Flock Owner's Rainy Day Chili

This is the perfect flock owners crock pot chili recipe that I use. 

In crock pot pour in and stir gently. 

2 cans [15 oz.] Nalley's turkey chili 

1 small can tomato sauce 

2 turkey sausage patties cooked & crumbled

1-2 sliced sausage cheese dogs

1/4 cup salsa 

1 can pork n beans drained or red beans I was out today.

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

Mix ingredients in and cook on low 4 hrs.

Missing Hen Found

Missing Hen Found! Earlier this morning I realized that one of the black hens was missing. I have not found a pile of black feathers so that is good news I suppose. I looked all over the back yard and under the shed in and even in the neighbors yard they hang out sometimes I did not see her. Then later in the morning after I told hubby that I could not find here he opens up the kitchen door just as she flew in on top of the coop and had breakfast! 

I looked under the broody hen she is sitting on one egg. Today I made up omelet for Father's day for hubby and the two Easter Egger green eggs were both fertile that I used I've heard fertile eggs are supposed to be the best for you. 

As I type this I'm trying to think of what happened with the chickens here this week pretty uneventful. I had to buy eggs at the farmer's market this week to have enough to boil for lunches. Production is down a couple of the hens have gone broody and the older ones are slowing down in production. They young ones are not in production yet so we are sort of in between.  

The young roos are starting to scuffle among themselves now. The smaller one pullets are nearly fryer size are leary of them. 

The currents are nearly gone now, the chickens love the cherry sized plums from the purple leaved plum tree and eat the small green apples from the back yard so they are keeping that cleaned up. Now if I could just get them to catch and eat the yellow jackets! 

We are thinking of the cooking surface for the patio and we're thinking an outdoor sink would make butchering day a lot easier so we looked at some for that hoping to get a used sink for that. 

New Chicken Yard Fence

This week end we put up the new fencing in the chicken yard the other one was temporary and I learned I needed more access so we put in an additional point of access a make shift gate. The green plastic fencing is not permanent but should last better than the other one. 

Today the chickens are in the back yard while I water the chicken yard when ever I go out to change the sprinkler they think it's feeding time. When I moved it last time I put buckets upside down by the current berry bushes so they could get the taller berries. They seem to really enjoy them. The ones by the wagon were picked clean! Great free chicken food. 

Roses in the chicken yard have grown a lot this year that was great to see. I'm thinking where I can put one more old fashioned rose in as it's great cover for them. I've learned that they do not bother the things I plant as much if I let them get the bugs out first and then after planting but the netting around it. 

It's getting more difficult to tell the difference in the young birds and the older ones as they are all nearing the same size. Some are getting courser sounding squawk in their clucking making me thing this might be a roo. 

I got paint for the coop and I'm thinking how to get the wall inside the run done and dry in time for their nightly roosting.  I guess I'll be out cleaning it bright and early before I begin and then locking it up after they are out they don't mind feeders being moved out side under the trees. 

We need a bigger latch for the back gate/door and lower front one as they seem to be the ones I fight with to get to close not enough give in them it's frustrating and I'll be glad to have that problem solved! 

Chicken Adventures

Chicken adventures are expanding the neighbor kid is done with high school gave his chickens (2 hens) away to a friend and gave the coop to us we are going to remodel it for an isolation cage / roo run/ or brooder. So it was a very exciting day to get that last weekend! It's red the other neighbor made it I need to ask him if it is paint or stain the top needs a new coat. 

We are down to six hens we got rid of the older mean hens. Also we still have all ten of the chicks they are now fryer size and some are as big as the smaller hens. The four we got later are pullet size now of those four looks like only one is a hen.  :roll: 

This week hubby cut a 2" x 4" for a second roost and things have calmed down at night when they go to roost now that they have more room. We had been talking about doing that for a while. I put up a temporary one of a tree branch that broke off one of the the trees in the yard in a wind storm but it was too unstable for any of the bigger ones to use. The really like the 2" x 4" on the four inch part to roost on at night. 

I've changed them over to pellets and have less feed lost to song birds / mice stealing it because of the larger size. The chickens also love corn, canned corn I found some at a yard sale down the street,  and corn on the cob I got an extra one for them to enjoy. I need to go pick up the cobs! 

The younger chickens are learning to enjoy the backyard I have a few holes to plug up so they ones do not escape, but it's an easy fix as so far only one spot has been a problem.

