Chicken Babies!

Ok, I am way behind on keeping you up to date on the chickens. We hatched again this spring. I just found the pictures of them. So, here you go. Cute baby chickens!

I don't know if you remember or not, but Atta Girl, the Mama hatched. She loved her yellow fluffy chicks!

She didn't like the black ones or the red ones! They came to live inside for awhile with us.

 I mean, how can resist that face?

More chicken pictures to come!

The Fight to Keep Backyard Chickens Hits Close to Home

Well, the fight to keep chickens in your own backyard has finally reached my county. And you better believe that I am going to support the Pond family in this fight! I am asking you, my friends and readers to help out. Please take a minute to read the article in the MDJ. I encourage you to leave a positive comment about owning pet chickens. You have read my blog. You can go back on my blog and read again( or for the first time) about my journey into having pet chickens. I love my girls and I can't imagine not having them. We have to educate people about chickens as pets. Get ready for lots of posts about chickens coming soon!!!

Now, click below and start reading!!


East Cobb man campaigns to keep his backyard chickens

Summertime!!!

Boy, the time has just flown by! I can hardly believe that it is summer already. The 90 degree temps have convinced me though. Summer is here, baby!

Let's do a little catch up:
School is out! Woohoo. And drum roll please...... It was my last year there. I am moving on to my doula career. Website for that coming soon, I promise! I will miss the kids and some of my co- workers, but overall I am really happy to move on.

We have thirteen, yes I said thirteen, baby chickens! Lord helpl us!!! Atta Girl hatched two, we added to hers from some that a friend hatched in an incubator. She seemed to take them well....until the next day. My chicken is racist. All of the white chickens she loved and cared for. All of the black chickens she scared silly and injured. So, either she is really smart or really mean. She accepted the new baby chickens that looked like her original two and shunned the rest. So, we have had six babies in the house!!! Today we are moving them outside to learn the sights and sounds of the rest of the flock. Hopefully it will go well. Oh, and I can't find the camera, so no pictures for now.

Instead of a garden this year we are working on growing a lawn. In the past we have grown weeds where a lawn would be, so we decided it was high time for some grass. A month or more of work on Dave's part prepping and planting seed, a palet of sod and lots of water later we are growing a grass lawn!!! It will take it a while to get established, but I really am looking forward to walking around barefoot out there next summer.

I have been doing a cleanse the past month and really found it refreshing. I went vegan for eleven days, then slowly added back lean protein, watched my rice and lentil intake, and made a point of eating twice as many vegetables as fruit and most of that raw. I have had more energy and felt generally better. I can start to add back nuts and seeds this weekend. I am just a little bit excited. Ok, I want some beef too! But I learned that I can have lots more veggies in my diet and be really happy. I love my smoothies even more than I used to. I plan to write more about all of this. And with summer upon us, I should have some time.

We are off to Charlotte for a week of fun with family. It will be fun to spend some time with the little niece and nephew, and everyone that we don't see very often. I see lots of time at the pool in my near future and I can't wait!

Ok, I need to go spend some time with the chickens and turn off one of the many sprinklers helping our lawn become lush and green. Happy summer ya'll!

P.s. Excuse my typos as I was lazy and wrote this on the iPad instead of the laptop.

Cute Baby Chicken!!!

It isn't the best video, but you get to hear the baby peeping and Edith talking to her. Edith was showing her a piece of cantaloupe. I could watch them all day long!

Here is the baby chick!

We ended up with only one baby chick. Here she is with Momma Edith. That is right. Daisy didn't turn out to be a good mom. Edith is great!!!!

Lleulu checking on Edith and her baby

The fluffy blob is the baby. I was trying no to scare her with a flash!

Edith teaching the baby how to eat. Absolutely precious!!

A little better view of the baby. She is so tiny next to her mommy. She was either coming out from under Edith or about to go back under her.

 

Well, I have to go get ready for bed. Students start at school tomorrow. That means I will be awake well before the sun! I will post more chicken cuteness soon!

No Time!

Where does the time go! I have so much to talk about and no time to talk about it.

Our anniversary came and went with a trip to Chattanooga. It was wonderfully relaxing. Pictures to come...

My birthday came and went with some small celebratory dinners and sweet sentiments from Dave, friends and family.

We lost one of our new chickens. Brown Chicken was very shy. Something gobbled her up during the night. She had gotten confused and gone to bed outside of the coop. Everyone else seems to be coping well. I choose to believe that she is in chicken heaven roaming the green fields. The new white chicken has been watching out for the little ones. We have named her Lydia. The other small chicken has yet to be named. Any suggestions?

