First Egg!

   Good thing I put those "nest boxes" in the coop yesterday!!! I was inside cleaning this afternoon and both dogs started barking... Blossom even came and sat next to me looking slightly scared.   When I  walked into the living room I could hear the hens making a God awful racket! Wow! This new batch of girls is LOUD!!! When I went out to check on everyone I immediately found the reason for all the noise. It was a CELEBRATION! hahahaha
   Now I got the Leghorns a week earlier than the Delawares, so they should be the first to lay. And they are right on schedule! The first egg is white and therefore from a Leghorn.     So much for giving them to someone before they got started laying. sheesh    ( I have too many hens for my living conditions!!)
  

   Archimedes found this pullet egg to be absolutely irresistible! I can only imagine how it smells to a cat! HAHAHA
    *And I think its really cool that the first egg arrived on what would have been my mother's 92nd birthday!

Just some hen pics!

Have been wanting to get back and write on some of the chick raising activity, but will just post some photos.  Here is one Leghorn,  Rose the Delaware and Hermoine this afternoon. I was cleaning and rearranging the now-way-too-small pen area!!!
 

We're getting close to THAT TIME now. So I stuck a couple of cat carriers in as "nest boxes". Boy, did that cause a ruckus!
 

One of the things I really like about the Delaware's appearance is their necklaces. Each is unique to that bird. Plus they have a nice full figure. The Leghorns are a thinner looking breed . Personally I like to see a big fat round hen poking around in the yard.

What a sweet face! Well, at least for a chicken.

Here is that svelte Leghorn body type I was talking about! hahaha  Plus they seem to be really LOUD birds. And fairly jumpy too. My nerves do not need that right now.  We''ll see how successful my attempts to rehome them are.

Hermoine was soooo lonely!

   Well I knew the day would come when the old hens would gradually die out, but what I hadn't figured on was how much the LAST ONE would grieve!! 
   Helga the hen from Hell passed in her sleep last week... leaving lovely little Hermoine all alone. And that poor hen was absolutely bereft. She watched as I buried Helga and proceeded to stay near the grave for the rest of the day. Come evening when they would normally go up to roost ... instead of heading for the little coop they had used for months... she tried to go back to the old blue shed that they had all "grown up" in. Was she trying to return to the past to find her sister? Or would she feel more secure there? I don't profess to know how a hen thinks... it was just the saddest thing to see! And the sounds she made! The keening of a mourning hen is heartrending!!!

   Sometime during the second day of her sorrow I came up with the idea to put a stuffed toy next to her at night. She sleeps in an old dog carrier (easy to clean and disinfect) and doesn't actually roost. (All those girls preferred to sleep on a big shelf in the shed.... so I just washed their fluffy butts on a fairly regular basis! 'Cause that's what a chicken-Mama will do for her ladies!) Anyway, the teddy bear didn't go over very well the first night! But by the second evening she was sitting all comfy and cozy next to him!
    BUT during the days she kept looking for Helga and making all these pitiful little cries when she didn't find her in any of their favorite spots. I couldn't take it anymore!  So I took a drastic step...........

1/18/2017  4 little Leghorn chicks are we!

      Meet our latest family members. Haven't named them yet because they look alike to me! They are too small to put in with Hermoine, but she certainly perked up when she heard all the tiny cheeping noises coming from the cage. Now that did my heart good to see! After the first day she even ventured off to hunt bugs, but would return to listen to them. Their daytime cage is up on a small table in the chicken run and Hermoine will sit underneath it and act just as contented as she could be! So hey, I feel like I did a good thing.... even if it means another batch of hens to look after. Hope Hermoine teaches them the ropes this Spring (and Summer). She will be six years old in March.... wonder how old Orpingtons get? Oh well, she is definitely in her "wisdom years" and has a lot to share with the Leghorn gals!

1/21/2017  Fourth day here!

2016..... Some things change, others not so much.

Mama Roxy will come up to be petted now. BIG change!



Merry Christmas is the new kid on the block! BIG and ENERGETIC CHANGE!



Everett is also letting me pet him..... sometimes! Medium change!



Eleanor is NOT letting me pet her. NO change!!!

Maynard is still his sweet old self. (He is my rock!) Thankfully no change!

The latest crew!

   Its been a while since I've been back to the blogs and a lot has happened in that time! Tonight I'll just introduce the new crew. Mama Roxy is all ready back outside after being spayed... and she is loving it!  Her last litter is still in here though! (Just takes money. sheesh!)   
   On the left is Archimedes... is he ever a handful!!!  Sleeping right in front of him is Weasley.... At this point in time I'm not too sure about his intelligence level. Sweet though!     In the back is the runt and I renamed her Agatha... she looks a bit like a dark speckled agate! haha 
   But I had named her Sibyl originally since she had a similar coloring to THE Sibyl, who had disappeared quite a while back. I really miss that cat! She was one in a million.  Oh well, she remains in my memory and I've felt her spirit visiting a few times. I will take my comfort there.

    Last but not least is Esmeralda. So sweet and friendly. And I feel pretty confident in saying that I think Merlin is her father! She is a beauty!
    Have had two potential adopters back out due to life changes so far. Guess the "kids" are staying on as yard cats.

   Though Esmeralda would LOVE a home and family to call her own!

    I feel confident that Archimedes will do just fine outside! He is quite the roughneck!
   Of course I'd LOVE to find them all indoor forever homes.... so in case anyone has a lead just let me know!!!

Almost Spring!

What can I say? Hen butts bobbing around the yard make me happy!

So does Trash bag Travis. But he watches the hens with a suspicious eye!
After all, they have chased him a couple of times. chuckle

Mr. Maynard B. Mouth makes me very happy. Such a gentleman! Though a little bit on the crabby side. (He doesn't give a flip about the hens! As long as they don't interfere with his naps...  all is good.)

And this young fellow is Lawrence. He and his sister Sorrel have chosen to make my yard and porch their new home.  Their little half brother Rocco is hanging around too... but he is still pretty feral acting! It will just take time to gain his trust.

 

Disturbing Ronan's Nap.

   I've never been able to figure out how cats sleep in some of the positions that they do! This being one of them. I was starting to sort through some of my vintage hats when I looked over and saw Ronan stretched out over the cat blankets... sleeping peacefully and accompanied by his usual snoring.

   He didn't seem at all pleased with me taking photos of him.... once he woke up enough to know that's what I was doing.  Maybe it was my muffled laughter that gave me away!

    Only got a few dirty looks before he got up, shook himself off a bit and headed for the bedroom door. What a grumpy attitude! chuckle