by Susan | Jun 21, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
Almost a month ago I selected a dozen fresh chicken eggs to place in the incubator Paul gave me at Christmas. A few days ago three baby chicks hatched. One didn’t survive, leaving Gilfy and Miri – cute little Buff Orpington/Barred Rock chicks. Although I...
by Susan | Jun 18, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
The sound of cheaping woke me out of a sound sleep at 1:30 a.m. this morning. A few moments to get my bearings and I ran to the bathroom where I found this brandy-new chick in the incubator! I woke Paul to share the excitement with him. He groggily told me to close...
by Susan | May 28, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
We’ve had the girls for one year. So far they’ve spent their lives in the coop and run. Today, after attempts to make my garden chicken resistant, I let the Colonel and the Girls out of the run to free range. This executive decision was met with dismay...
by Susan | May 24, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
It was dark when Hannah closed the Banties in tonight. She panicked because she couldn’t find the baby chicks – they are usually sitting in the corner tucked under Shadow. Hannah flashed her light inside the coop and saw mama on the roost. Then out popped...
by Susan | May 16, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
The Freedom Rangers just came out of the brooder last Saturday. I get such a kick out of watching Paul feed them – they get so excited to see...
by Susan | May 12, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
Today was moving day for the Freedom Rangers. They’ve been with us for four weeks now and things in the brooder were getting a bit crowded. Now that they have feathers they can move outside to their new digs. Hannah moved the 50 chickens into the dog kennel in...
by Susan | May 5, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
Shadow has turned out to be a good mama. Here she is with her babies on day...
by Susan | May 3, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
The two-day-old peeps ventured into the great outdoors of the Banty B&B today. A bit soon for this type of adventure in my eyes. I suspect that they led their mama on a merry chase. Shadow seems to be a very conscientious mama, but when I arrived home tonight,...
by Susan | May 1, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
I’ve been on Shadow watch the last couple of days. When I poked my head in the banty coop tonight I saw an egg shell lying next to Shadow. Although I didn’t hear any telltale peeps, I all but danced inside to get Paul and Hannah. We gathered up water and...
by Susan | Apr 21, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
Yet another one of our girls has gone broody. Brownie is our broody buff orpington. She’s been sitting on eggs for about ten days now. It took us a while to catch on because nesting box five and six almost always have a chicken in them. They’re very...
by Susan | Apr 13, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
Baby peeps arrived today! FIFTY-ONE of them! Well, that’s what the invoice says – I didn’t count ’em. These are Freedom Ranger chicks that will be raised for freezer camp. Aren’t they sweet? And this little guy looks plumb tuckered out....
by Susan | Apr 11, 2012 | Chickens, Ducks, On the Farm
Another farm girl has succumbed to Spring fever and has gone broody. Shadow, one of our two Ameraucana chickens hasn’t left her nesting box for the past couple of days. Today was the first I’d learned of it, so I paid her a visit. She didn’t budge...
by Susan | Feb 10, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
There seems to be something fundamentally wrong about feeding chickens scrambled eggs. The thing is they love them! Today is only the third time I’ve offered this treat to The Girls. I’m not so taken with these chickens that I cook for them on a daily basis...
by Susan | Feb 4, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
Pepper, the Banty Rooster, is close to loosing his happy home. He’s one of two roosters in the Banty B&B. I think Pepper has a Napoleon complex – little in stature and big on aggressiveness. He cock-a-doodle-doos at o’dark-thirty – before the sun is up...
by Susan | Jan 28, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
Look what Hannah found this morning when visiting the Banties. Our first bantam chicken eggs! We got these little chickens in August. They were on clearance at the Blue Seal store. Who could resist $1 chickens? Six months after their arrival at Downeast Thunder Farm...
by Susan | Jan 21, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
The Girls are at maximum production! Nine weeks into egg laying we had our first day with one dozen eggs. That’s 12 eggs from 12 hens. Good job, Girls! This is exciting stuff for a first-time farm girl.
by Susan | Jan 13, 2012 | Chickens, Ducks, On the Farm
The first storm of 2012 dropped four inches of slushy snow overnight. The snow was the perfect foil to expose those who lurk in the shadows of the night. Living in the Maine countryside means that you share the land with predators. We’ve seen eagles, hawks, fox,...
by Susan | Jan 6, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
Everything! Chickens are very curious little creatures. They love to explore every little change or sound. When I stopped to visit with them today, The Girls all gathered around until they figured out that I was empty-handed. Except for my camera. This little girl...
by Susan | Jan 1, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
Nesting box number 6 is the place to be if you’re a chicken. We have six nesting boxes in our large coop, but box number 6 is the most popular. Some days we find all of our eggs in this one box. (Seven eggs today – a record!) This is what I found when I...
by Susan | Dec 17, 2011 | Chickens, On the Farm
That Bloody Rooster. Really. Hannah was the first to discover some red streaks on The Colonel’s neck. Upon closer inspection I saw that he had injured his comb. Curiously a couple of the Barred Rock hens are in a similar state. It seems that The Colonel may...
