Chicks

Yes, these truly are the same chicks I showed you two weeks ago. They are not so cute any more. They are fat... really. I lost two the first week, so I'm down to 58, I didn't think that was too bad though. I like my chicks, even if they are fat and ugly. Can't wait to see them on the table! No...honestly I can. 

Freedom Rangers

You ever wonder what 60 chicks look like? Well, you know, it's not the sight of the amount that got to me, it was the deafening noise that 60 chicks can make! My goodness they are loud!

And yes. I did just have 60 chicks arrive at my house. I may be crazy, but I'm excited. they are all Freedom Rangers, I am raising them for the freezer, well, some are for our freezer but I will be selling about half of them after butcher. I will keep updating their progress. When we lived in NY my parents raised meat birds, they raised the ugly white ones that stink, sitting around getting fat. These ones are a heritage breed, which, I've been told, live a normal chicken life and act like chickens right up until butchering. Also when they raised the white broilers, I had nothing to do with them, so really, I've never done this before. A new farming adventure! It is a lot of birds...

More new birds

Zach

Lady Bird

Ok, so I've been blessed with a lot of birds...no really, a lot of birds. Not sure if I wrote about him or not but about a year ago my neighbor - Larissa - found a Cockatiel hanging out with her turkeys! Her husband caught him and they gave him to me. I named him Darius.  Now I already had a Cockatiel -Zach - and a Parakeet -Levi - that I had bought when we lived in New York. Darius is a very friendly bird and I am so happy to have gotten him. But then... One of my dad's employees asked if we wanted a cockatiel. she said they were moving and couldn't keep her. She also said this Cockatiel lays eggs.  So I got all excited, I thought "I can put her with Zach or Darius and have some baby Cockatiels hatched" So we took her. I named her Merriam. Though we hardly ever call her that, she's Lady Bird. So I had these four birds for a while, happy as could be.  They were all getting along great and Darius and Lady bird were very social with me. No eggs yet but I'm still waiting patiently. Then I get a text; Larissa knows someone who is trying to find a home for their two conures and they come with cages. At first mom said no way. but then we got thinking, we are buying two rather pricey dogs and we could sell these birds for puppy money. We said we'd take them.  So these two four hundred dollar birds arrived With their two massive cages, each in their own personal carriers! We put one cage in the house an put both birds in it. There is a Peach Fronted and a Jenday Conure. They both love to dance to almost any music you play (Though Casting Crowns' praise you with the dance is their favorite) And they Peach Fronted talks his head off! He says Thank you, and your welcome, Hello, Whatch' ya doin', I love you, all kinds of stuff. They are both so much fun. I fell in love with the Jenday though, We are trying to find a home for the Peach Fronted, but I'm keeping the Jenday. I named the Jenday Jezreel (jez REE el) and the other is Alex. Jezreel is very social. He loves having his head scratched, and he would sit with me all day if I let him. Such a love bug. I have recently given Zach away. I miss him a little but he went to a really good home where I think he is probably getting more of the attention that he needs. I love all my birds even if they do scream and wake me up at five am every so often. But if you know any one who is interested in a Peach Fronted Conure, we are selling :)

Darius 

 

Levi

Jezreel

Alex

Crowing Hens

I discovered the other day while I was carrying water to the goats that I have a crowing chicken! I thought "Great. on of my new chicks is a rooster...." so I put my buckets down and went into the barn to hopefully see who the culprate was. I looked into the coop, they were all just standing there looking very innocent. I looked to Molly, thinking "she's got a rather large comb and bossy demeaner..."  I crowed hoping to provoke a reaction and it did. but it was coming from around the corner. My first thoughts were "who ever it was escaped." then "maybe one of the neighbors roosters got out and came to visit my hens" I rounded the corner into the them empty goat stall.....It was BABY! My Productive hen! I was dumbfounded "baby did you change gender on me!" I can not explain the thoughts that were running through my head. I googled it and sure enough if there is absence of  a rooster one of the hens may "take over" the position of rooster and start crowing. I've seen her do it since then and it is the weirdest thing having a hen that crows! 

Zipporah

My chicken Zippy/Zipporah has died. I'm unsure how, I found her dead in the coop when I was feeding the chickens their dinner. She was a polish and I know the fancier breeds are often fragile and easily catch passing germs that may not affect other chickens at all. I do feel rather silly posting a chicken's death - and if it were any other chicken I would hardly fuss over it at all. But Zippy was a pet. I took her for walks (Yes, walks, like a dog on a leash) and I tied her "hair" up with ribbons.
And I suppose writing is my favorite ways of releasing my feelings, so here I am... typing away.

P.S. I didn't know this until just now what the name Zipporah means. I named her after a girl in a book I read and I just looked up the meaning of her name and guess what it means? 'Bird'. And I had no idea that it meant bird when I named her that.