Sunshine. 

We looked by her "sleeping tree" and she wasn't there. I was calling her name and after a minute I heard a soft cooing from over by the house. We looked that direction and spotted her hunkered down in a patch of dry dirt up against the house, under the shade of a substantial weed. As we approached her she squawked at us indignantly for disturbing her private time, then got up and ran off around the house toward the other chickens. 

My heart was drumming as I approached the dirt patch. Could this be it? Could this be the moment we've all been waiting for? 

YES!!! And there wasn't just one egg, there were SIX perfect little brown eggs. She'd been at it for almost an entire week already! Vivian desperately wanted to hold one, of course, and she promptly smashed it in her little pudgy fist, which was followed immediately by a brief but intense bout of bawling (she cried, not me) but we fixed her up with another egg and she was good to go. 

HOORAY!! It was very exciting, let me tell you. One minor complication is that since our chickens have gone FERAL and no longer sleep in or associate with the coop at all, they won't lay their eggs in there either. So we now have to hunt the yard daily for secret laying spots. I just so happen to LOVE Easter egg hunts, so this is no hardship to be honest. I don't think the other four are laying yet, but it's only a matter of time. 

Who knows? Maybe the chickens will all take turns laying eggs in Sunshine's dirt patch. That would be most convenient. But the chickens have never been known to do anything that makes my life easier, and I don't expect them to start now. I'll worry about that later. Right now I'm happy!! I get to go out to the dirt patch every night looking for a little perfect brown egg. It's the simple things in life. 

I'll leave you with this picture of Tom Selleck at Niagara Falls with a club sandwich because it too makes me happy. And fear not, I'll be posting more info about the chickens and their egg laying status in the near future. Have an EGGTASTIC day! 

xoxo

HUEVO LOVER SUPREMO

Sleeping Arrangements

Hey Chickadees! What's going down in chicken town? Wait, only I live there (in my mind). I hope you have all been well. The chickens and I have been missing you all big time. So here we are with a fresh new blog entry for your reading enjoyment. Today we shall be discussing the chicken sleeping situation. Chickens roost when they sleep, and they like to be as high as they can get while roosting. Observe...

I found this picture on The Google. These chickens are on a roosting pole inside their coop. That is where good, normally behaving chickens should sleep. Do MY chickens do this? Let's see, shall we? 

So I went into the backyard to feed and water the hens one night and I noticed that the chickens didn't come a running when they saw me approaching with vittles, like they normally do. I could HEAR them, but I couldn't see them. Then I noticed a white blob up in the tree near their coop, and near that was a black blob, another black blob, and a reddish blob. I moved a bit closer...

 They were in a tree fifteen feet off the ground. Of course. 

 Here's a nice shot of their fluffy bird butts from underneath the tree. They all looked quite pleased with themselves for having made it up there. 

Look at Sunshine. She's practically crowing with pride. I hope she doesn't actually crow because that would make her a rooster and roosters are feathery noise demons. And egg fertilizers. You'll notice also that there are only four of them. Where is Clucky?

She was on the ground and while I was watching she managed to make it onto a lower branch of the tree while the other chickens watched from above and snickered oh so rudely. She made it into the crux of the tree but then took an unfortunate tumble back to earth. Poor Clucky! 

Don't worry. I was right there to console her and give her a pep talk. Once that was done we ate some grapes and tossed a couple of pine cones at the other chickens for revenge. Then I tossed her up into the tree and there she stayed...until the morning. 

So there you have it. My hens prefer sleeping in a tree rather than the coop we made for them. SO I'm going to start working on the bigger, more luxurious coop that they will be spending the winter in. I'm determined to make them LOVE it and want to be in it all the time. Does Pottery Barn make nesting boxes? I'll look into it. At the very least I'll have some afghans in there, and scented candles, and copies of Mother Earth News and People. 

