A Hen in Wolf's Clothing

Wolf Bears Fruit!

I introduced Wolf the pullet to you all yesterday and today I want to introduce you to Wolf the Hen! She layed an egg sometime today. Yea Wolf!



This is what I saw when I checked the nesting boxes this evening.




Later, Ruth put the egg into one of her Grandmother's Buttercup eggcups. Softboiled?

An hour later, I went out to lock the henhouse and turn off the lights and just couldn't resist another look into Wolf's nest. Egg number 2!! This one, however, didn't have a shell. This apparently is common for early eggs. Tomorrow I'll make sure the crushed oyster shell is readily available.
Amy, at Twelve Acres, has chickens the same age as mine. She got an egg yesterday! Way to go Amy!! (actually Amy's hen) ;)

"Egg" citement

The Pullet who cried "Hey! What am I supposed to do in here!"



I have finally named this Cuckoo Maran pullet; her name is Wolf. (After the Aesop story about the boy who cried, "wolf.")

I walked around to the chicken yard and Khan was nowhere to be seen. Khan is the head rooster and is very protective of his girls. He stares down any hawk that floats by, he crows whenever an airplane goes over or when a motorcycle roars past, and he is always outside snooping around to make sure all is well in his world. I immediately worried that a hawk decided that a rooster would make a nice dinner.

I opened the door to the coop and went inside to see what was going on. That was when I spotted "Wolf" sitting in a nestbox, and about a dozen other pullets milling around looking at her. I took a step toward Wolf and was startled by a sudden movement to my right. Khan was also sitting in a nesting box, apparently keeping guard over his favorite girl, and he jumped out and flapped to the floor with a loud squawk. I was relieved that Khan still lived, but I was more interested in what I was hoping Wolf was up to in the nesting box. Her beak was open and she seemed to be laboring a little, so I decided to leave her alone and come back later to see what she was up to.

I had my suspicions, and it was really hard to go away!

I did some obscure chores to pass some time and then went back to the coop to see what had happened. I had my cell phone poised to call Ruth to bring the camera and went into the coop. The coop was completely empty, (except for the two little Japanese Bantams). Holding my breath, (Really!!), I peered into the nesting box which held Wolf. Nada, nil, nuttin', no egg, not even a feather! Of course, I checked every box and every corner, just in case she changed her mind and did the deed somewhere else. Nothing, no eggs.

I went to the window that looks out at the chicken run and spotted Wolf picking at some scratch I had tossed out a little earlier, oblivious to all the excitement she had caused. Also oblivious to the HUGE letdown she gave me!! She spotted me and came running over to the window to do her little song and dance for treats. (she really has one). Well, I had a grape tomato in my pocket and was tempted to toss it to Floozey, but I relented and dropped it secretly so only she could get it.

OK, I actually had a lot of fun with all of the expectations, but enough already!

GIVE ME OGGS!! (Amy of Twelve Acres seconded the motion set forth by Ruth on her blog to call them "OGGS.")

Here is Khan, the protector of all things pullet.



The OGG watch continues...

Happy Birthday Ruth!

Ruth's Birthday is Friday, August 22

Classic third grade joke: How many birthdays does the average woman in America have?


Give up?

One. I know that's really bad, but I still like it.

I want to celebrate with you all the birthday of my sweetie, Ruth. I won't tell you how old she is, but she is younger than I.

Happy Birthday Ruth!

(Click on the above link to visit her blog and wish her a Happy Birthday!)

Freecycle

Yahoo has created a unique way to give things away and also receive things free. Freecycle has been around for a while now and it has hundreds of local "groups." I belong to the Mid Michigan Freecycle Network and I have been able to give many things away and also acquire some good stuff, all for free!

Things I gave away:

Nice telescope
1950's portable kitchen table and 2 chairs
A lot of perennials
Older pots and pans
Reese hitch
3 Roosters (2 Cuckoo Marans and an Ameracauna)
Quail Eggs (I gave these to a nice lady who loved my chickens)
Laundry sink
2 Lazy Boy style chairs

Things I have received:

Ice cream maker
Wood stove for Ruth's studio
Nice telescope (same one I received! I wasn't using it)

I highly recommend this as a way to recycle your stuff that is collecting dust, and also as a way you can get some stuff you need/want.

You can post either a want ad or an offer ad. Everything is free. The people I have run across have all been "salt of the earth" kinds of people.

I encourage you to click on the link and take a look. You are able to check right away if there is a local group for you to join. You may need to open a Yahoo account (free). You can then go and look at the messages that have been posted and find out if someone has something you'd like, or maybe someone is looking for something you would like to get rid of.

I like the idea of this, and I support it!

Exotic Creatures in the Boonies

Cover Story

Floozey really is the star! Actually I made this cover at a web site I heard about from Amy and from Paula. It's fun and challenging at the same time. Here is the link to create your own cover.

Thanks Paula and Amy!

Not Quite Normal

I wanted to give Ruth a lot of interesting "objects" for her photography, and I think I can safely say, "Mission Acomplished." I'm not sure if I have any "normal" chickens. By normal I mean chickens most people would be familiar with like Rhode Island Reds, Leghorns, etc. My breeds are Polish Cresteds, Ameraucanas, Araucanas, Buttercups, Cuckoo Marans, Buff Orpingtons, Black Minorcas, Cochins, Crevecouers and Japanese Bantams. (Did I forget anyone?)

White Japanese Bantams (5 weeks old)

These two are tied at the hip! If I catch one, it is like holding onto water while he (she) tries to get back together with the other one. If I catch them both simultaneously, they sit in my hand like little Webkinz. Someone told me that they are the ultimate "Lap Chicken." I can see that already as they are quite cozy when I have both of them.

It is hard to tell their size in these photos, but they can both easily sit in one of my hands. At the Ingham County Fair, I saw full grown Japanese Bantams and a lady had a rooster in her right hand and was allowing everyone to pet it. Apparently it likes that. She said when he sees her, he runs back and forth in his cage until she picks him up and pets him.

Sleepy Heads

While walking around in the yard pecking at everything, these two did something very interesting. As soon as they walked into full sunlight, they both immediately squatted and began to fall asleep. I am talking about a matter of seconds!

Dahlia (Silver Polish Hen)

Dahlia needed a haircut today, so I brought her out and Ruth snapped photos and then held her while I snipped away. It was fun to watch her go back into the pen and actually look around and see. This photo is the before. We forgot to take an after shot. Oh well, she has a mohawkish "do" now. I may show her at the fair next summer. (No haircuts after her moult)

Not your typical chicken