Category: poultry

We integrated mama chicken and her chicks with the rest of the flock. It went extremely well, I’m not sure what’s different from last time.

Did you know? Chickens have an uncanny ability to keep their heads perfectly still regardless of what happens to their bodies.

A baby chicken (more like teenage chicken by now) felt a little too fearless and strayed way away from mama hen and the rest of the flock. To teach it a lesson (and for sport) we ran after it and caught it. It’s hard to catch these guys, they go fast and they’re small. This one hid under basil, it’s easier for us this way because you can at least get close when they think you can’t see them.

We traumatized it a little to teach it that it’s a big scary world away from the flock. First Esther petted it 6 ways to Sunday. Then we made it dance to observe its perfectly still head. That’s what happens to fearless chickens in these parts.

It’s funner to watch on a bigger chicken with a longer neck. But this still illustrates their amazing ability. That poor chicken ran back to its mom so fast when we let it :).

Sometimes life on planet Earth boils down to 2 small apes rolling on the floor laughing at poultry being made to dance by a big ape. It’s the miracle of life.

The chicks got their first dirt bath and the whole scene effused with well being. Between the little chick by itself who doesn’t know how to do it, the one who can’t not fall asleep, and the extreme contentment of the mom.

We had another broody hen this year. Only 1 of the fertilized eggs we gave her made it, so quick thinking Nicole went to the store and got a few more chicks. The hen adopted them all and has been a great mom. We gave them separate quarters so the rest of the flock can get used to them without being able to attack them. It is absolutely brutal what mother hens have to go through, beyond the deprivation of not leaving her eggs for almost a month. Separate quarters is a must or I’d personally murder the rest of the flock. Friends of our told us that their broody hens leave the flock. It’s literally safer for them to sleep in the woods with coyote, fox, mink, hawk, bears, racoon, fisher, skunk, …., than it is to stay within their flock.

Esther is enamored with the baby chickens, but mom won’t let her get too close.

The chicks have 2 moms now. A few weeks after they were born, they awoke the motherly instincts of another chicken. They now sleep cozily under not 1 but 2 warm fluffy chickens. Honestly it’s kind of nice to see mom get a little help. There was very much a “her Vs the world” dynamic for a while.

We had another brooder this year. Instead of letting it go by, Nicole got fertilized eggs from a neighbor and 3 chicks were born without any need for incubators. This is the second time we get a brooder (who could very be the same as last year), and the first time we get chicks this way. It’s quite cool to see her introduce the chicks to the flock, she was extremely defensive the whole time, barely getting out to eat. Now that the chicks are out and about, she cuts us some slack and lets us get close while most definitely keeping an eye on us. She lost them in a thunderstorm when they couldn’t get back in the coop, I’d like to think I scored some chicken esteem points getting them back in.

Also interesting, while the rest of the flock is usually a source of danger for young chicks. In this case, they seem to not push at all and leave mom completely in peace. Even going as far as defensively joining a ruckus we caused around the little chicks.

Kind of gets you thinking about the reputation for being dumb we give chickens so that they’re easier to justify mistreating and eating.

Tall grass & Dirt Baths, a chicken paradise.

We have a brooder on our hands, she’s always resting on the eggs and super defensive. She barely gets out to feed. I’ve never seen a chicken display such behaviors, she makes herself bigger as you get closer and makes aggressive noises.

It also looks like her big mama attitude has triggered other chickens in seeking comfort under her feathers.

Very bad year for ticks so far. Time to release the dinosaurs.

They had a few mercilessly cold nights, we bring them hot water in the morning and let them stretch their legs on a little straw patch. They look relieved and happy to have made it through the night.

Some time in November I removed the fence around the chickens in preparation for the snow which damages it. Chickens never go far in the snow and they knew where home was so I felt ok letting them roam around. They enjoyed their liberty enormously and did very well coming back at dusk. Problem is they also started laying; not all picked the coop as their laying spot.

So unfortunately for them, and in the absence of snow, the fence is back and much tighter so they correct this behavior.

We finally let the chickens explore their whole area. We kept them pretty close to their coop for a while so they’d learn where home it. We’re getting better at this this is the most seamless chicken integration we’ve had. No loose chicken, no running around in the forest, no stubborn roosting habits. We know how to foster good habits now and it’s making everyone’s lives a lot easier. They now roam around all day and go home on their own at night. It’s a pleasure to open their door in the morning and see how happy they are to satisfy their instincts. They are still fenced in for now but on a large area that we’ll rotate. In a few weeks they will probably be ok with no fence but then the predators might be an issue.

Go my minions, keep that grass down for me.

It’s been attracting coyotes despite my cleaning it pretty well.

Without chickens

With chickens