Take it easy Peeps!! 

xoxo

For Me To Poop On

Hello all! Feels good to be back in the game of blogging about chickens. I've missed all the excitement! So today's topic deals with what I've discovered is an unfortunate side issue with owning backyard chickens: POOPING. More specifically I'm referring to their tendency to poop on things they should not. I'm not begrudging them their right to poop. That would be preposterous. As the Taro Gomi book states, "Everybody poops" and that goes for chickens too. It is just that they poop on....well...anything they can stand on top of. Let's observe.

 

We had been keeping the chickens food in a wooden box on our side porch. One day recently I came home from work to find that they had camped out near their food for what appeared to be ALL DAY LONG. They pooped on everything. It was horrible. I'm going to show you the worst one now. Prepare yourself. 

Gah! This is a picture of the concrete right outside our patio door that day. The five hens did that in an 8 hour span. The poop went on for what seemed like miles, but in reality was only about six feet. But still. Ew. It was really concentrated right by the door as if they wanted to get in and poop on everything in there, too. 

So tonight I went outside to check on them and I found them chilling on the picnic table, like a school yard gang of fluffy punks. They had an insolent air about them. I can't explain it. You have to be tuned into chicken vibes. 

As I got closer I could see that they were pretty at ease, having claimed the picnic table as their own. And then I saw just how far they had taken this marking territory thing. Der POOP AGAIN! 

 Frickity Frick! I have come to the conclusion that if they can manage to flap atop something, anything, they will poop on it shortly thereafter. They feel superior having accomplished a quasi flight. I guess maybe they get excited after? But really it's probably just because chickens poop ALL the time. My friend Heidi tried to warn me about this before I got my chicks, but did I listen? NO. Well I did but at the time I was thinking I could handle the poop (not literally) of five fat hens. 

 Check out Caterpillar. She was all like "What are you looking at? I got up here using my chicken wings and then I did this...

I rule." 

Can't argue with that I guess. 

After they were done using our picnic table as a chicken dump yard they decided to move on to fresher pooping pastures. The good news is that I'm LEARNING from these experiences. I've learned two things so far:

1. Store chicken food indoors where they can't smell it. They're like blood hounds with beaks and scary raptor claws. 

2. They like to be up high on things. Don't let them fly up on your head or shoulders because you will shortly thereafter be pooped on. 

And so it goes. Are you tired of looking at chicken poop yet? I am. I'm going to go look at a glass of wine now, and then I'm going to drink it. Cheers, Chickadees! 

The Salmonella Fear Factor

Good morrow to you all! That's how they used to say good morning in old timey times. So the topic of this post shall be part chicken anatomy and part dispelling myths about fresh eggs and salmonella. My friend Robin sent me a text last night that read, "Do chickens only have one hole for things to come out?" And a bit later she asked, "Do they come out a poop hole or a mommy hole?" *sigh* Oh, Robin. Then it occurred to me that I didn't know the answer to this question. I guess Robin and her kickball buddies were discussing salmonella and how eggs, if they come out the same chute as the poo, could be contaminated with salmonella. So let's discuss. 

Meet icky Mr. Salmonella. Ew, right? So the question is does the egg come out the same "exit" as the poo. And the answer is YES. The egg is deposited through the VENT. The Vent is located at the back end of the chicken, just under the tail. , it is a small opening in the form of a horizontal slit, about an inch wide. It is surrounded by a ribbed rim, with skin and feathers on the outside. 

Chickens, as well as other birds, have a common opening for reproduction, and for the evacuation of stools/urine mixture.They do not have a bladder because their urine is not a fluid. It is a white paste, called urates.. The intestine, ureters and oviduct come together into a common chamber called the cloaca. This is a rather dirty place, but the egg is always clean and almost sterile when laid unless it is laid on top of or in fecal matter in the nest.

The reason the egg is always clean coming out is because the intestine and inner part of the cloaca are kept shut by the emerging egg, and their contents cannot leave when the hen strains to deliver the egg. Therefore, eggs are always clean as they are laid. However, sometimes a hen, stomping around the nest with dirty feet, will get the egg dirty anyway.