Chicken Yard

I've been keeping the hens in until noon at least so they lay in the nest boxes, the pullets go out first so they can eat without the fryers bugging them, then the fryers get out in to the chicken yard. Having breakfast seems to be one of their favorite things! The pullets are all feathered out and incorporated in with the rest of the flock and now they want on the top roost too. [No eggs yesterday.] The day before the broody hen started to lay again so that is good news. Last weekend we culled some of the older ones so egg count is down. 

Yesterday I made up some fabric feed bags in various sizes smaller than the feed sacks I can lift them; I struggle with the 50-80 lb. ones. So these work out great! I was hoping to find corn print for cornmeal at the fabric store but no luck so I got yellow instead. I got some turkey hand print like kids do in school to make a print for turkey crafts. I can put the all flock feed in that one! I have one bag for the scratch made up and another one for the layer feed done. I need one for the grit next I think. These are fun to make up and fast! 

Speaking of fabric I got some different [green] fencing fabric to put up; the orange stuff is not so durable and when I put it up I knew it was just temporary. 

I need to decide what kind of fence area for an isolation / roo cage. I'm also hoping to change the chicken yard area so I can put them in different parts of it and rotate the over grazed parts to let it recover and put the chickens in under the apple tree when apples are on to help clean that up. They are great for eating the weed seed so that's helping. 

Last weekend I pulled chick weed was hoping they would eat that but they don't seem to like it. The roses are blooming in the chicken yard and we have some small fruit coming on now. 

This weekend we will be grilling one of the home grown chickens we raised yum! On interesting thing this week was finding a dead mouse in the water bucket that had dround and another outside the bucket in the coop so I had our grandson help bury those out side of the chicken area. 

Last week I cut out the bottom of a plastic apple sauce  jar to screw on the round chicken feeder to make it easier to fill that sure works better saves a lot of time and mess. 

Pumpkin Tree

Today I got up late it was raining the hens did not seem to mind waiting until the rain stopped to get up. I've been out to feed the chickens. No eggs yesterday that is rare that they all take the same day off. The spring egg push is over now I guess. I'll need to buy eggs if we are going to have deviled eggs and omelettes this weekend. 

Yesterday I did some gardening and I planted a pumpkin tree I by put seeds under a tree in the front yard.  Those white pumpkin seeds and it only had six seeds in the pack. I'm hoping they all grow! I got the carrot seeds in and mowed the front yard also.  I'm glad I did that before it rained. I enjoyed my day and spending some time outside cleaning the patio hanging out with the chickens hubby calls it playing with them! 

Looking forward to using the table on the deck and enjoying watching the chickens from the patio expansion we did last summer. This week I dug up some tulip bulbs that were poorly placed by it and not working out and move those the hens thought it was great fun to get the bugs when I dug in the yard doing that. 

Hubby said when he got home he had to take the broom after one of the Barred rock hens pecking the heck out of one of the pullets. Later it was fine.  I'm trying to incorporate the pullets in with the main flock this week. He thinks I should just keep them locked longer. The temporary fence is starting to give up so we need to figure out a different solution for the chicken yard. So I've been pondering various solutions for that. The broody hen is off her nest now and back with the flock. 

We can think about getting the coop back to the hens now that the pullets are out and put the other nest box set up back inside after I clean the coop out. But I might wait until after I've painted it I do have paint for that project. The hens seem to enjoy the lawn clippings for nesting material.  I've gotten one egg today so far another hen on the outside nest. 

It would be a great day to dig up some bulbs to move as it's been raining. I figured out where to move the next crop of onions to as they are going putting on this years crop of new sets/starts on now. 

Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed Peppers one thing I've never tried because I did not think I liked it boy was I wrong! I did these after deseeding the sweet red peppers and giving the seeds to the hens. I froze the peppers. Later I had to think how to do a low carb. version of meat loaf thawing out two ground beef patties I seasoned the filling added an egg and chopped carrots celery and onion tops from the garden stuffed the peppers and seasoned the baked them in the oven then added cheese. This was yummy and could be done with ground turkey or sausage hubby said that it was a keeper!  

For breakfast today we had omelettes with onion tops, mushrooms, cheese and eggs from our hens that's always a weekend treat around here after doing chores.

Next week will be chicken on the grill. 

