Placed an Order for Chicks

I currently have 6 hens and 1 rooster.  Two of the hens were hatched here, and are half Copper Maran and half Plymouth Barred Rock.  They turned out to be a beautiful black with a green sheen.  But I am still unhappy with the loss of my little Sultan hen, Cracker.  So when My Pet Chicken http://www.mypetchicken.com/  sent out the e-mail that spring orders would begin on Dec. 1; I placed an order for 4 Sultan hens and 1 Easter Egger hen. My Pet Chicken is perfect for my mini urban farm, because I can order as few as 3, day old chicks and they arrive at my house by mail.   I've even bought 2 coops from them.

I only have one hen that lays a green egg, so since the shipping is so high and it is the same if I ordered 3 or 5 chicks, I went ahead and ordered 5.  It was kind of sad to have just one Sultan.  I always thought Cracker must be lonely.  She was much smaller than the others and could not see very well.  When she was out of the coop, she always sat under something like the back of the coop or a bush.  Sometimes the chickens who were not raised with her would peck her in the head.  So when the new chicks arrive the end of March, I will keep them in a coop by themselves.

The little Sultan was always the friendliest chicken.  The boys loved holding her and even road her around in a wagon.

Either Gracie or StayedAtHome Made a Contribution Today

It's small at first, but it will get a lot bigger.

When I went out this morning (rather late this morning) to feed the goats and chicken, I found a surprise.  

Either Gracie (the one the golden retriever played roughly with) or StayedAtHome (she didn't fly over the fence) laid her very first egg. 

They are 1/2 Copper Maran and 1/2 Barred Rocks.  Gracie is in front.

Omelet, a Barred Rock, #1 Hen with all the attitude

I have been making various comments about how long it has taken for them to lay an egg. They are from the first eggs to ever hatch on my mini urban farm last March.  Little Ace and Cracker took turns sitting on the eggs until they hatched.  Gracie and StayedAtHome are half Copper Marans (father Big Foot) and half Plymouth Barred Rock (Mother Omelet).  Omelet is my best laying hen.  All the hens seem to have stopped laying since the days have gotten shorter and cooler.  Only Omelet has laid an egg the last 2 weeks. Omelet is my oldest chicken and she has never gone more than a day without laying.  Lately, she has gone from laying everyday to every other day.  Now she is laying a giant odd shaped egg.  I can't even close the egg carton; it is so big.

Little Ace's   New Egg   Omelet's

But today we celebrate Gracie or StayedAtHome's achievement.  Will the one you laid the beautiful brown egg please cluck loudly.  Just wish I knew which one came through.

StayedAtHome has a larger dark red comb.

All Is Well Today in the Chicken Coops

First thing I did this morning was check on the 

Taken today.  They stayed in the coop today.

injured hen.  She looks great. When I went out to feed the "farm" creatures, a bank employee was at her car near the fence and said, "Hey Lady, there is a chicken over here in the bushes." She had heard me talking to the girls, Dottie Belle and Gypsy. I quickly ran through the gate and around to the bank's parking lot against my back fence.  But hen #3, from henceforth to be called Olive, to encourage her to lay olive colored eggs, would not let me catch her. So I rushed back to the garage, used as a barn, to get the net, a cage, and most importantly Mr. Bailey; who was mowing my yard.  As we turned the corner to the   parking lot, there stood Olive between the bushes and the cars.  But of course she quickly ran for the bushes, but not before I took a couple of swipes at her with the net. Mr. Bailey decided I was rather ineffective with the net, so he took it.  We placed the cage a one end of the bushes and using the net, he ran Olive into the cage, where I effectively closed the door.  So the 3 little hens had a happy reunion.  I have decided to celebrate this triumph by naming the 3 little hens.  So as of tonight I have the run-away one that is black and red named Olive.  I still need to name the 2 smaller black hens.  I may involve the grandsons, but they like male names that invoke violent thoughts, so I may need to stay in control with that.  I am open to suggestions. 

Drama at the Mini Urban Farm and One Hen Flew the Coop

The one with the red feathers around its neck is the one missing.

With this terrible heat, I have been letting the juvenile hens, the ones that we hatched this spring,  out in the morning when I feed all the animals. My first year of owning chickens, I was so protective that I never let them free range.  Then when a couple of them died anyway, I decided that it would be best if they died while enjoying their freedom. So I let them out this morning.  But as I don't often do, I left and went to the feed store for chicken feed and hay.  When I returned, I saw a neighbor's golden retriever in my backyard and some black feathers around her.  Then I saw one of my hens beside her, but mostly hidden in the tall grass.  I yelled at the dog, "Did you kill my chicken, you bad dog?" Just then the dog's owner pulled up in front of my house and heard me yell at her dog.  She was very upset to learn what her really sweet dog had done.  She offered to buy me another one.  She doesn't just let the dog run loose, but very rarely the dog manages to get out of the fence.  I told her I was not sure if the chicken was dead.  But when I decided that I wanted all these animals, I realized that with everything that is alive, death is also a factor.  So I told her I wasn't angry with her or her dog.  A chicken is great sport for a retriever.  Well, the little hen was alive with some missing feathers.  So I sprayed her wounds and put her in the hen house.  Out of the bushes ran another of the little hens.  Now the question was, where is hen number 3?  I looked in all the places the 3 like to hide during the day.  And they are always together, so I thought surely it was in the bushes next to the bank's fence from where the other one had come. I did not find her, so I went through the gate and walked the parking lot just in case she flew over the fence. But I did refrain from calling out, "Here chick, chick."  She would not have come anyway and I didn't want the bank customers to think I was a crazy lady.


I closed the door to the coop, because I had to leave again, but I opened it when I got home; hoping that the third hen would return. All the chickens go to roost in the coops when it gets dark.  I really believe she is alive, because there weren't that many feathers. The injured hen was up and drinking water, so I called my neighbor and told her that I think the hen will live, but one is wandering around. The 2 that are in the coop are full sisters and solid black; father, Big Foot and mother, Omelet.  The missing one is the largest and a half sister, because her mother is Sunny II, my green egg layer.  I have been anxiously waiting to see if she was going to lay olive colored eggs.  Well, often people post lost dog signs; I may have to post a lost chicken sign. We'll see how that goes.