Sorry

I am a lazy blogger!  
Anyhow.......Today I got a fertile egg from one of my hens!
Sadly it was broken, but hopeful!

My Chickens-and cat:.........................

Found chickie eggs :)

My Chickens and Cat: An interest.

Well, Jeannie has began to crow!  And dear Sweetiepie has a little girlfriend chickie following him around!
The cat, Pasta, likes to follow me when I feed everybody, and sometimes he almost gets in the coop!
Once he did, but he just watches them walk around.


They get along okay, but I can't leave them alone.
I have recently lost two more hens, Dusty and Chestnut, to Babyjuicy the murderer.
She killed them both and almost Nubbs, who is recovering in the chicks' coop.

My Chickens-and Cat: Woah!! Sorry guys!!!

Well here I am!!   

My goodness!! I am behind!!    So anyway  Total updates........

I moved, Bluey got prolapse and died, someone dumped a cat-(who stayed), Cranky looks like a turkey with a bad hair-cut, Half'N'half nearly got lost in the neighbors cornfield, and I AM SO CHICK CRAZY!!!!

I really want to hatch chicks again!! Like, really badly!! I dream about them, I imagine them running around the yard, and i don't know who sells fertilized eggs around here!!

ARRRGG!  CHICKIES OUT OF REACH!!!!!

My Chickens: With me again!!

Okay, I went over and picked up my girlies! They look so horrible! Cranky is in bad shape.

Grown-up Gracie.

Chestnut.

Glowing Puffy Lady.

Jackie.

The poor girl!

My Chickens: Jeannie and Speetiepie's leason.

Trick to teaching chicks to try new food:
Leave them alone and let them find out for themselves.

At first, the two chicks would run away from grapes,
thinking they were some thing bad, maybe.

Then, Jeannie decided to check them out.

 Sweetiepie followed and tried the treat.

Now they grab the grapes and take them into the shade to eat.

My Chickens:Zesty isn't coming home.

 

I just found out Zesty will not be coming with me to the new house.

She passed away at my friend's house.

I was devastated when I was told.

These pictures are all I have now.

The captions tell what is written on the back.

 

 

 

 

Humble Zest.

Zesty, Cranky.

Half'n'half, Zesty, Dusty-Dirty.

Zesty.

Zesty, Dusty-Dirty, Cranky.

Cranky, Zesty, Half'n'half, Little Lady.

Zesty.

Spying on Zesty.

This mug was order before Zesty's death, but now it's more special.

*SOB*   "Zesty, the hen I love."

My Chickens:Funny Sweetiepie walk-around.

I put a necklace of Sweetiepie and stuck him in a tree to take this video.  Enjoy!

My Chickens: Soon...soon...

Friday, I visited my chickens again.  Gracie was *sad sigh* so big.  She's almost as big as the other hens.   I feel like she grew up without me, like I missed half her life. 

Man..........
I just want to get into that house and get my chickens back.

My Chickens: Tears of joy.

Dollish!!!

I got to see my chickens for the first time all week! I missed them so badly, I couldn't even talk about them without crying.  When I saw them, the first thing I did was hug Puffy Lady to death because she was so cute!! I actually hugged everyone to death.  What a happy day!



Missed you!

My Chickens: On YouTube!!

Here's my video of Jeannie and Sweetiepie playing and play fighting in the garden.  Sooo adorable!

My Chickens: Sweetiepie and Jeannie in the garden.

Here's a cute video of chickies play fighing.




I'm camping at my grandparents' house and the chicks are having the time of their lives!  There's a fenced in garden in the yard that I let them run around in, in the morning when it's cool.  They love to play fight together.  Jeannie rushes Sweetiepie and leaps on him, he lets her buffet his head with her wings for a while, then, when he's had enough, he'll give her a gentle peck on her tender head.  That usually is all it takes to stop her fun-filled frenzy.  They love to lay in the shade under the berry bush after that.

