The chickens are up with the sun! Or, actually, way before the sun. Chickens are early risers. They start crowing the day in around, oh, 4 AM. They crow till I let them out of the chicken house, then they crow some more. And some more after that. What is up with all that crowing? But I like it. Nothing like a rooster crowing to make you feel like you live on a farm.
I live on a farm. I like that, too.
But before I let the chickens out, I stop on the way to feed the goats, let them out into their goat yard, and release Coco from her all-night confinement on guard duty with Clover and the babies. Coco’s always eager to see me. I think Clover tells her scary stories at night or something.
Or just simply spending the night with Clover is scary.
Coco bursts with energy when she comes out of the goat pen, and she loves to get the chickens up with me! She’ll return to the goat yard later, but for now, she has to get up chickens and eat her own breakfast while Clover and the babies eat theirs.
The chickens love to get up. I say, “Good morning, chickens!” and lift the door. They charge out of the chicken house, crowing and cooing and generally making a big ruckus.
The ducks hang back, afraid to get involved in this chicken ruckus. They wait till all the chickens are out then they will gingerly peek their heads out and decide if it’s safe to emerge.
They tumble off the walkway from the house to the yard, working to avoid tangling with that scary rooster, completely graceless.
I love my ducks.
While Coco pants at the fence, watching the chickens and ducks come out, I go inside….
….to see what’s new. There’s usually something waiting for me on the floor.
And in the nesting boxes. At least somebody’s behaving and laying in the right place.
I gather up eggs and go back to the chickens, who are waiting, waiting, waiting, hoping I have brought them a treat.
I bring them cracked corn, or leftovers from the kitchen, and sometimes cracked eggshells. Eating eggshells helps them make strong shells on the eggs they lay. I pile up eggshells as I use eggs, then when I have a good batch, I bake them in the oven to dry them out. (You don’t want the chickens to get a taste of raw egg. It might tempt them to eat their own eggs!) I crumble them up after they’re dried out.
I toss them on the ground of the chicken yard and they fall upon it like ravening wolves. Okay, ravening chickens.
I put some in their feed box, too. Don’t you just love big fluffy chicken butts?
Coco loves big fluffy chicken butts.
Sorry, Coco, they are not your breakfast!
So I feed Coco her real breakfast and I take my eggs inside. I’ve been saving egg cartons for months, waiting for the day that I would have eggs. Think I have enough egg cartons?
In my defense, egg cartons will wear out and I’ll need new ones and I won’t be buying eggs, so it seemed like a good idea to store up lots of cartons. Plus, when I have too many eggs, I will be giving away cartonfuls to Georgia. So I need extra. I’m not obsessive and compulsive, I’m not!
I love my pretty cartons of colorful eggs.
I could stare at them all day, but that would be weird. Like, obsessive and compulsive.
But aren’t my eggs pretty? I made eggs!!!!! (Well, the chickens helped…..)
Posted by Suzanne McMinn on November 3, 2008
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Congrats on the eggs!
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Thanks for sharing.
Cece
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Same here Jillybean — we are going through the same thing. 28 chickens, with potentially at least 20 old enough to lay. Maybe 4 moulting and taking a break, but that still means I should be getting more than the 6 eggs a day I have been getting. Are they on strike? At least I’m not the only one around here with the same problem. Same feed, extra light…what more can I do? Anyone with a suggestion?
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:J
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I have puppy-itis. Someone here in Michigan has listed their 14 wk old Pyr puppy for rehoming. I really have to tell myself I don’t need an 8th dog!
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I never thought of chicken butts before. They do look amazing.
I remember my uncle’s chickens from my childhood. It was the kids’ duty to feed ‘em. I remember they were pretty smelly. I suspect that was largely because my uncle was a kind of smelly sort himself. He kept them across the creek away from the house, and boy! Once you crossed the creek, you started taking shorter breaths! LOL! Do your chickens stink up the place? Enquiring minds want to know.
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Can I move in with you?
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And I like the fluffy chicken butts, too.
Soon I’ll be making eggs, too. Gotta get the chickens first.
10:28
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Suzette–I don’t smell them. Well, if I walk right into the chicken yard, I do, but I don’t smell them from the porch or just walking around the yard. It helps that they have adequate space, and cleaning out pens helps, too! (The goats don’t smell even though their night pen is under our porch–we keep it cleaned out regularly.)
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Your eggs, and shells are so pretty. You did a good job (even if you had a little help from the chickens. I won’t tell….)
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We have the same morning routine minus the goats. Clover has convinced me I don’t really need goats. LOL Maybe I’ll get a few turkeys instead.
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Wow, you have SEVERAL eggs now…that is so cool. Very informative. I LOVE a Rooster crowing in the am…I have only had that experience once but loved it!!!! LOVED all the pictures and your story! Thank you!!!
Sixteen…what a character…she is just a CUTIE bug!!!!
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Whatever happened to Blue?
If Clover and the younguns are locked up in a shed at night, does Coco need to be there? Are you concerned about thieves or varmints?
Thanks
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Marie