Chicken check

On February 5, 2021February 1, 2021 By CarynIn chickens

Hurray! My chickens have gained their weight back! My eldest and I did a chicken check and all the chickens are heavier. They feel much healthier too. No mites under the wings, vents all look fine (and it is apparent that some are laying), no bumbles, but some have some very prominent scales on their feet. So another round of vaseline on the feet at night is in order. On the encouraging side, more feathers are growing in on their feet, so maybe the last two rounds of scaly leg mite treatment helped some.

Pretty egg

On February 3, 2021 By CarynIn chickens, eggs

Every once in awhile we get a particularly nice colored egg. Sometimes they have well distributed dark spots, but this one was the first I’ve seen with white spots pleasingly spread across the surface. As the hens get back into the groove of laying, the colors even out, but this was a fun find.

Acorn squash

On January 27, 2021January 23, 2021 By CarynIn chickens

I thought I would give the chickens some acorn squash both for enrichment and varied diet. They have liked it in the past (and it is as close as I can get to pumpkin right now), but it takes awhile for them to peck away at the flesh. This time I baked it (and let it cool) before giving it to them, so it was easier to eat. I sliced the acorn squash in half, left the seeds in, and baked the halves cut side down in a pan with a little water at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes. They picked the skin clean in a day! And it did make hanging half the squash on the carabiner easier, since the flesh was soft.

Chickens getting started on their cooked squash

You might notice that the hen on the right is more gray than brown. She had just been wallowing in the dust bath. Upon further investigation, she had a bumble on her foot and I wonder if because of the pain of it she wasn’t stable enough to have a good shake. I took care of the bumble and wrapped her foot and she was looking more like herself in a couple days.

Egg!

On January 25, 2021 By CarynIn chickens, eggs

Found an egg! Hurray! It has been almost exactly four months since we’ve had an egg laid in our coop. I was optimistic when I saw Magic do her squat a couple weeks ago. She may be the one who produced this egg! This summer when they are in full production I am definitely going to try some more egg preservation methods.

First egg laid in four months! (And a golf ball, just in case they forgot where the nests were.)

Chicken enrichment

On January 17, 2021January 11, 2021 By CarynIn chickens

Not much growing in the coop, insects quiet, winter dreary, so I livened the hens life up a bit by putting their scratch in chicken toys. The balls are usually empty by the end of the day. The tube, not so much. The tube is harder to roll, and only has slits on one side, which may account for the lower use. I’ve had both kinds for awhile, but the balls have been used more (the tube was hiding in the back of the cupboard!) We’ll see as winter progresses if they figure out both devices.

Critters and Craft

Category: chickens