New Guinea

Charlie's big birthday gift this year was a new Guinea Pig.  Her name is Daisy, and she is absolutely adorable!

New At Our House

Introducing Truffles and Petunia, our newest Guinea Pigs! 

Truffles is very active and noisy.

 Petunia is shy and quiet. She prefers to hide in blankets, pockets, the hoods of sweatshirts, shirt sleeves, under boxes, in her pigloo, etc.

 

So far they have been a great source of amusement for us, and sweet companions for our older piggie, Skittles.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm

Ben has been doing more work with the microscope in his biology labs recently.  He hasn't exactly been thrilled by comparing hair follicles in various wet mount solutions, or by cross sections of a carrot, but there was one slide that really got his attention last week; life in a drop of water.

We collected some standing water from a bucket lid outdoors, a bit of frozen pond water, and some from a third source as well.  Ben prepared a well slide for each water source.

In the standing water we found... nothing.  

Defrosted pond ice? Nada, nichts, null.  

But the third source was filled with tiny, fast-moving paramecium!!  Completely fascinating!  

Wondering what that life-filled 3rd source was?  

A drop of water from a flower vase in our living room!

  

  Here they are zipping around at scanning power:

Paramecium in vase water- 3.5x

 They moved around so quickly though, that it was hard to get a good look at one close up. That is, until Ben made a slide with a drop of glycerol (glycerin) added to it.  This made them immobile, so we could get a better look.  And yes, I did feel just a little bad about doing that.  I kinda became attached to the little guys.  All in the name of science though! Click on these photos to really see some fun detail!

Paramecium in vase water with glycerol- 3.5x

Paramecium in vase water with glycerol-40x

Just look at those single-celled beauties!

  Hmmmm. Makes me wonder what other microscopic life is secretly hanging out in my home...

Hunting Habits Of The Ferocious Guinea Pig

The Guineas are spending a good portion of the day outside now, in their no-bottom A-frame hutch. They mercilessly devour the long grass and any dandelions that might be unfortunate enough to cross their paths.

"Ginger"

"Rosie"



"Skittles"

Update On The Brood

For a couple weeks now, Mother Hen has been leading her chicks out of the coop on a daily basis. At 6 weeks old they have feathered out nicely, but still stay with mom at all times. They are very sweet to watch. I wonder when she will set them off on their own?

A Fun Detour In Our Morning

I was cutting it close this morning when I ran out to the barn to refill the chicken water font. I figured it would just be a quick chore though. Then we could hop in the car and still make the 20+ minute drive to Nature Story Time with a few minutes to spare before our favorite naturalist cracked the spine of today's educational tale.... Little did I know that something more interesting than story time was happening out in the barn and we wouldn't quite be on time today.

As I came into the cool darkness of the coop, I spied this quaint little scene:

Baby Chicks!!

Now, it wasn't a total surprise to me, as mama hen has been broody for weeks now and we made the decision before George Michael left to let her have a go at raising a few fuzzies of her own. Still, I had started to think that perhaps things didn't take and we would have to rouse her off the nest fairly soon.



I ran back to the house right away and got the kids (and the camera) and we sat and watched them for about a half hour. Mama was very calm about it all and let us get close, though we didn't try to touch the babies. It was cute to see them scurry back underneath her wings when startled and then peek out again to check us out.



I put out a little feed and mama showed the babies how to peck. And there is nothing more hilarious than a chick scratching it's food with those tiny little feet!



We also added a small water font which the hen also demonstrated for her chicks. The marbles prevent the chicks from standing in, or drowning in the water.



There are only 3 chicks right now but there are still another 3 eggs that have been incubating. Some eggs in this photo belong to other hens, but I marked the fertilized eggs at the beginning of the process to be able to tell the difference. Although we have raised hundreds of chickens from babies, we have never let a hen raise her own so this is a completely new treat for us. I'm not sure if we'll separate the mother and babies from the rest of the coop yet, or let her stay as she is. My concern is predators as the barn is open during the day. Stay tuned for updates!

One Big Baby

When we transported the rooster this past weekend, we happened to arrive at the farm just as feeding time for a young calf was approaching. Donna and Jim, our neighbors, let the boys have the honors of holding the bottle for him.

This is Danny. He is just a week old. His mom sort of rejected him, hence the bottle feedings.