My Chickens: Outta the House!!!!!!

"I'm gorgeous and proud of it!"

So I have to be out today! No questions asked!

"And my eggs totally rock!"

The hens are doing good and going to have a great time with my friend.

Beauty

Panic!!!!!!!!!!

I got to be out of my house by Wednesday! I'm dropping the hens off at a friend's house and they're going to care for them.  Sorry I haven't been able to comment or read your post!
I will when I settle in my new house, that happens to have a henhouse already. (That was half the reason I got it:)

My Chickens: Little Lady IS BROODY!!!!!!

Broody Rhode red.

When I went to collect the eggs  I saw that!!  Little Lady has gone broody!  I found her sitting on all the eggs!  Sooo I got down and pulled one, two, three, four eggs out from under her.

But she still lay there, refusing to budge!  I'll just have to let her brood herself out.



"I want my eggs!"

My Chickens: Zesty in the "Special" nest.

Today Zesty was really desperate to lay, but meanie Half'n'half wouldn't let her in the nesting box!

With nice chicken.

Poor hen.

So I put Zesty in Chester's old cage and put a special nesting box in for her.

She immediately started her nest.

Zesty's picked spot. Ouch!

I'm not sure if she has laid her egg yet, because I'm at the library, but I'm excited to get home and get her egg! The sweet girl:)

My Chickens: Sad happening.

The new Phoebe nesting in Caps nest has been murdered.

I arrived to find all her eggs on the ground, smashed, and her dead in the yard.
I don't know what had happened, she didn't have a mark on her and wasn't mangled at all.
Maybe Cap killed her for some reason, if she didn't want a stranger in her nest.

Like before:
'The life of a wild animal always has a tragic end.'

My Chickens: Never mind, I'll post it now.

Okay.
Sorry I haven't told you guys about my moving.
It will explain why I haven't been so up-to-date on your posts.

Moving...Is...Stressful.
For your pet and yourself.  The chickens don't understand that they'll be suddenly whooshed across the globe to a strange new place they'll have to call home.

So I have to help them adjust.

As my followers know, my chickens grew up here and, in the chicks' case, hatched here.
I hate the idea of them being confused and/or sad.  "They're birds, for crying out loud."
But they have feelings!

If you guys, and girls, have any ideas of how to help my hens and chicks with the moving stress, Please Tell Me!!!!

My Chickens: Zesty's got Feathers!/Moving the Hens.

Hurrah for new quills!! Zesty's feathers are GROWING back!!  Saw the little blue tips sticking out!

And, I never mentioned this, but....I'm moving.
Next week.

It will be pretty stressful for me and the hens and chicks.  I'll post more later....

My Chickens: Jeannie's foot?/New Eggs!

Jeannie has recently started limping, badly.  She hops on one foot all the time.
I don't know how that happened, but Sweetie Pie is taking good care of her. He won't let her out of his sight!

Jackie. Don't you want to hug her!!!!

And a new bird is nesting in Cap's nest!  It's another Phoebe, but bigger than Cap.  It's eggs are huge, and there's only four.
I cant wait to have more chicks in there!

My Chickens: Jeannie, Zesty, Half'n'half, and a Whole Lot of Toothpaste!

First of all, Jeannie is so much better and becoming a doll! She loves me and it is very difficult to keep her from jumping out of the hutch to get to me!  I'm trying to keep her calm so her head will have a chance to heal, but what can you do to stop an affectionate chick!?

Second, Half'n'half(see below) is really getting rough with Zesty!

She has pecked her way to the top of the pecking order and sees to it that Zesty(or anybody else)does not have the chance to challenge her position!  She is pecking every one, but the two Ameraucanas are getting the brunt of her attack.  The only hen she doesn't bother is Little Lady, her constant companion.
Both Zesty and Cranky have bald spots on their backs, but Zesty's is worse, extending from nearly her neck to her stump of a tail.   Cranky has a huge, beautiful tail still and I hope she keeps it!

