Angel, we will miss you.

It is with a heavy heart that I write today's post.  The historic heat wave that swept across the central and eastern United States caused the temperature in our area to reach 103 degrees Fahrenheit.  Prior to this heat wave, the weather had been very mild.

When we returned home on Friday afternoon, we checked on the chickens and brought them a fan and cold water.  We found poor little Angel lying on the ground panting desperately.  We took her inside to try to save her, but our efforts were in vain.  The sudden heat wave was too much for Angel.

We are heartbroken.

Angel was our favorite hen in the flock--she had enough personality for 10 chickens.  She was quirky, and beyond sweet. I think she was the most appropriately named chicken in the flock, because she really was a little angel. She never picked on any of the other chickens, and she was full of nothing but kindness. Of all the chickens, she was always the most excited to see her human caretakers.  She would run up to us, follow us around the garden, and sometimes even enjoy a ride on our shoulders.  

Angel, as a chick, playing in a tube.

Even as a young chick, she was always up to something.  She was very curious, and found things to play with.  She was only a couple of months old when she started to fly onto our shoulders.

A young Angel and my husband.

Angel and me.

Angel was a very photogenic chicken: I think this had something to do with her fondness for us.  She would always run right up to me and pose for the camera.  Luckily, because of this, I have a ton of pictures of her.

I put windows between the chickens and the trellis to keep
them from eating the plants... it wasn't very effective on Angel.

Angel loved to jump on everything.

I used to say that the chickens were my favorite part of the garden, and that is true.  But when I said it, what I really meant was that Angel was my favorite part of the garden.  She made me smile every single day, and she managed to touch our hearts.

I knew we wouldn't have the chickens forever, but it has been painful losing Angel so unexpectedly and so soon.  Without her, the garden seems so empty.

In the evenings, JC (our head hen) always clucks at the bottom of the coop telling the others to come home.  One of Angel's quirks was that she was always the last to return.  Once she was safely in the run, JC would quit clucking and go to roost.

Every evening since her passing, I have stood outside and watched our little flock of 4 walk back to their run after free-ranging.  After the other 3 chickens have gone inside to roost, JC stands in the run clucking and looking for Angel for a few minutes before she reluctantly goes to bed.

Eventually, JC will stop waiting for Angel.  And I know with time, this sadness will fade and be replaced by all the fond memories Angel created with us. 

Angel, we will love you and miss you. Always.

Angel
May 2011 - June 2012

Chicken Chatter: A late bloomer

I never really gave much thought to chicken development. But apparently chickens, just like people, do things in their own time and at their own pace.  A while back I posted about our Jersey Black Giant, Johnny Cash, who for a long time had no prominent comb or wattles.  For contrast, Pebbles (our other Jersey Black Giant hen) had a nice large red comb and wattles -- seen in the picture below (bottom right).

Johnny Cash (left) had no comb or wattles for months. Pebbles
had a large red comb and wattle early in her development.

Ironically, even though she looked like she wasn't maturing, she was one of our first chickens to start laying eggs, and she is one of our most reliable layers.  She is also head hen -- a very graceful leader of the flock.  Then, rather randomly, at about 8 months of age, ONE of Johnny Cash's wattles developed.  For months, we called her the 'one wattle wonder'.

Johnny cash with one developed wattle.

Then over the last few weeks, Johnny Cash finally developed her second wattle, at the youthful age of 14 months.

'I'm ready for my close-up now.'

 I guess Johnny Cash is just a late bloomer.

Chicken Chatter: Angel, the loud chicken

Before I got chickens, I never gave any thought to the noise that they made.  I knew that roosters crowed--but what noise did hens make?

As our young chicks matured into young hens, they lost the cute 'peep' and replaced it with their mature adult voices.  Most of our chickens make pleasant noises--small coos and clucks. Perhaps, the occasionally louder 'HEY!' at another chicken if they are upset.

But then, there is Angel.  I've already described how Angel is a flat out bizarre chicken with a lot of personality.  But one of her most defining characteristics is the way she vocalizes.

