Some Info About Vaccines

I am not trying to debate anybody on vaccines but thought this was good info to pass on. I have questioned the safety of some vaccines. If I don't feel safe I educate myself about the vaccine in general. If I still don't feel comfortable I just don't do it. It is your right as a person and parent to say "NO" if you don't feel comfortable about vaccinations.

Remember Rick Perry tried to pass that HPV vaccine years ago?  He was trying to mandate that all girls take this vaccine. I have three girls and had to do my part as a parent and educate myself on the vaccine. As a mother with HPV I still would not have them vaccinated for HPV. It's about doing research, not research that has an agenda either

Guess what, you don't have to vaccinate. This website gives paperwork to opt out of vaccines in school, college, and work. They have tons more of their website.

I'm not saying I agree with all of it but we have the right to say "NO." You won't believe that most people don't even know they can opt out. Do your research to see if it applies if your not in Texas.
http://www.vaclib.org/exempt/texas.htm

The Head Hen Pearl

Pearl is a Rhode Island Red. She lays large brown eggs and we get eggs from her almost every day. She is very social and always wants to be around us. She even knows her name. When she wants a treat she will come to the back door and scratch. She loves fruit and will steal yours if your not looking.

Mag Pie

Mag Pie is a Silkie Bantam. She is lovely to look at and people love her. She is a freak in the chicken world. She is an amazing layer but we were told her breed doesn't lay often. We use her eggs for facials.

Buttercup

Buttercup is a Sicilian Buttercup. She has not started laying yet and we believe she is eating her eggs. I would avoid this breed. She is very aggressive and would kill younger chickens. She also has pecked us to the point of bleeding. Why do we keep her? Luna Beans loves that chicken but if a predator wants her they can have her. She also beats up my dog.

Iris

Iris is a Blue Wyandotte. She is very large and beautiful. She lays about 5 eggs a week. Her eggs are fairly small for her size. She is extremely docile and I can mix her with the small chickens. When she is about to lay she's not very loud and goes straight to business. She will knock other chickens out of the nesting box.

Pedal

Pedal is an Egyptian fayoumi. She doesn't do well being confined and she is very skiddish. She's a great layer and sometimes lays twice a day. She is the one I bought already laying. When she is about to lay she is the loudest hen I have. She will also try to escape from our fence.

Patsy

Patsy is an Ameraucana. She will lay blue and green eggs. You have seen many pictures of her but this one might be more of what she should look like as an adult. We are hoping she starts laying in the next couple of months.

Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn is a Japanese Bantam. I don't have a lot of info on her but she looks like a black bird. This is what she should look like as an adult.

 T

Lola

Lola is a Frizzle Bantam. She still is young and not full grown. We believe she is a hen. If you notice her feathers they curl.

This is what she should look like as an adult.

 

Buck Moore Feed, My Favorite Feed Store

I have been to a handful of feed stores and generally I have found all my experiences positive. I must say I do have a favorite. Buck Moore Feed is located in Austin off North Lamar. I remember buying dog food from them when I was 21. They have great reviews if you want to google them. They are a family owned and operated business that has been in Austin for ages. They pride themselves on customer service. I know it's a drive for some but 100% worth it. Their website is very helpful www.buckmoorefeed.com

We got eggs!!!

I did cheat and bought a laying hen but I have 4 laying now. I picked different breeds of chickens to get a variety of different eggs. We actually log our eggs to keep count of who is laying and how much. We know that chickens after a few years are what you call spent. They still produce eggs but not as many. They also produce less in the winter due to less sun and of course increase in summer. They usually have small eggs to start but they perfect their eggs in a few months. We freaked when we found a soft egg. This is normal though when your hens start laying. If you have older hens that are laying soft eggs this could mean lack of calcium. I buy oyster shell  at my feed store and it cost me .50 a pound. You can also dry out their eggs and smash them and feed it to your hens.

The Pecking Order

I never imagined chickens being cannibals but it happens. If you only have hens like me you will have a head hen. Chickens will eat each other and will eat their own eggs. I made the mistake of putting Patsy in the main coop and the next morning she looked like the chickens tried to eat her. We thought she wasn't going to make it but she did. We got her to stop bleeding with corn starch. Then we cleaned her and used an antibiotic ointment. We bought rooster booster  and it turned her purple but the chickens kept going after her. We ended up building her own coop that she shares with some docile chickens. She free ranges fine with all of them.

Too many Cocks!!

In my area I can't have a rooster. Most chickens can be sexed with about 90% accuracy but not Bantams. I myself love Bantams, they are miniature chickens. They are what you call a straight run. We have had three roosters. My feed store has taken them back but understand that doesn't mean they don't get put in the broiler. We even re-homed on craigslist. I had a chick that started a beginners crow at 6 weeks. I had Opal for almost 5 months when she started getting long tail feathers. I googled images of roosters if I wasn't sure.  I even took her back to the feed store for them to look at her. Sometimes it's hard to tell for sure especially if your a beginner like me.

Ivy started crowing at 6 weeks old.

Opal clearly looks like a rooster and was aggressive.

Ida Mae had a large comb.

Remeber this Pumpkin

I have a pretty amazing story about this pumpkin but I'll tell ya later.

Chicken Coops

My chickens free range so they are in their coop at night. Funny things is the first time I let them free range when the sun went down they just jumped back in the coop. When I made the second coop I divided three in each coop and the next day they went back in the coop in the same order. They get really protective of their coops. If you get new chickens that have an age difference I recommend getting another coop. The first coop I bought is really for rabbits but I modified it for chickens. The second one I made and it was a pain in my ass. You can even look on craigslist and find them.

I was told that two elements for chickens is fine but three is severe. Example, they are fine if it rains just make sure the coop is covered ( mine free range in the rain), if it gets windy they will be fine, but if you get let's say hail they need to be in their coop. Chickens are fine in the cold. It is when it's below mid 20's that you might worry. I add hay to coop so I don't use a heating element because that can start a fire. I am lucky because in my area we get little cold weather. Summers are harsh on chickens. Take good care during summers.

Last is about nesting boxes. During winter when I have hay in the coop the hens lay anywhere. Now that we are heading into summer I only put hay in the nesting boxes and they only lay in the nesting boxes. We have a nesting box in each coop but my hens use the same nesting box and will even push each other out of it. Sometimes I find eggs in the yard.

Flowers!!

I love sunflowers in my garden but this year I am saying "no." I love watching the humming birds but this year I decided with my grocery bill being crazy  expensive that I would focus on fruits and veggies.

Make your own pesticide.

I make my own pesticide. I save my citrus peels months before my summer garden. When I have enough peels I blend them with water and tons of fresh garlic. I then put 1 cup in small freezer bags and date them. When I want one I just go to my freezer and get one with an older date. I add the mix with 1 gallon of water. My garden is fairly large and it takes about three bags and I apply it twice a week. By the end of the summer I usually see bugs but by that time my garden is ending.

My Chickens!!

So for my anniversary I wanted chickens and that is just what I got. I never realized that you didn't need a rooster to get eggs. I first started looking up information about having poultry in my area. The laws are different in every area and also if you rent your property/ own your property. I would also recommend having good neighbors. Now time to meet my babies.

Garden of Eatin' dos Failure.

The second garden looked good and I did the same method but no..... I believe that my garden was so huge last year that it took all the nutrients out of my soil. Soon after my plants looked sad. I thought, I gave all my crop last year away and now I have nothing. Don't get me wrong it looked great at first but my plants died shortly after.