To save Zesty from being reduced to bones, I took a tube of minty toothpaste and lathered it across her back and Cranky's.   Surprisingly, it works!   Chickens DO NOT LIKE TOOTHPASTE!!!
When Half'n'half, or Little Lady reach over for a good peck, they get a beak full of sticky, nasty, minty goo!

My Chickens: Jeannie's Head, Continued.

Jeannie is alright.
She is still separated from the others, though, as her head hasn't healed yet.
She is peeping again, and even jumped when I tapped the wall and clapped.
I think she was only momentarily deaf.
Which I'm glad for.  
She gets so excited to see me in the morning, it's so sweet.
Her bald head reminds me of the guineas.

My Chickens: Jeannie's Head!!!

The chickens tore Jeannie's head open!  She isn't bleeding a lot and she's eating.  I separated her so they won't kill her.   She is sleeping now.  I'm not sure if she'll live; with that hole in her head, but I hope so.
I tried to sew it up, but she moved too much and I didn't want to hurt her any more.
I'm not sure if she's in pain(but I would think so!)because she won't say anything.
I found out that she is deaf, and maybe half blind, when I called her and she didn't even turn.
I hope her wound will heal and she'll be okay, even if she's deaf.

"Sorry, I did that."

My Chickens: Sorry My blog is So Gloomy, But....

Sal-er, Sammy Sussex passed away.   Morality was at work, I hope.
It could be the END coming back to haunt me.
That illness.  

Poor Sammy just vanished in my hands.  Even as he was dying, he was still peeping that whoo doo doo hoo sound of pleasure....just enjoying being in my lap.   I stroked his head until he was gone.
At least he died peacefully, and my friend.


So sorry I had to write this! So many sad things are happening around here!

My Chickens: Life or Death.

Sorry chicken pals, this is about Cap.

Today paid a toll on Caps three remaining chicks.  One, who fell from the nest but didn't die(I call him Buffy), had an obviously broken leg.  The one I called Flip is the only known survivor, but let me start from the beginning.
 When I climbed the ladder and looked in the nest, I frightened the chicks and the flew.  Buffy hit the side of the shed and slid to the floor. Flip was luckier, and flew out the door, landing in the yard.
The third chick also made it outside, only to disappear into the thick bushes, never to be seen again.
I rushed down and scooped up Buffy, who settled down and sat in my hand without a struggle.
Then I caught Flip and stroked him until he perched on my finger quietly.
I could not find the last chick.
I did look hard.
Really hard.
Cap was screeching and screeching in a tree. Flip flew to her, or tried to.  Falling short, he sat in the grass, peeping.
"Calm down, chickie," I picked him up and boosted him into the sky.  He turned in mid-air and landed on my shoulder.
"No! Go to Cap!"  This time, he zoomed across the yard and perched in the brush.  Cap and her husband swooped over Flip, encouraging him to follow them to safety.  He did.               I never saw him again.
And Buffy, poor Buffy, with a broken leg and no sense of balance,  could not fly and flopped helplessly around.  
He died a little while ago.  

Well that's the story of Cap's family.  I still do not know where that third chick is, or if he survived, but I hope he did.
Flip is most likely going to grow up.                                




In the words of the author of  Wild Animals I Have Known:
'The reason this story is tragic is because it is true. The life of a wild animal always has a tragic end.'

My Chickens: The Chicks Survived the night!

