Chicken treats in winter

I have scattered fresh spinach and blackberries in the coop. It's starting to snow, and when it's snowing they huddle under the coop, so this fresh food should keep them busy today.

Choosing the right chicken feed for your backyard chickens

I bought 3 bags of chicken feed. The first one is Prince, made in Wisconsin. Cost was $19.00 for a 50lb. Bag. Purchased at landmark feed mill in Cederburg, wi. The protein source is from pigs. I didn't realize that when I bought it. I know chickens are not vegetarian but Im pretty sure they don't eat pigs, but it didn't really bother me. I opened it up and it has a funny order and is fine ground so as your scooping it the dust goes into the air and you have to smell it. How did the chickens like it? They gobbled it up likes pack do wolves. Makes one happy when your chickens like their food. The disadvantage is the girls make a big mess, they spill it all over the ground (out of their feeder).

 

 

I also purchased this bag of organic feed from Landmark in Cederburg and it's made in Wi too. It was 24.00 for a 40 lb bag. It smelt and looked like something I would eat for breakfast, very promising, not a processed look but like real food. I heard a lot of good comments on the Internet about organic and was excited to try. It is vegetarian. The girls gobbled it up like it was scratch or a treat which made me happy.

This is the first bag of feed I bought, Nutrina from Farm & Fleet in Oak Creek, wi and it's the feed Kleemas mill in Racine, wi carries, it (bought a bag there too) was $16.00 for a 50 lb bag. It is in a processed looking pellet form. No odor and the chickens gobble it up. They don't make a big mess, most of the food stays in their feeder.

 

So, I thought I'd put the three feeds next to each other to battle it out with the girls. They all ran to the middle dish with the organic feed in it, it was a clear winner. The runner up was the Prince and dead last, they didn't even touch it, was the Nutrena.

It was an interesting experiment, they do gobble up just about anything that's in their run, but I did feel good how happy they seemed with the organic feed. Definitely personal preference as to what is available in your area and cost. Landmark mill is 18 miles away and farm and fleet I can run to over my lunch break at work.

 

Size difference in duck vs chicken eggs

The duck egg is on the left from a co worker, Avery's egg in the middle and the little egg from the first egg of Dakota or Tallulah. I'm going to have to do a steak out this weekend to see which chicken started laying! I noticed her egg got a little bit bigger in just 3 days.

Dakota lays her first egg!

Finally Dakota did it! She layer her first egg yesterday. I wasnt sure it was her egg but noticed she ran back into the coop after being let out at the crack of dawn and she walked up to the egg and made very funny sounds. This morning same thing crack of dawn there was egg #2

Still waiting for the 1st egg

Dakota and Tallulah

The girls are now over 6 months and no eggs yet. I have learned chickens will lay eggs when chickens are ready to lay eggs.

No eggs yet

Still waiting for Dakota and Talulah to lay their first egg. Thanks for waiting with me.

Waiting for my backyard chickens to lay their first egg

I read many posts on waiting what seems like forever for chickens to lay their first egg. I thought that would never happen to me, I would just walk out to the coop and, like magic their coop would some day contain 3 eggs. Well no such luck so far. I watch for signs: squatting, making some kind of strange chicken noises, combs to turn bright red. Nothing, their combs aren't even fully in yet. So I will wait for that glorious day when we have 4 chickens all laying eggs.

Dakota (in front) and Tallulah getting big. They are 5 months old. Which one will lay the first egg?

Glass rooster Rolls Royce hood ornament

Went to Vegas for the weekend and kept my eye open for chickens and found a dandy! Here is the coolest hood ornament ever, a giant glass rooster on a mint antique Rolls Royce.

 

Fly the coop

For a few weeks I have been asking my husband Andy to help me clip Tallulah's wing so she doesn't fly the coop. When I checked on them on Friday she was on top of the run. And I mean on the very top looking out into the world deciding where she should go first. I stood near her and waved my arms a bit and told her it would be in her best interest to go back in. Finally she turned around and gracefully flew back into the run. when we got her from the farmer he told us she is flighty and would need to clip her left wing about once every 2 months. You can tell when she's in need of a clipping because her wing grows back. I went into the house and told Andy what had happened and he walked right over to the junk drawer and got the scissors.

On my way to the coop I look up and Tallulah is on top of the run! Time to clip her wing.

They all ran into the corner when Andy tried to catch her.

Andy got her.

She doesn't like getting caught, but once you have her she's a calm sweetie pie.

Andy said I should take another picture of the two of them, a good one, so here is the good picture.

It's real easy to clip a wing, especially with two people. Andy spread her left wing out and I cut through the feathers in a straight line right up to her body. Can't miss the feathers up against her body or she still maybe able to fly. No pain or drama, it's like cutting hair or nails. Why the left wing you ask? Because that's what the farmer did. If both her wings got clipped she could still fly. Sorry Tallulah we can't have free range chickens in the city, but your nice and safe now.

 

 

Bye bye baby food

My 50 pound bag of grower food is all gone today, so tomorrow they start on big girl food. They will all be on layer food, yeah. Layer food is for hens that are laying eggs. If chickens are given layer food too soon it could promote premature egg laying. The real good news is Dakota and Tallulah should start laying eggs real soon.

No eggs for Jerome

Here's a great chicken story from Jerome, a B&B guest. When he was a kid, he and his siblings talked their parents into getting some chicks. The day arrived and they got 4 adorable fluffy yellow chicks. Now there's something people should know when you get chicks, in general you cant tell if they are males or females so you wait and see what they are. They watched those cute little chicks grow and with the luck of the draw they got 3 crowing roosters and one miserable hen. The hen was so pestered by the roosters she never layed an egg. Not a one!

Lay an egg in the kitchen corner

Here's a great story from a B&B guest. When he was a boy his morning chores were to tend to the chickens and the goat, then off to school. He grew up and joined the service. His mother moved to Colorado and got just one hen. This hen would walk into the house almost every morning and lay an egg on the corner of the kitchen then walk outside. He told me I have my work cut out for me, and train my chickens to lay eggs in my kitchen!

 

Meet the hens

Without further adieu, here are the city girls...

Avery. She's a two year old Red Star.

Tallulah, a 5 month old rhode island red/leghorn mix.

Hard to spot but Dakota is on the side of the temporary coop, she was camera shy that day. She's a 5 month old Black Star.

Here's Harper, so much personality! She is also a two year old Red Star.

Setting up the new coop

We have our work cut out! The spot they will live is in the back of the B&B along the back fence. The problem is we have to remove a multi tier fountain and a tree that's growing into the fence.

Digging out the rock fountain. Every time we dig up a worm we run it over to the girls.

This rotten tree is growing right into the back fence.

No fun

Here's my husband Andy surveying the damage.

Fowl play

Join me on adventures with my chickens and other stories from chicken farmers that I meet along the way and my quest to find the coolest chicken coops! I'll have lots of photos and the best egg recipes ever.

Here are the girls in the temporary coop.

Harper says hey.

Hi,  I'm Marie, I live in the city of Milwaukee. I live in a beautiful historic district right off downtown, where there are lots of apartments, houses, shops, people, cars, buses, taxi cabs and chickens! Yes chickens, 4 girls, the maximum amount allowed per my chicken license. I also have a Victorian bed and breakfast called Manderley bed and breakfast inn.