I am having a Narimon party tonight and I am so excited. I am excited to educate people about the scope of human trafficking and prostitution. I am excited to see so many friends and family. Are you coming?

Gotta run! The day ahead is long and I have much to do. I promise to write and post pictures soon.

The Babies

Everyone has been wanting to see the new girls. They were babies to us when you put them beside our girls. Here they are. Pickle is on the left and Lemon is on the right.

This is just before we put them into their new home.

Dave really does love the chickens. Can't you see it?

Our girls were not sure what to do with the little ones. They shunned them and pecked them, but not hard. I can't blame the girls. In one day we took away the six boys, who were hard to catch, and added two little ones. They seemed to tolerate each other after a day or so.

Sadly, we lost Lemon last Saturday. I think that she was sick when got her. The stress of the move plus picking up some illness did it for her. We loved you Lemon!!

That day the girls adopted Pickle. Edith literally rounded Pickle up into the group. Atta Girl slept with her for a couple of nights before she started sleeping on the top roost with everyone else. They share their treats with her. They love Pickle and so do we. We are so glad and proud of them.

Pickle has grown in the last two weeks. I treated all of the girls with some medication just in case what Lemon had they all had. The combo of the meds, a good home and some good food seem to be working wonders on her. And apparently I just grow huge chickens. I need to get another picture of all the girls together. They are so fun! once the mosquitoes are gone I will be out there all of the time just watching them. Want to join me?

Coop, Here It Is!

I tried to find my pictures of the progression of the coop and couldn't find them. So, here is a video I took trying to catch the boys crowing. Of course they didn't. And I am not sure how clear the video is. I will take some more pictures soon. Anyway, Coop, Here It Is!

Thanks Dave for building our chickens an awesome home. They love it. And I love you!

Cock-a-doodle-doo?

I woke up this morning and opened the back door as I usually do. I like to feel what cool of the morning there is in The South! Today, as soon as I opened the door I heard a high pitched "cock-a-doodle", followed by a low pitched "cocka#*!". The boys are hitting puberty and they are finding their voices. I got outside far enough to see that Xena has become Zorro and is very proud of it! I tried to capture some audio but of course they stopped their crowing.

This morning I frantically tried to find them homes. Have I mentioned that we aren't lawfully owning chickens? Well, now I have. I'll bribe you with eggs to keep quiet about it. The crowing could draw unwanted attention to us. I have succeeded in finding homes for three of them. Hunca Munca, Hank and Elroy will be traveling tomorrow to meet their new owner, Josh. He has a good deal of land out in Lawrenceville where he breeds and raises chickens. He has 8 Cuckoo Maran hens just waiting for the likes of Hunca Munca and Hank! I am not sure who Elroy will be paired up with, but I am sure that he will find himself some lovely ladies.

Now I have to find homes for Trace, Zorro and Hyacinth. I mean Henry. Hopefully they will find one in Woodstock. Fingers crossed and prayers said.

The good news- Josh is bringing me two pullets! I am so excited. Oh, a pullet is a female chicken who is not quite mature. Once mature she is called a hen. My boys right now would be called cockerels not roosters. I can't wait to meet these new girls and pick out names for them. They are close to the age of my chickens and their breed should make them good layers. Hooray!

Here are a few pictures of everyone together enjoying a treat of leftover rice. They devoured it!

What a nice family portrait. We'll miss you boys! I really will. It will be all that I can do not to bawl my eyes out over them. It will make it a lot easier that they are going to a good home where they can make lots of babies! Maybe one day I will get one of their babies! That would be really neat. It is also easing my pain to get two girls in the trade. The coop won't seem quite so empty. I will post pictures of our adventures and hopefully capture some farewell shots.

The chicken saga continues! Stay tuned...

p.s. Josh is taking all of the boys after viewing these photos of them! I am so glad that they will all go to the same home. What a blessing!

Our Week Away: Part 1

We recently were away for whole week! We never go away for a whole week. I thought that I should give you a glimpse of our time away.

Our first stop was in North Carolina. We spent the night with Dave's sister Katherine and her family. We also celebrated Karen's birthday. She is my mother-in-law. Here is a shot of Karen Dave and our niece Olivia.

Katherine was the first person that I knew to own chickens. Here is her current brood. Aren't they pretty?

The necklace fairy (aka Auntie Kara) left Olivia some necklaces overnight. She liked to call them balls. I guess that technically she is right. Here she is showing them off.