First of all, I've decided to call Sally, Sammy, just to clear things up. And Deanie is now Jeannie, Jackdaw is Jackie.  The chicks are big and covered in glossy, black(Sammy is white and brown, and Jeannie is red)feathers.
Last night I put them in with the big hens and they were bullied, as usual, although Sweetiepie tried to fight back to defend "his" girlies.  Sammy made no such effort and only tried to saved his own skin. Later in the day, when the hens started going to roost, the chicks were utterly confused and began to run around, searching for a way out of this strange, huge prison.  When I came in to check if they were sleeping, they ran to me and tried to cuddle in my lap. I sat with them for a while, then placed them up on the roost next to Zesty, who did not peck them.  Jeannie was content to sleep on my shoulder, but i managed to get her on the      roost. When they had settled down, I left.
At around 8:39pm, I ran out in the dusk to check one more time.
I saw THE sweetest thing in the world!  Gracie was perched on Zesty's back, sleeping!
Zesty gave me a look that said:
*groan* "The things I put up with!"
I love that hen!

Cute O!!!

My Chickens: Raced today/ Poor chick!

IT. WAS. SO. HOT. TODAY!  I had to get up eeeaarly to go run the Freihofer's Run.  It was ssoo deathly hot!! I finished in 29minutes38seconds, despite an embarrassing trip to the medical tent with the help of two race officials. :)

Ah.......the chickens only laid three eggs today. Wonder why.

Something really sad happened when I went to check on Cap's chicks.  One of the chicks had fallen from the nest and was on the floor!  It was hurt badly not to mention the fact that Zesty had stepped on it while she was pestering me. 

Its neck wasn't broken, so I returned it to the nest, hoping it would be okay.  But when I came back and looked in the nest, the chick was dead.   Poor Cap now has three chicks.  Hopefully the others will be okay.  Oh, and another bird(a house wren) is nesting in my bird house in the woods! I hope she hatches her chicks soon!

Well, bye! Here's some pictures of birds and chickens.

I just love this picture!

Nice.

Some chubby chicks!

Not my chickens

Half'n'half

                               

My Chickens: Rollin' Hens and Desperate Phoebes.

It was extraordinarily hot today and the hens were happy to lay in the shade or roll in the cool dust.  Zesty was, sadly, not very welcomed to roll with the others, as they pecked her continuously on her sore spot(the bare, picked area on her back).     She did get to roll for a while though. All the pullets, but Chestnut, rolled for a long, long time!! I had an enjoyable time watching them fight over the deepest dusting spots and lay with their legs stretched out. 

"Stay away from my dirt or else!"

That's what Half'n'half says to the others! 

Oh, and about Cap.   She was busy searching for food.  It is so hot, no worms were out and her chicks were hungry. When Cap left the nest to find food, I climbed up and fed the chicks some worms and bread. Okay, okay, I know I shouldn't of interfered, but Cap was having trouble and the smallest chick was starving to death.  I wouldn't want any of her chicks to die.   Anyway, in worked out and they're all fed now.  My chicks are huge and I'm working on introducing them to the hens!

My Chickens: I Need Your Help!!

Well, first of all, I had a great memorial day. I even held a flag in a parade!
But here's my issue.........Sally is a rooster!!!!  Sally Sussex is A ROOSTER!!!!
(So is Sweetie Pie, but I don't need to rename him.)
I need your help to think of an alternative name for "Sally"!

Well, now that that's taken care of, here's some pictures for you to enjoy. :)

Here's a good picture of Caps chicks!

Cranky....

And this pretty girl....

Um...wipe your beak, please.

And just a little something........

Gotta laugh!!

Bye!  "Sally" is waiting!!

My Chickens: The Egg Shirt!

Well, today I had this crazy idea to make an "egg shirt" for myself, because I do not have a basket at the moment. (When I collect eggs I usually put them in my shirt, or hold them--and I've broken several eggs while doing that:)  All I did was take one of my really filthy "chicken huger" tee-shirts, cut a square of the front, and folded it into a huge pocket.  Then I whipped out my sewing machine and sewed it up. Now I put the eggs in the pocket and carry them in!  It will work great.......as long as no one hugs me. ;)

My Chickens:Are CRAZY!!

