Fuss and Feathers

   Once a year, chickens molt. This is when chickens loose all their feathers, then grow them back. This doesn't happen all at once, but the chickens do end up looking scruffy.

   This week, Sleepy started molting.

  

   One thing that goes along with molting is pinfeathers. When the chickens are growing feathers, pinfeathers form. They are kind of hard to explain, but they look terrible. Imagine porcupine quills. 

   On Sleepy's neck, right where that gap in her feathers, are pinfeathers. You can only see this if she moves a certain way, which made it hard to get a good picture. 

You can see them pretty well here...

Here is a zoomed in version. 

   I know... Really gross looking...

   It is going to get worse before it gets better. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, however. After chickens molt and their feathers are all new, they are just gorgeous! 

   See you next week!

Spring has Sprung

   So it is finally Spring! The snow is FINALLY melting and the chickens are so happy to be outside.

   Unfortunately, I don't have much time to write this week. It is the end of the quarter in my school and it is the week of tests. (And essays. And projects.) Also, I just finished celebrating Easter with my family! I thought I'd share a few pictures since this post is pretty sparse.

   I love Eater because everything is chick themed!

Everything from napkins...

...to cookies!

   I always LOVE decorating Easter eggs! My sister and I take time to do it every year. Even if they don't turn out well sometimes, they are still so fun!

Getting the dye ready!

Drying!

The finished product!

   If you celebrate Easter, I hope you had a great one! If not, I hope you are enjoying Spring just as much as I am!

Thank you for sticking with me and I'll see you next week!

The Best Day

   So, there has been a lot going on with the chickens, but unfortunately I didn't have time to write it up this week. Maybe next week!

   Anyway, I wanted to tell you guys about what is, (in my opinion) one of the best days with chickens.

   This is the day every chicken lays an egg.

   This was about a month ago (when Lizzy was still around). 

   Do you see this? Eight eggs! Since chickens only lay about four to six days a week (on average), getting all eight eggs can be rare. When it does happen it is very exciting!

Pet Peeves

   As much as I love my chickens, they can do some things that can be somewhat annoying.


   First off, when they don't lay their eggs in the nesting boxes.

   It is so much easier when they lay in the nesting box. Then I can just open the door and get the eggs. However, when they lay the eggs in the middle of the floor, I have to crouch down under the perches to reach it. Also, sometimes the chickens end up stepping on and breaking the egg... It is just a mess.

   Second, whenever I have to take the water out of the coop to fill or clean it, they become instantly thirsty.

   They act like they haven't had water in weeks and freak out. They do this even if they weren't interested in the water only moments before.

   Third, when they get very interested in clothing or jewelry.

   Once one chicken finds something "interesting" they all do. 

   Next, is one of the most annoying. 

   Every time I open the coop door or the door to the nesting boxes, all the chickens try to come out. I have to pick them up and try to get them back in the door. 

   Finally, this one definitely involves this blog.

   It is the most annoying thing when I am about to take the photo and just before, the chickens move. You guys don't know how many blurry pictures I have because of this.

   Well thank you for reading and I hope to see you here next week!

Snowed In

   Thanks to winter storm Cato, in a matter of hours my yard went from late fall to a mid-winter wonderland!

   Also thanks to Cato, our seemingly perfect fencing system is in ruins. Driving around my town you can see tons of downed branches and we were no different. Luckily this didn't fall on the coop! However, it did fall on the electric fence.

   I am writing this just as our power came back on. It has been out for five days including Thanksgiving! Luckily we had a generator and family with power close by.

A funny snowman I helped my sister make!

   The chickens were, no are, not happy with the snow. None of them have dared to touch it yet. I have tried to bribe them out with treats but they still refuse.

Here Daisy was considering touching the snow.

When she decided not to and turned away she slipped and almost fell out. She freaked out flapped her way back in. (Sigh.)

   Something else exciting happened this week. Don't worry; good exciting. Come back next week to hear all about it!

On Cloud Nine

   Okay, so this week I am going to be talking about what I am thankful for (chicken related). It might get a little sappy but just stick with me.

   I am so thankful all of my little chicks survived to at least this age. I love them so much and I have no idea what I would have done if I had lost one.

   I know that most likely sounds weird if you haven't had chickens, but you get attached to them. You love them just like a dog or a cat... Or at least I do.

   I think in order to be happy, you have to appreciate the small things in life. For me it might be Lizzy sitting on my lap or Olive and Sleepy eating out of my hand. What small things make YOU happy?

   The last thing I am thankful for is the chicken's ability to make me smile. No matter how bad of a day I have, a few minutes out with the chickens can always turn that around. They are such curious, funny little birds. 

This is one of my favorite pictures of the chickens ever. Makes me laugh every time!

Wow, sorry. As I said, this got kind of sentimental.  I promise not to be like this all the time...

Happy Thanksgiving and I'll see you next Monday!

Review: My Pet Chicken

  

 "My Pet Chicken" is the website/company that I bought my chicks from. This is a review of my experience.

   The website itself was wonderful! It had lots of breeds; both rare and common. Ordering the chicks was easy and fast. They also offered Marek's shots for the chicks. This was very important to me.

   Also, the customer service was fantastic! I emailed with a question about shipping and multiple question's about the chicks (I tend to overreact). They emailed back very quickly with very good information.

 
   Next, the shipping. This was perfect! They arrived the day after they hatched by 11:00. (This is especially impressive since the chicks were shipped from Ohio.) The box had air holes and a little heat pack which was still warm when it got to me.

   I was very impressed with the chicks themselves, as well. They all came alive and healthy. I got ONLY the number of chicks I ordered (some companies send extra for warmth), which was very nice. Also, I got my chicks sexed and so far as I can tell they are all girls.

   In fact, there was only one problem I had with this company. The cost.

   I did get some expensive rare breeds, but the cost of shipping itself was high. I didn't mind the cost because I was very specific about breeds and gender. However, if you are not willing to pay much for chicks, this is probably not your place.

  Overall, I very highly recommended this company! See you next Monday!