Buddy and the Fox

Buddy the Rooster has not wanted to get into the chicken coop at night. He has been sleeping on the roof. I dont love this as it leaves him vulnerable to predators. So far ive left him alone about it but when the hens started joining him i began grabbing them and putting them up …

Buddy Goes Outside

We made it 6 days. We did not make it 41 days. On the morning of the sixth day Cashew had come to my bed and barked every hour on the hour since 10 pm the night before. I never hit deep sleep, ever, because every hour on the hour cashew was there barking in …

41 Days was a Lofty Idea.

As you’ll hear in this audio clip, beginning at 4 am, Buddy crows once every 30 seconds until around 7 pm. I became acutely aware of this because Buddy was sharing a 1 room 384 square foot house with a tin roof with me and both dogs, one of which has always possessed a strong …

Acquiring a Rooster in Cherry Spring

Ever since Olive joined the menopausal bunch meaning i had no more laying age buff hens and Sumac turned out to be just Sue, my pipe dream of making Reese’s peanut butter cup chickens come february when their eggs would be large enough to contain a full grown chick, was drifting further away. I still …

Sumac Rejoins the Flock on the Homestead

I originally had 2 roosters but the one named mochi died. He came from the hatchery sick and i separated him and nursed him along for a bit but he never did grow a smidgeon and was very lethargic. He ultimately passed. Now i had a problem because i didnt like this experience with this …

The Story of Ellis and Oakley

Where do i begin? The first chicken to begin displaying broody behavior was Petunia. She began “incubating” the unfertilized and ceramic eggs in the nesting boxes. With relentless enthusiasm and patience, she sat on those eggs day and night. She skipped the commotion of the feeding frenzy when i arrived each day with scraps from …

The Homicidal Rooster has To Go

It was a hot day. I knew that but i didn’t yet realize how hot. When i walked outside to fetch the dogs the air hit me like an oven door opening. I glanced at the outdoor thermometer on the porch and swiveled my head around to look again. It was 110 degrees. At first, …

A Day Off

It was rare that i got a day off when something didn’t need to be built, fixed, or chopped down, but they did happen on occasion. On one such day i spent time with the land that i had come to love so deeply. I realized that the chickens had grown drastically since the last …

Ira’s First Cock-a_doodle_doo!

I was talking to the a/c repair guy when i first heard it. It was kind of a “oodle-ooo”. But it was clear as day. Ira had made his first rooster noise. As i stood in the yard talking to the repair man Ira tried again and again to perfect his new ability. My face …

A New Door for the Chickens

When i first put the chicken area together i knew there were a few problems. I’m still working on ironing out all of them but one problem stood out above the others. I bought orpingtons. full grown, they would be 8 to 10 lb chickens. I had to put the front of the coop towards …