I'll be out in the garden, all will be quiet, and suddenly the peaceful scene is broken by a loud 'BAACCCHHHKK!!'.   Or at least, that is how I guess you might spell Angel's language.  She loves to make a lot of noise, and she really likes to talk to her human companions.  If she can't see me, she makes much less noise.  But if you're in view--she's going to let you know she's there!

I took this video of Angel talking. Enjoy!

Chicken Chatter: Poor Angel is getting picked on again

I don't know what it is about Angel that causes her to be lowest on the pecking order. And I know that there is little to nothing that I can do about her social standing with the rest of the flock.  But I wish that the other ladies weren't so darn mean to her!

The other chickens peck Angel so severely that she is now missing a chunk of feathers on the back of her neck!!  Poor little thing.  I think part of the problem is the fact that Angel doesn't always run away when she is being pecked--sometimes she just crouches down and lets another chicken peck her repeatedly.

Angel, missing neck feathers.

Our two black chickens leave Angel alone for the most part.  It's the buff orpingtons that cause most of the problems.  June has been attacking everyone lately because she is broody--and apparently that causes general moodiness in chickens.  Sunshine, on the other hand, has no excuse -- she's just a down-right mean chicken when it comes to Angel.

'Who, me?'

I wish I knew how to stop that behavior, because Angel is the sweetest little chicken in the flock.

Chicken Chatter: Baby chicks video

We've had our hens for over a year now.  My husband and I are debating whether or not to add a few more hens to our flock.  It made me think to look at old videos of our present flock when they were babies. Here are the 5 girls when they were just 2 days old!

Chicken Chatter: June is broody--for golf balls?

June has been broody for the past week.  In case you've never heard of broodiness, it's basically a phase that a hen goes through periodically, during which she wants to hatch her eggs.

June, broody.

Every day when I go to check on the chickens, I find June in the nesting box.  The most interesting aspect of all this is that June is not sitting on a nest of eggs (that would make too much sense). Instead, she is attempting to hatch a golf ball:

June is trying to hatch this golf ball.

The golf ball was placed in the nesting boxes before the chickens began laying to 'inspire' them to know where the correct spot was.  It is certainly getting more love now than I ever imagined.

I tried tossing the golf ball into a different nesting box, thinking perhaps June was just sitting in one particular box--no. When I later went to check on her, I found that she'd moved to the new box with the golf ball.

To make June look like an even bigger failure, the nesting box next to June's had FOUR eggs in it.  And June was still trying to hatch the golf ball.

Oh June, I think the golf ball may have to disappear...

Chicken Chatter: Angel started laying!

Imagine my surprise when I went to check on the chickens and only saw 2 out of 5!  I stuck my head in the coop, and there were 3 chickens each in one of our 3 nesting boxes.  Most surprising of all was that one of the chickens was Angel!

Angel, a salmon faverolle.

Angel started molting in December, and did not lay eggs during the molt.  I have been anxiously awaiting her return to production ever since.

Salmon faverolle egg, next to a Jersey Black Giant egg.

I was beyond thrilled when I later discovered this perfect little salmon egg in the nesting box.

Way to go, Angel! We're so proud of you!

Chicken Chatter: Angel is almost back to normal

A month or so ago, I posted about how Angel, my salmon faverolle hen, was molting.  And the most frustrating part of the molt was the behavior of the rest of the flock--they all picked on her.

Angel--don't you just love the muff?

A few weeks ago, everyone except Sunshine quit being mean to Angel.  For some reason, Sunshine decided to pick/peck on Angel every chance that she got! Sunshine would even go out of her way to chase Angel down and peck her really hard.  Angel is now terrified of Sunshine. Given that Angel is our favorite chicken, my husband started telling Sunshine that we were going to eat her (and I'm not sure he was joking!).

Sunshine was frequently mean to Angel.

Angel avoiding Sunshine in the coop.

Poor Angel spent most of her time up in the coop to avoid the rest of the chickens.  But for the past few days, when I've come home, Angel has been on the ground with the other chickens, and seems to have much more energy.

Angel has been spending time with the other chickens.

I thought that the flock was returning to normal.  I decided to test them, and placed them all in their portable run together (I had been keeping Angel separate recently).  Initially, everything seemed fine.  Then I went out to check on them, and Angel was perched on the waterer to hide from Sunshine.  And later, when Angel jumped down, Sunshine kept pecking her or chasing her around.

