by Susan | Jul 7, 2011 | Chickens
My father is a U.S. Army Colonel (retired). Full-bird Colonel. Said Colonel thinks I’m off my rocker jumping into hobby farm life here in Maine. So in Dad’s honor, we’ve named our one and only rooster “The Colonel!” Love you, Dad!...
by Susan | Jul 5, 2011 | Chickens
The girls left home today. Left our mudroom and moved into their new hen house. The Girls and The Colonel looked very happy in their new digs, running around and pecking wildly at the clover and deadheaded viola flowers we tossed in. Paul finished off the inside today...
by Susan | Jul 2, 2011 | Chickens
Today was the big day for the Cornish Rock meat birds. They were evicted from the brooder in my mudroom. With only three to four more weeks before they see the freezer, they deserve a chance to enjoy the great...
by Susan | Jun 29, 2011 | Chickens
We’ve had the baby chicks for four weeks now. This has been quite an exciting experience for our family. We’ve all fallen in love with “The Girls.” The meat chickens are not quite so lovable. At least to me. And it has to stay that way if these...
by Susan | Jun 25, 2011 | Chickens
Thursday was a dry day. We haven’t had many of those lately and Paul said that he was going to work on the chicken coop doors. I inquired about how he was going to do this. He said that he was going to use the siding the he’d cut out for the door opening...
by Susan | Jun 22, 2011 | Chickens
It’s been three weeks since the Peepsters came into our lives. “Peepsters” is my name for them or “The Girls.” They’re looking a bit scraggly at this point. They’re in this sort of adolescent stage. We’re pretty certain...
by Susan | Jun 19, 2011 | Chickens, On My Mind
Today we finished the sheathing of the chicken coop. We’re pooped! Paul has to build the doors windows (and cut the holes out for the windows), the nesting box. Then comes the steel roof (left over from the house project) and painting. We’ve got just over...
by Susan | Jun 13, 2011 | Chickens
I spy… a crazy lady with a camera. 175 shots later and she felt compelled to post these six pics. The baby hens at two weeks old. Funny looking little things, aren’t...
by Susan | Jun 9, 2011 | Chickens
We have had the baby chicks for one week today. It’s amazing how much they’ve grown in this short time! They’re developing their wing feathers and have just sprouted the beginnings of their tail feathers. What is really wild is how much bigger the...
by Susan | Jun 4, 2011 | Chickens
The baby chicks seem to have settled in and are feeling their...
by Susan | Jun 2, 2011 | Chickens
We received notice on Tuesday that our baby chicks had been shipped. Today is Thursday and the telephone rang at 6:45 a.m. It was the post office calling to say that we had chicks waiting and to come on down and get them. Only in a small town will they tell you that...
by Susan | May 28, 2011 | Chickens
Paul and I have finally settled on a chicken coop design and layout. This resolution did not come without a bit of frustration. We each had our own idea of how it ought to be built and where it should go. Turns out that we were pretty much on the same page all along,...
by Susan | May 9, 2011 | Chickens
For about three years we have threatened to start a backyard flock of chickens. Paul took a class two summers ago where he learned how to butcher a chicken. It turns out that this is the year! Paul is finishing up a chick brooder and I have just placed an order for 25...