The bottle holds a half-gallon of liquid and he eats three a day. It really was gone in a matter of minutes.



Charlie thought this was just the funniest thing he had ever been a part of. He brings up the subject of Danny several times a day now.



After the thrill of the feeding was over, the boys decided to climb the hay bales to the height of the shed. They thought it was just the most fun ever (since feeding the calf moments before). Typical boys. Then they made me do it.

I have to admit, it was a little fun.

A New Home For George Michael...

And it's not in the crock pot! A few days ago, while on a bike ride, Steve stopped to talk with our neighbors about a half-mile down the road. They have a working Mom-n-Pop farm with cows, horses, a llama named Dolly, chickens, guinea fowl and Lord knows what else. In conversation Steve related our woes about our troublesome chicken and jokingly asked if there was any room at their house for a mean rooster. Being lovers of animals, they obligingly said Yes! and told us to bring him down on the weekend to meet "the ladies". Who knew someone would actually accept an animal who is introduced as "Mean"? Will wonders never cease!? So, rejoicing, we all piled into the car on Saturday with George Michael on my lap (I kid you not. Isn't that the way you transport birds to a friend's house?) holding him sideways so he was disoriented enough to sit still. I have to laugh thinking about that because it could have been such a Darwin Awards moment if that rooster had gotten skiddish and tried to make a break for it. Anyway...the transfer was a success and Charlie no longer fears going out the back door.

George Michael just before leaving his old coop. Doesn't he look like he knows something is up?

FYI- we covered his eyes and turned up the radio real loud on the ride to the farm so he could neither see , nor hear his surroundings. Don't want him finding his way back.

With everything to explore and all the animals at the new place, I think he'll be very happy with his new digs. If he causes any trouble though, we've all agreed to meet for a BBQ. We mean it this time!

You Have Been Warned

This is my beautiful Rooster George Michael. George Michael loves me. He runs to greet me when he sees me outside. He trots after me happily when it is time to lock up the barn. I pick him up and tell him how wonderful he is and he puts up with me touching his tail feathers and wattle, and ruffling his hackle feathers. He makes an endearing growling noise whenever he eats. He's my bud.

But he hates my children.

Every time the kids step out the door he thinks he has something to prove and runs at them and pecks their legs. Repeatedly. On Sunday poor little Charlie came in the house with bleeding cuts on his ankles where he was pecked. George Michael had chased him across an acre and absolutely terrified him in the process. Keep in mind this rooster is BIG, especially to a four year old and it really does hurt to be pecked. Especially when it breaks skin, or leaves a bruise. And Charlie is short enough where his eyes could seriously be a target in one of these attacks.

Since Steve is also a target of my beautiful Rooster's hatred, the consensus of the (obviously non-alpha) males around here is that we have a crock-pot chicken dinner real soon.

Bird-you have been warned! Be nice, or be dinner!

Egg Production Is Up

Remember me getting all excited about this? Well it is amazing what a few weeks and some warm weather will do to increase those numbers! We are collecting around eight per day now. Good thing the kids like quiche!

Five days worth of eggs from a dozen hens...there are about 40 there.

Enjoying Some Fresh Air and Filth

With the weather warming up into the 30's the past couple days, the chickens have been excited to come out of the coop and hang out in the dirt in the drive-under of the machine shed. They are too "chicken" to walk on the snow, so they are staying pretty close to home.

Here's George Michael, current Alpha Rooster, keeping a close watch on the flock.

Some of the ladies enjoying a dust bath.

Here they are rolling in the dirt. It must feel so good after so long in the coop!

Chickens are so much fun to watch. I can't wait for spring when they'll be hanging out in the yard all day picking at bugs and grass. Simple pleasures....

A Christmas Miracle

I know I really shouldn't put all my eggs in one basket, but I only have one so it shouldn't be a problem, right?


Just in time for Christmas omelets, our new-this-past-spring hens have begun to lay! Pretty Egg-citing news, right? We're so proud. Our little pullets are all grown up!

Awake Yet?

Maybe this will help.

See, I told you so. May I introduce you to "Wooster", our alpha rooster. His contemporary, who has not crowed yet but certainly will soon, has been dubbed "George Michael". That's what you get for not speaking up. The good names get taken first.