Angel, hiding from Sunshine.

I think Angel feels better, but Sunshine is still being a bully.  I'm not sure what to do about her...

Chicken Chatter: The one wattle wonder?

When I introduced my chickens, I described that Johnny Cash had a black comb and wattles.  In contrast, Pebbles (our other Jersey Black Giant hen) had a brilliant red comb and wattles.

Johnny Cash -- 9 months.

Recently, I've noticed that Johnny Cash's wattles and comb have started to turn red in color.  And, more interestingly, one (and only one) of her wattles has become larger.  Now, my husband jokingly refers to her as 'the one wattle wonder'.

Pebbles, for contrast.

This is my first flock of chickens, so I do not know much about their development.  But to me, it looks like Johnny Cash is just really slow to develop the larger wattles and comb.  Pebbles had a large red comb months ago.  Maybe Johnny cash is just a late bloomer?

Johnny Cash -- 6 months.

Chicken Chatter: Health benefits of backyard chickens

I recently made a brief post about the benefits of chickens in the garden.  In that post I just listed some of the benefits that having chickens can have on the productivity of the garden.

In addition to the other wonderful attributes of chickens, the eggs laid by free range chickens are better for you than the caged eggs that can be bought at the grocery store.  Mother Earth News organized a study on the nutritional properties of free-range eggs in 2007.  The results from that study supported the results of many other studies--free range, or pasture raised, eggs are better for you.

They found that free-range chickens had 1/3 as much cholesterol and 1/3 as much fat as eggs from confined birds.  They also found that the amount of Vitamin E, Vitamin A, beta carotene, and omega 3s were all higher in the free-range birds.

For readers who doubt the accuracy of that study, a 2010 peer-reviewed and published study out of Penn State, titled 'Vitamins A, E and fatty acid composition of the eggs of caged hens and pastured hens', described the following results:

"Compared to eggs of the caged hens, pastured hens' eggs had twice as much vitamin E and long-chain omega-3 fats, 2.5-fold more total omega-3 fatty acids, and less than half the ratio of omega-6:omega-3 fatty acids (P<0.0001). Vitamin A concentration was 38% higher (P<0.05) in the pastured hens' eggs than in the caged hens' eggs..."

Not surprisingly, having access to a healthy environment makes for healthy eggs.

All the more reason to appreciate our feathered ladies!

Chicken Chatter: Benefits of chickens in the garden

Many people may be surprised to find out that chickens make a wonderful addition to a productive vegetable garden.

Chickens are fun to have in the garden.

I have a small flock of five hens that were picked up as chicks in May 2011.  They started laying eggs in mid-October, and now I am getting over a dozen eggs a week.

Some benefits of chickens in the garden

• Provide eggs and meat
• Control weeds and insects
• Mow the grass
• Make fertilizer (manure)
• Till the soil by scratching
• Eat kitchen scraps, so they don't go to waste
• Endless entertainment

Chickens are fairly low-maintenance, and make a great backyard addition.  Compared to other livestock, they need a small amount of room, and they don't eat very much.  They are also easy to handle, due to their small size.

Chickens in a movable pen to mow grass.

We mow a lot less since we got chickens: we just move them around the yard in a portable pen (also known as a chicken tractor) during the day, and they eat and scratch the grass.

Chickens are a constant source of amusement.

Chicken Chatter: Angel is molting

Poor, little Angel.  She began molting sometime before Christmas, and she is still in the process.  I have to admit, I knew nothing about molting chickens before she started this!  Molting is basically a process that chickens go through every year or other year to lose their old feathers and replace them with new feathers.

Angel, a salmon faverolle, before the molt started.

Angel, before molt, with full fluffy feathers.

I first recognized that something was up when she stopped laying eggs.  Her eggs are a pretty salmon color, that is easy to pick out from the other chickens.  Other than not laying eggs, she seemed perfectly healthy and has no visible signs of a parasite.

Angel lays the smaller, salmon colored egg.

Then, I noticed that she was looking a little--disheveled?  Her beautiful feathers were not laying as smoothly against her body, and she was starting to look smaller.