One of my hens is scared of eggs! I always can tell when there's an egg, because I can hear her screaming as though there's a fox out there!! HA! She is CRAZY!!
And I checked on Cap. There are three chicks now!! One egg that didn't hatch. I told her congratulations!!  I couldn't get a decent picture of them, though. Sorry!! That nest is high!!

My Chickens:Cap's Chicks Have Hatched!!!!

Hi everyone!! I'm back!! And guess what!!!! Cap, the Phoebe, has hatched her chicks!!! Or chick.
I heard peeping that was NOT my chicks and went to investigate.  Then I realized the noise was coming from the shed! 
I climbed the terrifyingly tall ladder and ducked as Cap whirred out of there. She landed a short distance away and watched my warily, but I've done this every year for awhile so she wasn't too frightened. I had to use a mirror, but finally I saw what I'd been waiting for: A tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny chick!!! It must of hatched this morning, for the other chicks still weren't out of their eggs.  It was so cute-quta even!!! Regardless of the fact that it had no feathers or down, it was still adorable!!
Oh! And the chickens now lay seven eggs a day!! WOW!!

My Chickens: Bye!!!

Well, I'm off!! Bye everyone!! Bye chickens!! Bye dogs!!! Bye chicks!! Fare well!!! Be back soon!!
*Gasp!*
Whew! It was tiring to say all that!

Not my Chickens: These poor hens!!!

I just found this horrible video on youtube about battery hens.
 Must watch! Show it to your hens, they'll see how good they've got it!!

               Click the link above!

My Chickens: On Guard!

Those dogs are ruining my blog!  A friend of mine spotted the dogs passing my house this morning so it's....On Guard! 
I'm going to let the hens out though and those beasts won't stop me!  I wish I knew who owned them!!
Then I could call them!    
I will be going on a little trip in a couple days and those dogs better not bother my chicken sitter!! 
I will tell her about them so she will be ready to get the chickens in safely.  
The chicks probably won't need the heat lamp, but I may leave it on, just in case. 
I'll sure miss them all! I'll be gone four days, but I'll read all your posts when I return!!

My Chickens: Dogs and Brave Chicks .

I'm glad to have my computer back, even though it doesn't work that well.   Anyhow, THOSE DOGS!!!!  RRRRR! They have RETURNED!!!!!  And I thought my troubles were over. Ha!   Well, I had just let my sweet little girls out(I let them out really early because they are so good about laying enough eggs)when I saw a big, ugly, black, dog galloping like a hooligan toward my hens!!  Half the hens were over near the chicks and the rest were with me. I grabbed the nearest object(a shovel)and yelled at the dog. It stopped, thinking over the situation, then it ran back up the road.  I got all the chickens in the coop, just before the second dog arrived. I jumped into the hen house with my girls until it left.  What a morning!! But, I still got a ton of eggs, ever with the dogs frightening the hens, who are still not broody.  The chicks weren't scared a bit. They just watched disdainfully as the dogs wandered past their hutch.  Brave little sillies!! I bet they were braver then I was!

My Chickens: How a hen lays an egg. An eyewitness account.

Well, today I have a challenge. I have to complete two dozen eggs. Then I my friend will buy them. I can start a good business with this! But first things first. My girls must lay four more eggs today to complete the 2nd dozen.   
I got up real early this morning and was able to witness both Bluey and what's-her-name lay an egg! It was fascinating!
I'm sure all my chicken-lover friends know all about how they lay eggs, but just for my other pals, I'll describe what it was like.  

1. The hen goes and walks around in the nesting box, carefully shaping the nesting material to fit snugly around her.
2. She lays in the box fox a while(in my case, an hour)and warns the other hens that this is her box. Sometimes she gets pecked.
3. When she is ready, she squats and stays very still. The other hens usually do not bother her now.
4. And the egg is out!
5. Then she may sit on it, if she's broody, but Bluey does this: She slowly walks out, throwing bits of saw dust over  her shoulder. It's really cute.

Well, there you are! Oh! Chestnut has just layed an egg! Gotta go! I may get another dozen yet!