40 Days Without A Post About Chickens

I thought you all might be needing a chicken fix so here are the girls in September at 3 months old.

Which of These Things Is Not Like The Others?






No one is crowing quite yet (another month or two), but I'm putting all my eggs in one basket on this one.



Chicken, thy name is Rooster!

Newest Addition To The Menagerie

Introducing.....

Ginger

(AKA Mrs. Nesbitt)

Ginger happily joins our other beloved guinea pigs



Rose and Skittles

I Have My Suspicions

We have fifteen chickens right now. Thirteen of them look like this:

Small, pale comb, no wattle. Demure hen-like look.

Then there are two who look like this:

Bright red comb, wattle and cheeks. Typical rooster "Ask yourself, Do feel lucky" look.

I am suspicious. Perhaps the two of you have just matured a little more quickly. After all, the other hens will eventually have all the bright red accoutrement you now sport. On the other hand, I may wake some morning soon to the enchanting sounds of Cock-A-Doodle-Doo. Time will tell.

Like Real Chickens, Only Smaller

Remember those fuzzy baby chicks? Well, they're just about completely feathered out now at one month old.

They have been out of the house for some time now, but not too far. During the day they are out in a small A-frame coop in the front yard so they can eat grass and bugs and practice all the cool things chickens do, like scratch and peck or dust-bath themselves. I move the pen about three times a day so they always have fresh grass to eat.

At night they go back in their larger pen, on the porch now, under a lamp for warmth. They still behave like little babies when it's time to go to sleep. They lay down flat and pile against each other. They are so cute to see. They are growing bigger every day, though, and pretty soon will be too big for their current digs. Steve has been working on down-sizing our large chicken tractor for their new home. With a chicken tractor, these small birds will be able to be outside 24/7 to more or less free-range but still have protection from all the predators we have out here. He originally built it about 4 years ago with the boys, for our meat birds. The only problem with it for us now is that it is too big and heavy really for one person to move easily. We usually raised nearly 100 birds at a time so the space needed to be big! I believe it was about 12 feet by 8 feet.

Cornish Cross chickens in the chicken tractor 2004

Now with only a handful of hens, it does not need to be so huge. It will need to be moved once a week, probably. It will be about half the size when he is done. Adequate for our purposes, and easier to handle. Hopefully that will all be ready in a week or so.

Hey, have you ever noticed how many of our "sayings" have to do with chickens? I have! I will list:

All cooped up
Flew the coop
Hen pecked
Pecking order
Don't put all your eggs in one basket
Don't count your chicks before they're hatched
Rare as hen's teeth (my personal favorite)
Hunt and peck
Chicken scratch
Happy as a rooster in a hen house
From scratch
Nest egg
Feather your nest
Don't get your hackles up
Walking on eggshells
Something to crow about
Home to roost
Rule the roost

Whew! Why is it that there are so many? Can you think of any I missed? Leave them in my comments if you do think of one. In the meantime I've got to fly and go stuff my baby birds full of worms!!

My Peeps

Steve brought home a box of these last night:


They are so sweet! We have been raising chickens ever since the first summer we lived here (over 500 chickens so far!) and this variety is our absolute favorite! They are Buff Orpington chicks, all hens, and when grown will look like our School Mascot on my sidebar. Buff Orpingtons are like the Golden Retrievers of poultry. They are mellow, friendly, curious and loyal. OK, I made up the part about loyal, but they do run to meet the car when you pull into the driveway! We have 15 chicks and we'll keep all of them as egg layers. Steve says they are about 3 days old.



Here they are in their temporary home, the bottom of our guinea pig hutch. Yes, they are in our house! (insane?) Normally we would have a brooder box in the barn, but since we have so few of them this year (we usually have 100 to take care of in years we raise them for eatin') it is easier for us to have them inside as opposed to way out in the barn. The weather is staying cool later into the spring this year, too, so they will be warmer under the lamps inside. They get big really quickly so they will be out of the hutch and the house in a very short time. In the meantime, it is very sweet to hear their little p'cheep cheeps as they scramble around doing their chicken thing.

Musical Monday-Buttercup Performs Zoom A Little Zoom

Ben did this video of Buttercup just for fun. The music is from a 1950's album called Singing Science-Space produced by Hy Zaret and Lou Singer. You can find more catchy science tunes here.