Angel, during molt.

Then, I noticed the feathers: it looked like she exploded in the run!  There were Angel feathers everywhere, and any time she flapped her wings, feathers would fly.

Feathers are everywhere.

I am okay with her not laying eggs, and I am okay with her looking less than pristine.  It is the OTHER chickens that are bothering me.  Because she has lost some feathers, and looks smaller than normal (plus she has some feathers sticking out in weird places), the other chickens are picking on her!  Or rather pecking on her--they are being down right mean.  Poor Angel has resorted to staying in the coop to avoid them.

Angel staying in the coop to avoid the other chickens.

I can tell the other chickens are stressing Angel out.  So while I am home, I am letting Angel spend time outside of the run with me.  She seems to really like it! I am also spoiling her with treats like flax seed.

Angel has been hopping on our laps and shoulders when we are outside.  And she has even learned to untie my tennis shoes --  a great chicken game.  While I am enjoying this 1 on 1 chicken time, I am really looking forward to the other chickens treating her with kindness again.  I can tell her new feathers are growing in, so hopefully this process won't last too much longer for her.

Chicken Chatter: Baby chicks and pasty butt

I posted about getting our baby chicks last May, and how much we loved them.  What I didn't mention was that one of them developed pasty butt the first night we had them.  I thought it would be best to share this story as many individuals may be thinking about getting chickens this spring.

In case you've never owned chickens--pasty butt is a common problem with raising baby chicks (excuse the language). It happens when their poop gets stuck to their bottom and hardens.  After this, they are blocked and can't poop anymore.  It is a deadly condition if not treated!!

It's important to check baby chicks for pasty butt.

I had done a lot of reading on chickens before we got them, so I had heard of pasty butt.  However, as a new chick momma, I didn't think about checking them for pasty butt.  The first day around 6pm, I noticed one of our buff orpingtons seemed lethargic, so I thought that she might have pasty butt.  I picked her up and sure enough, she had a lot of hard poo on her bottom.  I got some warm water and a wash cloth, and with a lot of persistence I got it off.

I watched her after this, and she wouldn't eat or drink.  All she would do was lay down to fall asleep--not a good sign.  I was scared that she might not survive.  I knew that after her pasty butt ordeal, she was probably dehydrated.  Since she wouldn't drink on her own, I decided to make her drink.  I made a sugar water mixture (1 tsp sugar to 2 cups warm water).  I put 1ml into a syringe and fed her the sugar water 1 drop at a time while holding her.  It was a slow process (she wasn't interested in drinking) but I got her to swallow quite a bit.

After this, I made her a little infirmary to go in the brooder.  It was just a plastic storage container that I put hardware wire over. She had her own little dish of food and water. This had two benefits.  First, the other chickens couldn't pick on her and she could rest.  Second, by being isolated I could tell if she was eating, drinking, or pooping.

Chick recovering from pasty butt in an infirmary in the brooder.

After a couple hours, she hadn't improved.  So I made another water mixture, this time with about 1tsp of molasses and a capsule of probiotic in 2 cups of warm water.  I read that molasses is a natural laxative for chickens, and probiotics are good for baby chick tummies.  Again, I put 1ml in a syringe and fed her drop by drop.

At this point it was late, and I needed to sleep.  I put the little buff in her infirmary and hoped for the best.  Honestly, I feared that she wouldn't make it through the night.  I woke up at 4am to check on her: she was alive, but still lethargic--she HAD pooped though!  I went back to bed hoping she would be ok.

At 7am, I woke up to "PEEP!!! PEEP!!! PEEP!!!".  The chicks were far from my bedroom, so this chick was really screaming to wake me up.  As a good momma hen, I sprung out of bed and ran to the chicks. The little sick buff was jumping up and down in her infirmary INSISTING on being let out.  I quickly took the wire off, and she sprung out!  And then she ran around saying hello to her friends.  I watched her eat and drink.

The next day she was energetic and playing.

I was so thrilled that she bounced back after the night before!  And I'm very thankful that I caught the pasty butt when I did.  Next time we get baby chicks, I will know to check for pasty butt frequently from the beginning.  After the pasty butt incident, I checked them for it multiple times a day and treated it before it became a problem.