We can't leave out baby Walter. Remember how tiny he was? Not anymore. Here is the little chunkster. What a cutie!

I couldn't resist a shot of him crying. He doesn't cry often, but even his crying is cute. What a sweet little guy.

We left North Carolina and headed for Pittsburgh. It was a long drive to spend the night with friends. We stayed up late into the night catching up. Their boys woke us up, we got ready and headed out on the town. We were so tired and busy that I forgot to take pictures.

After lunch we headed to Cleveland. Stay tuned...

What I am Digging Into Today

I have a few things that I have to do for my own sanity today. First on my list is digging into my summer Bible study book. I haven't even started it. So bad. I hope to make some progress today.

Dave will tell you that I have a hard time slowing down. There is always something to do. Like today. I need to finish folding and putting away the laundry, make some food, pack a lunch or two for the week, check on the chickens-they are outside in the rain, and finish up tidying the house. Oh yeah, I am going out to dinner with some girlfriends tonight and have friends coming over for dinner a couple of nights this week. I forgot to mention that I am working at Dave's school all week too. This is our life. I am glad that it is full.

For this moment however I am going to sit back with my now cold cup of tea, listen to the rain falling outside my front door and dive into this Bible study. Happy Sunday and a belated Happy Independence Day.

The Move Begins

The chicky babies aren't babies anymore. They are full blown teenagers! We went to Ohio for a week and came back to chickens with full feathers and personalities to boot! We lost one while we were gone. Gertrude was lost to a snake. The snake didn't make it however. Thanks Sharon for watching my babies!

When we brought them home we moved them into the backyard during the day and indoors by night. This is still our routine.

Here they are exploring the yard.

This is their temporary setup. It seems to be working pretty well. They love to hang out by the tree trunk, my little tree huggers.

Here they are eating.

Down on their level.

And the beginnings of the coop. Dave has brought it a long way. It is going to be a chicken mansion. They will be so happy!

I'll have more to post soon. We are working on the coop all weekend. Stay tuned...

Chickies First Trip Outside

A few of the girls went outside for the first time about a week ago. At first they were curious.

They took a look around.

Then they sat down and decided that it was too much.

All except for Xena. She ran into the bushes. Dave got her out and we went back inside. We will try again another day.

A Few Mug Shots

They have grown so much since these were taken! I couldn't get away with holding them like this anymore. More photos to come!

Lleulu Takes a Looksie

Sorry that I have been a slacker. I took Edith(left) and Jemima(right) For a field trip to the neighbor's about a week ago. Here they are while waiting to go.

You can barely see Lleulu's nose here.

Dave and Lleulu getting a good look.

For the most part, she could care less about the chickens. She loves to listen to them, watch their shadows and sit on their brooder. I think she loves them.

no rest for the weary and the weary never rest

Things have been very busy! Painting at Dave's school every day plus the trip to Athens this weekend and I am pooped! Sorry for no new pics of the chicky babies. They are trying to fly and are getting all kinds of preteen trouble! They knock over their food, rip up the paper lining the brooder and fly at each other. It is all that I can to to keep the brooder clean and them fed and watered!

I have also visited with the neighbors the last two nights. We found out that our neighbor two doors down passed away Saturday. I took some flowers to his widow today. She talked my ear off, was the nicest that she has ever been to me and convinced me that she is indeed a wee bit off the rocker. I can see me over there quite a bit=) Our other neighbors are good. I just spent some time visiting and doing little things for them. Poor Dave now has 3 neighbors lawns to mow plus ours. What a trooper. I guess that we love being the neighbor! It is wearing me out this week. Maybe it is simply the paint fumes. On that note, excuse any typos, please.

Ok, enough typing. I have to go to bed so that I can paint up a storm tomorrow. Okay, paint up a hallway or two. I need a day relaxing by the pool. Anyone want to join me?

Whew!

This week has flown right by me! I got to cook dinner for a friend that has a new baby and take it to her and spend some time hanging out. I also helped my mom run some errands and thin the plants in garden. Everything is growing beautifully! And I started my summer job. Now the week is drawing to an end!

All of my chicky babies seem good. We still are holding at 11. Elroy, Hyacinth and Atta Girl aren't putting on wight like everybody else, but they have time. Most everyone of them has grown in wing feathers and likes to show them off by flying at one another. It is pretty funny. They are getting stronger and faster too! I am trying to spend more time with them. I have to lock Lleulu in a bedroom though as the flapping of wings is very interesting indeed!