Sorry about the super un-awesome picture, but it is very good as far as showing how it all works. And there is another reason eggs are safe from salmonella upon exiting the vent, one that protects from salmonella even if the hen steps on the egg with poopy feet. Eggs are laid with what is called a "bloom" which naturally protects it. This is the coating on the egg shall that seals its pores. Also known as the cuticle, it helps to prevent bacteria from getting inside the shell and reduces moisture loss from the egg keeping it fresh longer. Eggs should be rinsed right before use, but not washed. Doing so would remove the natural protective "bloom" barrier. 

So there you have it. One vent does it all. It's a clean process and the egg is naturally protected from any germs. Neat! And it should be kept in mind that the vast majority of organic backyard chickens don't have salmonella. It's more common in mass producing chicken farms. And you can get salmonella from a lot of things, including unwashed vegetables!

That's my daughter Evelyn in the picture above. She's holding Birdsbun and is surrounded by the curious neighbor kids. They thought the chickens were so cool and chased them around all day (poor chickens). Evelyn was the only one brave enough to actually hold one, though they all petted Birdsbun. And more importantly, they not one of them came down with salmonella poisoning! I did ask them to wash their hands afterward but I have my  doubts about whether or not those boys actually listened to me. Boys never listen (to me).

Here are some links to more info on fresh egg sanitation:

http://www.suburbanchicken.org/eggs.htm

http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/10/eggs-to-wash-or-not-to-wash.html

http://smallfarm.about.com/od/farmanimals/a/How-To-Clean-Eggs.htm

Have a SUPER day! 

The Cluckster 

Chicken Lady

It occurred to me as I was gazing lovingly out the window at my chickens the other day that people might think that it is not normal to gaze lovingly at chickens. I envisioned what readers must envision me as. I didn't like what I saw. 

Gah!! 

Jeepers Criminey. 

Oops. That's Calista Gingrich. But she came up when I googled "Chicken Lady" and that's kind of funny. Gah! Crazy eyes!! Look away!! 

But in reality I look like this. Whacked out and content in my alternate chicken universe. Does Birdsbun look scared to you in this picture? Naw can't be. 

Later, chickadees! 

Getting to Know Your Chickens III: White Rock

Greetings chicken lovers! I hope you are all well. This post will feature the last breed of hen in our backyard flock, the White Rock. When I told Sunshine it was her turn to be featured on the blog and that I needed to take some solo pictures of her she got a little bit camera shy all of a sudden. 

 Me: Sunshine I want to get a picture of you. Please get over here. 

Sunshine: Whaaat? La la la I can't hear you. I have feathers in my ears. 

 Me: Sunshine, get over here! I don't have all day. I need to blog! 

Sunshine: Doo doo doo, I'm just hanging out back here with my peeps. Don't hear anything. 

Me: SUNSHINE! GET OVER HERE THIS INSTANT OR NO MORE CATERPILLARS!

Sunshine: Oh! Hey Ma! Didn't see you over there. 

She even smiled for me in this one....a chicken smile is a subtle thing, but it exists. It does!! So the White Rock is actually just a variety of the Plymouth Rock breed. This breed originated in the United States and there are eight different colors within the breed. They are a long lived, winter hearty breed, and they are good layers. They lay eggs that range from medium brown to light brown with a touch of pink. 

This is what they look like as babies. Gah! So cute! I want to put them in the pockets of my long comfy old lady like cardigan sweater (if I had one) and I'd just pull them out randomly and snuggle them against my bifocals. Their temperament is very gentle and easygoing, and they are quite graceful. Very beautiful downy white birds. Sunshine sticks out like a sore thumb in our flock of otherwise red and black hens. 

Oh, Sunshine, we adore you so. Don't ever change. Except enough that you are old enough to lay us some delicious eggs. Then you should definitely never change after that. 

Here is a link to more info on the White (Plymouth) Rock breed. Enjoy! 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Rock_(chicken)

Thanks for reading! And please feel free to leave comments. I've never had a comment before. I'd be thrilled to get a comment. COMMENTS! WEE! Ok I'm done now.