Here is 'Sunshine'--1 week after pasty butt.

And above is the little chick one week after her near-death experience.  She's just as energetic and developed as the other chickens.  We decided to name her Sunshine.

And here is Sunshine as an adult.

Chicken Chatter: Meet the chickens

My garden just wouldn't be the same without my five hens, so it is only fitting that they are each introduced to you!  In pecking order:

Sunshine

Sunshine is a Buff Orpington hen, who loves to pose for the camera.  She is one of my friendliest chickens, and the first to come running when I come to see them.  She has superior treat snatching abilities: no matter how hard I try to give another chicken a treat, she usually ends up grabbing it first.  She's pretty quiet, clucking occasionally.

Pebbles 

 I am actually not sure who is 'head hen'.  Pebbles and Sunshine seem like they are tied for first to me--but then again, I am no expert on chicken social protocol.  Pebbles is a Jersey Black Giant hen.  These chickens are known for their size, and Pebbles is the largest chicken in my flock. Her bright red comb and wattles provide a lovely contrast to her black/blue feathers.

Johnny Cash

Like Pebbles, Johnny Cash is also a Jersey Black Giant hen.  She is unusual in that her comb and wattles are black rather than red.  Because of this anomaly, she was named Johnny Cash in honor of the famous singer's dress code.  Johnny Cash and Pebbles seem less fond of their human caretakers, compared to the other chickens.  While they tolerate our presence, they are the most resistant to being picked up. 

June

June is also a Buff Orpington hen.  She is much more shy and timid than Sunshine, and it is probably this characteristic that has resulted in her low standing in the pecking order.  Sunshine, Pebbles, and Johnny Cash make a close gang of 3, and it is clear that June is not part of this clique.  She makes up for her low social prowess, with magnificent acrobatic skills--I sometimes call her 'ninja chicken'.

Angel

Last in the pecking order, but first in my heart, is Angel.  She is a Salmon Favorelle hen.  This breed's personality has been described as 'quirky', and Angel is no exception.  She is by far the most friendly, entertaining, vocal, and flat-out weird chicken in the flock.  Everything she does is weird or awkward: she runs weird, she talks weird, she drinks weird, she eats weird, she scratches weird, etc.  I think it is her bizarre antics that have caused her to be a social outcast with the other chickens.  But it is ok: Angel seems completely unaware of her social standing, and even if she is aware, she doesn't appear to care.  She is very friendly to her human caretakers. For example, if I am sitting Angel likes to hop up on my knee and engage me in 'chicken talk'.  This chicken certainly marches to the beat of her own drummer.

Chicken Chatter: Our baby chicks

I decided that a small flock of chickens would be a productive and beneficial addition to our vegetable garden.  If you are interested in raising chickens for the first time, I strongly recommend checking out backyardchickens.com.  I spent a ton of time on their site before we decided to get the chicks, and I feel like they helped me immensely.

My husband and I spent 2 weeks constructing a chicken coop before we picked up our chicks at the local feed store.  Every spring, our local feed stores and farm and garden supply stores get shipments of baby chicks for their customers to purchase.  It's a good way to get just a few chicks (if you order by mail, there is a minimum number of chicks you can purchase).  Call the store ahead of time to find out what breeds they have available.

We originally wanted to get 4 chickens--2 jersey black giants and 2 buff orpingtons. But they also had salmon faverolles when we got there, so we decided to get one of those too!  I strongly discourage 'impulse' chicken buying, but we ended up loving our little salmon faverolle.  So here is our little flock of 5, in their brooder (a cardboard box).

Baby Jersey Giants, Buff Orpingtons, and Salmon Favorelle.

We loved them!  They were much more active than I would have expected for chicks that are only a few days old.  We checked on them very frequently and gave them attention.  Baby chicks are delicate and need to be checked on multiple times a day.

They weren't scared of us at all and let us pet them and pick them up.  I was particularly fond of the salmon favorelle, who is very energetic and fun to watch.  She's the yellow chick at the top of the above picture.  The two black ones are the jersey black giants and the two buff ones are the buff orpingtons. 

  Stay tuned! Our chickens (now adults) will be introduced soon!