My Chickens: Cap and Tarpie.

Of the late, I've been getting three eggs a day.  But this post is mostly about my wild bird friends, Cap and Tarpie.
Tarpie is a robin. He always comes around to eat any spilt seed.
Cap is a phoebe. She's been around for years and always nests in the shed.
 A couple days ago, there was an uproar amongst the robins. Tarpie was trailing a long piece of tarp fiber from his leg!(That's why I call him Tarpie.) I tried unsuccessfully to catch him and get it off, but it's nearly impossible to catch a wild robin who is frighted by a strange snake clinging to its leg. So I gave up and a day later, it was gone. I still don't know how he got it off.  And about Cap. Today she layed her eggs and is snuggled on them as we speak!  I now will peek at her every day 'til the hatch. It is most interesting.   And highly educational. 

My Chickens: Some sweet chickens of mine.

Deanie is showing signs of being tamer than the other chicks. He lets me pick him up and doesn't run and hide like the rest. They are still in the hutch, but they're getting bigger and bigger!   Soon they will be with the big girls!  Puffylady is like a little dog! Following right by my side when I walk!  She is tamer than even Zesty!  I let her sit on Deanie, but watched her closely because she has pecked him before. Deanie loved it! So did Lady.  I haven't seen those horrid dogs for weeks!!!

My Chickens: Oh, Deadbirdie!

I miss that angel!

Deadbirdie the chick has....died. Oh, I can hardly keep from crying when I think about how she peeped at night because she wanted to sleep with me!   She passed away this morning.   I thought she might not make it. Yesterday, she was being really droopy. I miss her already! You will find a poem about her here.  I just hope the END has not come back!   Why do all my chickens die?  I'm not that bad, right?  I love them and [try to] tame them and feed them and do everything for their good.  Why do my chickens die?   I miss, miss, miss my little Deadbirdie number two!  She was [and now is] an angel! 

She probably would of been a lovely layer!  Why Deadbirdie?    It's like the name 'Deadbirdie' has a curse, or something, and when you name your chicken that they become dead birdies.  Suggestion: DO NOT USE THAT NAME EVER AGAIN!!!  Oh, Deadbirdie. How I miss that doll. That angel. That puff ball. That little thing...... That chick. 

My Chickens: Chicks Out!



Zesty and Cranky's eggs!

So sorry if I missed anything my dear blogger friend have posted!!
First of all, I have not seen those dogs for three whole days!!
Second, Bluey, Zesty, Cranky, Chestnut, and some one else, are all laying!!!! I now get at least an egg an day. I have a have a half a dozen now! ( Not counting the ones I used already.) Zesty and Cranky's eggs look like torpedoes!!
Bluey's look like boulders; they're so huge!!!
I'm glad they're laying, but I wouldn't really care if they didn't because I only care that they're happy and healthy.
Well, that's all the news about the older hens! So let's get to the chicks, shall we? Today I put the chicks out side in an insulated rabbit hutch because they are just too naughty!!! I also put the heat lamp in the hutch to keep them warm because they're only four weeks old. Deadbirdie just stands under the lamp all the time. I feel bad for her; she really liked to cuddle with me at night. Poor chick. --- The chicks are so smart and know how to drink from the rabbit water things!! Oh well, so long for now. By!!!


 

Bluey's massive eggs look like this!



My Chickens: Bluey Is A Layer!

Bluey's eggs are SSSOOO ENORMOUS!!  She just keeps popin' them out!  And, Oh, those chicks...I can't get a nights sleep without Deadbirdie screaming! I'm starting to bring her into my bed and sleeping with her because in silences her! Oh! Gotta go!

My Chickens: Sorry Folks! The Virus Ate My Computer! / Dogs Again!



Save and sound.

To all my loyal readers,

I am sorry to report that my computer now has nine viruses. I will not be able to blog as much as I have been because I will have to use my local library's computer. At most I will blog once a week.
thank you for your understanding.

