My hens have started laying eggs!
Just thought I'd share my lovely first 1/2 dozen eggs from the chickens I bought at the end of April!
Waaahooo!

I am so over grocery store eggs, they just aren't the same. I know, I know, they all come from chickens (or ducks) but farm fresh eggs are just, better! I especially LOVE baking with duck eggs, everything is SUPER moist! I can't wait until my duckies start laying, right now I have 3 female ducks!

Any one else as excited as I am to find eggs in the coop? Its like hidden treasure!

Have a nice night dear followers!

Bantams - 4 Silver Laced & 2 Gold Laced Wyandottes and 2 Arucana

Okay somebody shake me! My crazy poultry obsession strikes again. Spring is a very hard time of year for me. Why? Because all of the farm stores have tubs of cute chicks and ducklings and such for sale. I've purposely tried to avoid going into these stores but have failed. I originally went in to see if they had ducklings. I've lost all my ducks and REALLY miss using duck eggs. Well, I ended up with 8 chicks, but I still wanted ducks so I decided to check another store. I think I should enter some kind of support group... PAA, Poultry Addicts Anonymous... By the time I got home, I had acquired a total of 18 chicks, 4 geese and 9 ducklings. Somebody shake me!

2 Rouen, 3 Pekin, 3 Khaki, & a mystery duckling 2 African Geese, and 2 Toulouse Geese

Here is the BEST part, we are in the process of moving (same property, just different part of the farm) AND I have no where built at the new place to house my new charges. Currently, they are living in large troughs on my covered porch and go outside in exercise pens during the day. I also have a kiddie swimming pool that I put the geese and ducklings in so that they get some swim time in every day. So, I am making it work and it's working well right now since they are small. I just have to plan and figure out my new Poultry pens at the new place before they outgrow the troughs.

Big Sister holding a Toulouse Gosling!

Like I said, somebody shake me. My CRAZY POULTRY OBSESSION STRIKES AGAIN!


Have a GREAT Day dear followers!

Sad to report that last night I lost the last of my hens. A family of racoons has claimed the life of ALL my chickens, well all except the Rooster. I have the oddest poultry left, I have the "Unpairs". I have a Rooster and no hens. I have a Peacock and no Peahen. I have a Turkey, but no Female Turkey. I have an African Goose and no Gander. The only pair I have left is a Pekin Drake and a Rouin Duck, although they are not the same breed. I am ready to through my hands up in the air and submit to these Racoons!

With the loss of our farm dog this winter, my poultry just didn't have a chance. He was our defender, he never once went after my birds, he knew they were special, or rather, he knew that was where I got eggs from... and boy did he LOVE eggs! If I dropped one or if there was a blemish or crack in an egg, he always got a special treat. I miss our dear sweet Joey, the BEST farm dog ever. A GOOD farm dog is hard to come by and they are never for sale. I badly need another, but I would need to train it... which takes time... something I have very little of. Joey was a Bernese Mountain Dog cross and I hope to some day find another one like him to continue is legacy on the farm. He was sweet and gentle, loved EVERYONE and would insist on getting petted by rubbing his paw on your leg. I don't know how he knew it but during the day he just hung out and was "off duty", the only exception being if a horse got loose or tried to eat grass on his side of the fence. He would bark at them to keep the horses in line! But as soon as the sun started setting he was "on call" and scouted the property. No dog, Coyote, Fox, Raccoon, Opossum was safe if they entered our farm!

So, now what do I do?

Thanks for listening dear followers and stay tuned for a new giveaway coming soon!
Kelsey