Goodbye Olive

Earlier this week, it became clear that Olive was a rooster. All of the sudden we started hearing an ear-piercing "cock-a-doodle-doo". It also became quite clear when she started growing a huge waddle, comb, and bright tail feathers. Luckily, we gave him away to a good farm and the girls don't seem to mind his absence too much.

Today, I let the girls free-range in the yard and they had a blast! I think that Penny, Kettle, and Snickers are becoming a flock!

This weekend, in place of Olive, I'm going to purchase a chicken from the Chicken Swap located at the Benton County fair grounds. I'm either going to purchase a silkie or polish. The pictures are listed below(polish on top, silkie on bottom):

PS-Vote in the poll and comment on which chicken breed you think I should purchase! Also, I am open to suggestions for other types of cool chicken breeds!

Treat Power!

During lunchtime, I let Kettle, Penny, Olive, and Snickers outside. I brought a leftover corncob out to give them as a treat. Snickers had a hay day! Wherever I went, she would follow, desperately hoping for a handout. Even the chicks enjoyed the tasty morsels left behind. A local western scrub jay also enjoyed the treat when the Girls and I left!

Kettle and Olive are still fighting it out to see who will rein supreme and be the highest on the pecking order. Who do you think will end up being highest? Lowest?

Thank you for visiting Happy Chickens Blog!

Peeping Explorers

This evening, I let the chicks roam outside in my flower patch. Even at a young age, chickens love scratching around in the dirt for bugs! They even took a dust bath!

Also, the fight to determine the pecking order is beginning. For those who don't know, the pecking order is the social ranking of hens established naturally within a flock. So far, Olive seems to be the most aggressive, especially towards Kettle.

When the chicks are two to three weeks old (like mine), a small perch should be installed in their brooder (chick house). Most birds tend to prefer perching as a method of sitting.

As the chicks become older, I will make sure to take pictures of them and post so that you can see their progress!

Thank you for visiting Happy Chickens Blog!

Welcome Home, Baby Peeps!

Last week, I received three new baby peepers! Their names (from left to right in picture) are Penny, Kettle and Olive! Even though they are all somewhat mixed breeds, Penny is mainly an araucana. Kettle is a buff orpington and Olive is a plymouth barred rock/buff orpington cross breed.

They are very sweet birds and I am training them to be used to people and handling. Amazingly, these chicks already have almost all of their wing feathers in even though they are only about a week old (they grow that fast!!).

I can't wait until they grow all of their feathers in! I will keep posting every week so that you can see their growing progress!

Thanks for reading my Happy Chickens Blog.

Snow Chickens

Snow!

Winter is still here, even in late February! A deep snow washed over Corvallis closing the schools. I took this opportunity to take a couple pictures of my chickens. They were very reluctant to come out at first. As the day wore on and the snow melted, they clambered out to experience the bitter, cold ice.

Snow can be dangerous to a chicken as they can easily receive frostbite on the tender parts of their body (this would include the comb, wattle, and feet)! We put a heating lamp inside the henhouse to prevent possible frostbite in the night. The outside water dishes can also freeze. To prevent this from happening we put a lukewarm heating pad under it, so the girls can receive a fresh water supply.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Snickers and Checkers and Sweetie! March third was the girls' birthday. I gave them a special blueberry, millet treat to celebrate their being two years old!

Tortoise Food

This morning, my tortoise Hermann, started his daily routine—bask and eat and explore! This type of tortoise, (called a Hermann's Tortoise) is a vegetarian. He eats greens such as dandelions and red-leafed lettuce. In the picture above, the white speckles on his food is calcium. This needs to be fed to him about four times a week.

Hermann is starting to wake up from his winter mode. This means that he sleeps a lot. In the spring and summertime, Hermann is more energetic and playful. He loves to get out of his cage almost every day—we let him out around dinnertime.

Winter Sunshine

Although it is still winter, the sun peeks through the clouds once and a while; this is the perfect opportunity to take pictures outside! I opened the coop gate and out shot the girls! We meandered about for a while and enjoyed the sun.

Many other birds were out as well—towhees, house finches, and dark-eyed juncos! I enjoyed listening to their cheerful tunes.

Pictures:

The top photo is of Snickers kicking up dirt by a holly bush.

The second captures all three of my chickens. From left to right—Snickers, Checkers, Sweetie.

Hermann

Along with my three chickens, I have a tortoise named Hermann. He is about 6 years old and has been a very reliable pet for this family. Living to about 80 years old, he will be a lifetime companion for me. This kind of tortoise is a vegetarian so his main diet consists of greens such as dandelions, lettuce, kale, fruit, and vegetables.

In the winter months, Hermann is slower, yet he still likes to get out to stretch is legs. Surprisingly, tortoises aren't as slow as people make them out to be. When he sees a tasty treat, Hermann will sprint! This is always a pleasure to see!

Many people are confused about the difference between tortoises and turtles. The main difference; turtles are water and tortoises are land. Most turtles are either omnivorous or carnivorous.

Wildlife Blog

Did you know that I have another blog? Its my wildlife blog; check it out sometime! We post photography and descriptions about different types of animals and plants. Here is the link:

Kelly's Wildlife Blog

Thank you for visiting my blog! Be sure to check again sometime for updates!

Mystery Bird Revealed

The answer to the bird in my backyard(from a previous post), was the mourning dove! This was hard because the bird was so nondescript! Check again for a new mystery animal. I will have one about every couple weeks! Throughout this time I will supply hints in the comment section! Thank you for visiting my blog!

P.s.
If there is are any requests on blog posts I would be happy to oblige!

Rain Days

Your girls are bound to face a rainy day, especially in the winter time. Chickens need a place to go in the coop that is sheltered from the rain. We supply them a potting table. This is convenient because it has their food and water can under it. My chickens do not care a bit about getting muddy and ruffled in the rain; they dig deep holes and scratch around in the dirt! This is a good, normal behavior that most happy chickens will do.

On cold days where the temperature is below freezing, your girl's water bowl is bound to freeze! To prevent this from happening, place a heating pad under the can. Extra treats such as millet, cracked corn, greens, fruit, and vegetables are all great things to give them (especially in the winter). Always remember to check wattles, combs, and feet for frostbite in the winter, as these areas are prone to this. You will know wen they get frostbite because this area will turn black and die.

Even in the cold, winter weather, spend time with your chickens and let them know your there and ready to give them treats! This will keep their spirits up! Spring is on its way!

Mystery Bird Picture

A view from my backyard on a winter's day. Note the bird in the cherry tree; can you guess what it is? Please comment!

Winter Chickens

The Winter months can be hard for every chicken. Wattles are in danger of frostbite and the water cans freeze, leaving the chickens thirsty. Thanks to a few tips, my chickens are as happy as ever! Here is the list:

-Put a heat lamp inside of the coop
-Use a heating pad for the water cans
-Feed them plenty of food and scratch(chickens have to lay eggs as well as take care of themselves. The extra treat will go a long way.)
-Have a sheltered area in the coop

My chickens have survived two harsh winters so far and are still laying eggs!