I will take some more pictures soon. We have a busy day tomorrow, work and then headed to Athens for a wedding. It will be fun. Hopefully I will have plenty of chicken time this weekend! 

How is your summer going?

I Don't Know What to Call This One...

I have lost another chicky baby. Matilda got pretty sick yesterday. Today she gave up. She was laying down this evening, having a hard time breathing. She was pretty lifeless. My poor girl! She passed peacefully. She was such a pretty baby, my little chipmunk. She also had the sweetest tweet. 

Matthew 10:29-31 has brought me some comfort. Jesus says,"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of the Father. And even the hairs on your head are numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." He watches over the sparrow. Surely He watches over my chicky babies.

While I was watching Matilda laying there struggling harder and harder I was reminded of another baby that I once cared for. I don't know what her given name was. I knew her as Eun mi. Here she is.

I took care of  her on her fist night at the orphanage in China. She had been abandoned near the North Korean border. By God's grace she had been brought to the House of Love. There was much rejoicing and prayer upon her arrival. That must be a bit what it is like in heaven when one of God's children come back to him by accepting His son as their savior. That is a cool thought. Anyway, we took her to the hospital. They said that it was a miracle that she was alive and sent us home. It was the dead of winter in northern China after all. The hospital was not very modern at all. Here she would have been rushed to the NICU.

Mother Anne asked me to care for her over night. I kept her on my chest most of the night to make sure that she was breathing. I fed her often. She seemed to have trouble eating. Later we would discover that she had a cleft palate. It was interior, with no outward sign. She was precious and tiny. I hardly slept that night. I was so worried about her. I prayed over her and sang to her.

The next day I moved with her to the baby nursery where she wouldn't be held as much. It was hard to leave her there. I knew that she was in good hands, and that she was loved. We left the orphanage for Tianjin a few days later. When we called the orphanage before leaving China we learned that Eun mi had passed away. That was the first baby that I ever lost. We cried, mourned and rejoiced that she had known such love and care for a few weeks. Some pictures of Eun mi were shown to doctors back in the states and they believe that she had a heart condition as well. Poor girl. How we loved you! I can't wait to meet her in heaven! 

Thanks God for reminding me of Eun mi. I guess that I have done a lot of care taking in my life, and suffered many passing on. I don't know the purpose of it all. I do know that I trust God and I thank Him for my soft heart.

The other baby chickies have been lectured-no more giving in or giving up! You must stick around and stay strong. I am going to try to hit the hay. It has been a long weekend.

I will keep you posted.

Let the Naming Begin!

Alright, here we go. Time to name my girls, until I find out that they are boys anyway!

This is Xena. She is a Golden Lakenvelder. Pretty , eh?

This is Trace. Loud mouthed and fast talking! She is a Blue Cuckoo Maran. She is a bit bossy if you can't tell!

I believe that this is Matilda. This was a few days ago. All of the other pictures were yesterday. Matilda is suffering with coccidiosis. I couldn't put a sad sleepy picture of her up here! Her wing feathers are starting to grow in though.

This is Atta Girl. She is a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte. Sounds fancy!

 Here is our other Blue Cuckoo Maran. I just can't come up with a name for her!

This is Jemima. I love that name! I guess that I read too much Jemima Puddleduck when I was a kid. She is our other Blue Laced Red Wyandotte.

This is Edith. She is a Black Australorp. Isn't she something? She is a bit bossy with her height. I hope that she is a girl!

Meet Elroy. Yes, I hope that I am not cursing her with a boy's name, but it just popped into my head and I love it. As best we can tell she is a Blue Splash Maran. She should be light with gray "splashes". I can't wait to see how she turns out!

I still have four Cuckoo Marans that I need to name. I can't quite tell them apart yet, except that one has feathered legs. I know that one is Hunca Munca. I also know that one is Hyacinth. She enjoys hosting candlelight suppers with riparian entertainment. The others have yet to be named. Any suggestions? I need three names. Let's see what you can come up with.

My Babies

My babies crack me up and break my heart. We are at a dozen now. I have been treating them for coccidiosis. A couple of them are looking rough. Come on babies! They get this illness from eating their poo. Being baby chicks, they pick at everything! Coccidia are present in all chicken intestines. Most build up an immunity over time, but it can make them sick. The coccidia affect the intestinal lining, irritating it and causing possible hemorrhaging. I have started treating them. Hopefully I caught it in time. Come on chicky babies! Two of them seem to be suffering more than the others. I am watching them closely. 

On to happier thoughts, here is a video of my babies. A bug got into their brooder today and they went nuts! Have fun watching!

Stay tuned...