I think we may need to rename Shake the Silkie.
We've been debating a name change ever since Bake died last summer. It kinda seems silly to have Shake without Bake but nobody could think of a good one. I want something that reflects his personality, which is sort of butt-head rooster. Shakey likes to make a move on the hens and does NOT like being picked up and cuddled, unlike Buttercup who loves to snuggle.
The other morning I went out to do the daily chicken chores and I had the big door open into the coop. Shake and Buttercup had been flapping at each other earlier and Buttercup was standing in the doorway, enjoying a rare 45+ degree January day in the Midwest. Suddenly Shake ran over and tackled Buttercup! The two of them tumbled out of the coop and Shake landed in the chicken feed bucket. Don't worry, they're both fine. Shake is molting (loosing a few feathers, perfectly normal) and it's showing up the worst on his head. Right now he just has 2 feathers, one on either side of his head. I don't want to say he looks devilish, but...
Apparenly I have either a ninja chicken or a budding defensive tackle. The kids want to rename him after some character in one of their videogames who's a tough guy (I can't keep those games straight) but I'm leaning more towards a football-type name like we did with Forte. Maybe the Harbowl, I mean Super Bowl, coming up in a couple of weeks will provide inspiration. You hear that 49ers and Ravens defense? Who wants to have a weird Silkie rooster named after him?
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
Oh dear, it has been a while, hasn't it? I was swamped at both jobs and just now came up for air, but fear not! The chickens are just fine.
Since my last update, Winter has come in full strength. I even had to leave work early one day the week before Christmas because a blizzard was raging. So I got home and looked out the living room window to check on the chickens. Now, keep in mind there's a BLIZZARD raging. Guess whose chickens were under the coop, wet and huddled together? Yep, mine. I ran outside to try to shoo them into the coop but they wouldn't budge. Anyone who tells you chickens know what to do on instinct is either lying or doesn't know my chickie babies. Without another thought, I ran outside and dragged the little buggers inside the coop, one at a time. Ok, Forte wouldn't let me grab him but I ended up chasing him in there. That's when I remembered I was STILL IN MY WORK CLOTHES! All I can say is Shout is great at getting mud off of dress pants.
The chickens stayed inside for the next week. I opened the door for them every morning as usual but they refused to come out. Ok then. I felt really bad because I never want them to be confined but it was their idea. Finally, one morning Buttercup actually walked onto the ramp, flapped his little wings and began crowing. The first chicken to brave the weather wasn't my big, bad rooster, it was my sweet little Silkie rooster who loves to snuggle. Hooray for Buttercup the Brave!
After that, they finally went outside. I shoveled out the run so they could walk around and now whenever there's snow in the forecast, I put down an old tarp to cover the ground in the run. I pull it up after the snow ends and they have a dry place to run around.
When the weather got colder, I worried about what treats to feed the babies. Watermelons are hard to come by this time of year, and tomatoes are about worthless. So again, I did what any modern homesteader does - I got on Google. Turns out chickens like raisins. Oh boy, do my kids like raisins. Ever see a bunch of little kids with a pinata after it breaks? That's how they act. We now call raisins "chicken candy" and they get a couple handfuls every morning.
Egg production has decreased to 2 eggs a day (down from 3-4) but that's ok. It's mostly due to them being exposed to less sunlight. They should pick back up again come spring. And that's when my babies will be a year old! Who wants to help plan a first birthday party?
Since my last update, Winter has come in full strength. I even had to leave work early one day the week before Christmas because a blizzard was raging. So I got home and looked out the living room window to check on the chickens. Now, keep in mind there's a BLIZZARD raging. Guess whose chickens were under the coop, wet and huddled together? Yep, mine. I ran outside to try to shoo them into the coop but they wouldn't budge. Anyone who tells you chickens know what to do on instinct is either lying or doesn't know my chickie babies. Without another thought, I ran outside and dragged the little buggers inside the coop, one at a time. Ok, Forte wouldn't let me grab him but I ended up chasing him in there. That's when I remembered I was STILL IN MY WORK CLOTHES! All I can say is Shout is great at getting mud off of dress pants.
The chickens stayed inside for the next week. I opened the door for them every morning as usual but they refused to come out. Ok then. I felt really bad because I never want them to be confined but it was their idea. Finally, one morning Buttercup actually walked onto the ramp, flapped his little wings and began crowing. The first chicken to brave the weather wasn't my big, bad rooster, it was my sweet little Silkie rooster who loves to snuggle. Hooray for Buttercup the Brave!
After that, they finally went outside. I shoveled out the run so they could walk around and now whenever there's snow in the forecast, I put down an old tarp to cover the ground in the run. I pull it up after the snow ends and they have a dry place to run around.
When the weather got colder, I worried about what treats to feed the babies. Watermelons are hard to come by this time of year, and tomatoes are about worthless. So again, I did what any modern homesteader does - I got on Google. Turns out chickens like raisins. Oh boy, do my kids like raisins. Ever see a bunch of little kids with a pinata after it breaks? That's how they act. We now call raisins "chicken candy" and they get a couple handfuls every morning.
Egg production has decreased to 2 eggs a day (down from 3-4) but that's ok. It's mostly due to them being exposed to less sunlight. They should pick back up again come spring. And that's when my babies will be a year old! Who wants to help plan a first birthday party?
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