May Flowers

We have flowers blooming in the free range area iris and roses, they love to dust bathe under the roses. I'm going to mow bag clippings for chickens this week. 

I got up at five today let out the fryers hens were still on the roost. Pullets were ok with the door to the run open last night they slept in the coop and came out to the run when I fed them and let the fryers out. 

Two of the four pullets New Hampshire Reds are chest bumping indicating roos what a bummer! I was hoping they were hens I wanted to know how they did laying compared to the Rhode Island Reds. I like the looks of the Rhode Island Reds so much better than the N.H. reds. I'll try some Rhode Island whites for replacements next spring. 

After putting some replacement sod patches down last weekend we had a lot of sand from that and put it in the chicken run with old sod we took out around it for a dust bath area all of the chickens have been enjoying scratching and pecking in it.  

Pepper seeds from deseeding peppers seem to be a favorite for some of the hens. A friend works at organic produce vegetable stand so the hens get scraps from there. 

Fruit is starting to set on here and we will be getting fruit next month for the chickens to eat currents are on first then the summer apples begin and later on apricots and plum cherries, nectarines and peaches followed by grapes and plums. 

We've planted tomatoes in the front flower beds this year. Some of the marigolds in the back as well. So far the chickens have left them alone yea! 


The broody hen moved sitting spot and left a nice clutch of eggs this week. 

Sunny Days

We are all enjoying the sunny days in our forecast this week. The fryers have learned the boundaries of the first free range pen now after a day or two they got used to that and were running out with the hens when I opened the door this morning. They were looking for worms! 

Hens clucking woke me up at 5:45 a.m. today. Our grandson helped me dig sod out of the last area and we removed it from the yard and we gave it to the chickens they love sod! It has bugs worms and they eat the grass too. 

I have more to move that we dug out earlier and then we can get to the garden area. our grandson brought some friends by after school to see the chickens earlier in the week. Our granddaughter can't wait to come and "help" dig today. She only likes to dig after I've removed sod and spaded it up it's easier. The hens are right there where the shovel is getting the prime spot for worms and bugs. Others want to see the set up when they come by as well. I'm glad the fryers are tame enough to catch and let visitors pet when I hold them. 

Broody Hen Again

This was the county fair weekend here I saw that they had three baby goats born at the fair! They were a hit!

The winds we had blew the one branch I was using for a roost down and we had to put it back up a couple of times. I cleaned the sod clumps out of the coop that the fryers had eaten the grass off of and put some fresh ones back in.

The pullets were under the light this morning, we have freeze warnings out for our area so they need the heat a bit more. I'll wait to plant the tomatoes and marigolds and bring those in tonight.

One hen has gone broody again so I've moved her to a nest more out of the way and she has not abandoned it like she has done in the past we will see how she does I took the golf balls out that she was sitting on the other hens added eggs to her clutch at one point there were three hens in that nest at the same time this weekend.

One of the birds is a male I'm thinking, we are still getting fertile eggs. That one we call Marshmallow is a  white Easter egger and does not crow or fight much so it's good. The four youngest birds pullets are doing good out in the coop, the fryers are getting along with the hens for the most part. If any hatch they will be the barn yard mix. The grand kids are still enthralled as we are with this process of gathering eggs and raising chicks.

I opened up the front and back of the nest boxes and the hens were able to get into back into the run at dusk, so I did not have to worry so much about them when we were not home before sunset. However two of them were in the top of the coop so had to be moved when we got home later than our norm one night.

We are still getting eggs from the one that lays thin shelled frustrating so it looks like we'll be culling all of the barred rocks sadly to say they are great for getting bugs and grubbing around in the dirt and follow me around the yard when I'm gardening, doing chores and yard work.

Happy Day

Life is good when the grand kids are happily digging up worms in the back yard for the chickens and playing with sticks. Give them dirt a shovel a stick a tree to climb and a sunny day and it's a heavenly day for them! 

This week we are incorporating the fryers in with the hens and next week the pullets go out to the coop. The pullets are getting the same feed as the fryers from now on they just ran out of chick food so at a month old that's perfect timing. 

It was cold the first part of the week yesterday I turned on the heat lamp but the fryers wanted nothing to do with going back into the coop so I turned it back off again. 

This is not the first time we've incorporated new chicks in with these hens they are all fine this morning.  