Your blogger, MADZ

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Here's the post :)

The dogs came back. They did not chase the chickens, however, because they were in the coop at the time.  BUT they certainly terrified me!!  I, once again, scared them off, but I am calling their owner!!

Then today, Bluey layed another egg! Quite a beauty! This time I left it in the nest; I want to see if she will be broody and sit on it after she has collected a clutch. Maybe she can be my incubator! Gotta love that! The chicks are escape artists. they can get out no matter what! The box they're in is taped, covered, and reinforced, but STILL they escape!!  *Groan* Crazy chicks! I brought them out side for a while. They loved it and had a lot of fun! The other chickens pretended to ignore them, but they were very curious about them and hung around trying to get a good look at them without seeming to be interested. SO funny! Well, my computer time is up, gotta go!

My Chickens: Isn't There a LEASH LAW?!

Well, first of all, my girls have been laying these HUGE eggs for me! So sweet of them!
Second of all, yesterday these two dogs, who always come around here, chased my sweet girlies!! One of the horrid animals was acting really weird and drooling strangely. Possibly rabid.  I chased them off with my trusty javelin* and kept an eye out for them the rest of the day.
*If you have seen my profile, you should know I have a javelin, which is like a spear.
If I see those dogs again, I'm calling their owner!
Anyhow, I should get another egg today. I'll go check, by!

My Chickens:People who like my blog.



My audience.

I guess lots of people like chickens!

My Chickens: Sorry to post again so soon, but...

I just needed to tell this to the world: My hens are laying again!!!!
I got one beautiful egg from Bluey!
It was huge!
Even bigger than the store bought kind!
(I held it next to a store bought egg and it's way bigger!!!) 
Hip-Hip-Hurray for Bluey!

My Chickens: A Good Morning.

I finally got to sleep[almost]the whole night. Deadbirdie didn't screech as loudly, so I could ignore her this time.  I do love those chicks. I love it when you rub their heads so much it leaves them looking like George Washington! So adorable!
I'm telling you, those chicks are going to be pretty tame for all the time I spend petting them.
I love this blog and read it this morning. It always make me laugh.
Isn't it great when people post things after you've been waiting for them to for so long[a couple of days]? 
Ah, it was a good morning.

My Chickens: I Loose a Hen/Bad Sweetiepie!

Today was hard for me. I went out to the hen house, only to discover my friend Spider is no longer with us. She had just died in the fenced-in chicken area when I came out.  I knew she probably wouldn't live much longer because she wasn't gaining any weight and she was acting strange lately. And to make matters worse, Sweetiepie discovered how to escape the box even with the cover on. I was kept up all night with Deadbirdie's screaming. Then when Sweetiepie got out, she was running around the room screeching at the top of her lungs!   Man, she can get loud.  
When I found Spider, I was so stunned, I just picked her up, all zombie-like, and buried her in the woods. I didn't even realize I had lost my friend until I got back inside and thought about it more. Spider was such a good, somewhat wild, hen. She just turned a year old last month. Such a bad morning for me. Big sad *sigh*. 

My Chickens: How Many Quail Hatched?

Zero.  What!?  You may be thinking, why none?   Well, it turns out the eggs were not fertilized after all. 
WHAT?!?!  Oh, shall I repeat that?  WERE NOT FERTILIZE AFTER ALL!!! 
I just found out today, when I candled them.
By now I should of seen a dark blob or something, but when I candled them eggs, every one of them, they were clear. Clearly empty.  Not even a dot.  Nothing. Zilch.  I'm a little more than a little disappointed.  NOTHING! NOTHING! NOTHING!    What a way to ruin someone's day.  That someone being me.  Also, the person who gave me the eggs was taking a wild guess that they were fertile.  They're no professional. Oh well. I never really wanted those quail anyway.
The chickens would of picked on them to death.  This is better for everyone. 

Better for everyone.