One of the hens is laying weak shelled eggs and we figured out which hen it is so I was able to make sure she got oyster shell-calcium and I'll need to make sure that is out for them separately. I've been mixing it in with the hen's food. I pulled weeds for the fryers and they did not eat them the hens were not interested in it either. 

I'm happy to have the pullets nearly ready to go out to the coop it will be good to have the chickens all together and will free up the basement counter space again. Egg count another green egg today so that one is laying every other day we got four other eggs today plus one that was broken in the nest. 

Clean Coop & Run

Now that the fryers are growing they needed better places to perch they opted for the top of the old doll house frame that had been gutted. I put it in for their use it's taller so I put some boards across the top for perching on and they fit better with lovely rows of the Rhode Island Reds perched across the top of it. My granny said they used to have a Rhode Island Red they called "Henny Penny" I guess most flock owners have a favorite hen. 

This morning I cleaned the run and after I got back from town discovered the hens had undid that pile I raked up, it was scattered about. So I raked it up again and they will do that again and it's a great way to have help turning the compost LOL! A couple more times and it will be good they will loose interest and I'll figure out the best place to move it to out of the traffic flow for egg gathering. 

I cleaned out the coop this afternoon as well, our grand daughter wanted to help feed the chickens so she came out with me but was not interested in the coop cleaning! Our fruit trees have been fertilized too. 

One green egg so far today and one hen still on the  nest box no telling how many she's sitting on today. 

  

New Perch Places

Last night I did not get the coop open in time for the hens to go back in oops! It was dark sooner because of clouds out side and they roosted in various places out side on top of an inverted nest box on saw horses, the ladder leaned up against the back of the coop on top of the run and in the tree behind the coop  and run. So hubby turned on the light and I got the hens off their roost and they wandered in to the run and got up on the normal roost, I thought I was done when I noticed the two on top of the run and I tried to get them down and they went on top of the coop and then in to the tree behind it. So next I had to get the latter and fetch them down out of the tree! Then I got the fryers down from the tall roost and back in the coop.  

Feeding Chickens

Good Sunday morning I'm back! Waving to all who read this I've slept in here too until 7:30 a.m,  up then did the chicken chores, made coffee while I was out doing the outside chores. Then later hubby we put the pullets in a bigger tote today. The fryers are beginning to mingle in the morning and evening with the hens slowly getting them used to each other. I'd let them out but remembered too many places they could get out of the yard so I'm re-thinking that. 

The pullets are getting feathers and splotchy looking the brown feathers are about half in and they look like half and half birds now, it's very interesting to watch this process! I've been giving the pullets some of the pumpkin too now. 

I got the last pumpkin out of the freezer for the birds now I'll be giving them the other stuff I put up for the birds we did not have yet last year. I can't believe that I even did that! LOL! 

Got one green egg with two other hens in the same nest box this morning. I"m going to track the green egg layer to see how often she produces one just for fun by marking the days she lays. 

We made blue berry muffins the other day the hens are getting the old ones.  I need to pull some weeds the fryers will love those. I've been working on digging out some sod and they love it when I give them a new batch to eat on in the pen! Ever heard of sodding a chicken pen? I'm wondering if they could living in a Soddy like in the covered wagon days! LOL the things I wonder about. 

Fryers!

One more week and then we will incorporate the fryer size pullets in with the hens, the new chicks are now pullet size and will go out to the coop. We're hoping it warms up at night by then. 

I have some yard work to do today the hens love to be out in the yard while I'm doing that so they can get the worms, bees, and bugs. 

Our grand son got to collect 6 eggs one day this week,  another day I gathered 4 eggs and one other day we had 5 eggs.  Of our nine hens not bad the older ones are not laying as much and culling time is coming. 

Chickens and Routines

Morning routine is under way chicken chores done here now. It is quite a bit of work having three different ages of chickens, the hens need one type of feed and care, the pullets are on a some thing else, as are the youngest chicks still another in the growing stage in the basement. Our grand son was asking when they go out to the coop. I told him we were just discussing that this weekend. In a couple weeks or so soon as it warms up at night a bit. This is me rolling my eyes what were we thinking, hubby said he pleads the fifth on getting this last batch of chicks I'm SO glad it's only four! They are cute and getting their feathers in and at the awkward scraggly stage with half fuzz and some feathering. The older pullets are feathered out and looking like miniature chickens at this point. 

The hens were happy to get some time in the yard yesterday while we were digging out side just before the hail came and the hens took cover under the deck! I've been closing the run for the pullets and the hens get access to the coop but they don't use it much except to grab a snack from the feeder. Speaking of snacks the treats have been apple cores, pumpkin and carrots. 

I'm learning to get the eggs when I see them instead of waiting until the grand kids show up after school one was broken yesterday, so of the five that were laid we got four. 

Six Eggs

We got six eggs yesterday one was green. The hens are adjusting to the reduced ranging area pretty well. The pullets are growing like weeds. I showed one to the baby that is here at the end of the week each week now. She got all excited seeing a chicken up close. She enjoyed watching the hens in the stroller from a distance.  

Squirrels enjoyed the pumpkin seeds that the hens turned their nose up at. I left a small sauce cup of seeds out on a table on the deck after moving the tomato sets and there were two doves sitting on that table one day that was an amazing sight I had the grand kids come quick to look! 

I have one more area to dig up in the lawn of the wrong kind of grass, last weekend I hurt my foot over doing it a bit so might wait for better weather on that it's a blustery days out we had rain in the night and the winds woke me up this morning. 

The new chicks were chirping in the basement to be fed and watered. Time to clean their cage today our grand daughter will be here so I"ll have her help she likes to tend to the birds with me. Our grand son is excellent at gathering up the eggs after school as well. Grandma's house is fun! 

Spring Weather

I was excited yesterday to see that there were two pullet eggs in the nest box, pullets are  now laying again after being broody. The hens enjoyed my weed pulling adventures and got the worms soon as the dirt was exposed! It rained and they were out grazing in it when I came home from a store run so the rain does not phase the hens! The chicks are delighted to have some sod I dug out of the lawn, the family calls that chicken salad! [No, it did not have weed n feed on it.] It's time to mow the back yard now that the barrier fence is up the grass is growing again and no longer looking over grazed. Time to think about the garden spot and getting a bit more work done on that. 

We had winds in the after noon so I put the chicks in the coop and hens in the run early to batten down the hatch. 

We got 5 eggs one green I'm glad that count is up we have not had as many boiled eggs this month. The newest baby chicks are doing great and starting to get their first feathers. It is an interesting process to watch as the feathers are coming in red after the yellow fuzz on the N.H. Reds.

Feed Store Trip

On a trip to the feed store yesterday we got a new ax handle to fix the ax head we had here and got a hatchet one of the hens was not doing well with an injury of sorts and had to be put down. While I was at the feed store I got feed crumble for layers, scratch, and un-hulled sunflower seeds. The hens love it [B.O.S.S.] Black Oil Sunflower Seeds. I got a small sack of sunflower seeds to mix in the scratch for their treats. I also got another three pound feeder I had to put together. I did that while hubby worked on getting the ax handle to fix on the ax head we had it was not a perfect fit and needed some modifications. 

Yesterday I dug up some  more sod and let the hens out to get the worms * note to self wait until after digging next time! 

Today I was up by six thirty a.m. I fed the new chicks they are doing fine and I checked on the hens, it was pouring down rain and three of them wanted out any way and they were squawking to be let out of the run. I guess there are more worms to get when it's raining out. It was not all that cold out. Some of the hens stayed on the roost until the rains stopped or at least slowed down, then they went out and I let the pullets out of the coop and into the run they were having their first adventure with weather! 

S- Hooks

Today I got up and I knew I'd better not mess around and checked on the chicks at five a.m. When I went to the basement to check on the newest baby chicks they were out of water so I was glad I did that first. Someone had put the plastic water transporter container in that I'd specifically said not to use in the bin for them because it was too light and would tip over when they tried to perch on it when drinking. [That person now knows not to do that again that was a bummer!] 

Their temp. in the container was just right at 80*  we put a temperature gauge using an S-hook to hang it on the side. The S-hooks come in handy for other things as well we have one on a chain to hang the heat lamp over head. 

Food ready for the outside chickens and pullets to take out after sun up in the mornings. Most of the time I get it ready to take out the night before. The pullets are getting their feathers and looking fine. They have adapted to the old doll house we rescued and it's working well for an area they can sleep in and roost on the 1"x 1" board on the top works well for that as they learn to be chickens. They've been enjoying the warmer spring weather and dust bathing on the floor of the coop!