My son, J, came to me at the beginning of September and said “Mom, I want to buy that white chicken. How much is she? I have my own money.” He knows I regularly sell my chickens and wants us to keep this one. But then again, my kids would like to be able to keep them all. J explained he would be responsible and take good care of her. But as most parents will attest, when a kid buys…
Another gross post, just in time for Halloween: One disgusting by-product of composting is the beetle grubs. I wrote about the other gross insect in the compost, black soldier fly previously. As a novice, when I first started composting, I really hated these bugs. Now, for me, they have become such a common part of composting and gardening, I will pick them up with my bare hands. What has become of me? Yuck! Ewwwgh! However, to the delight of the…
Just so you know, Hanbury House blog is supported by its audience. Hanbury House may receive compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Adding a Light Why did I choose to add a light source when I was building My Chicken Coop? When I got chickens, eggs were one of the main reasons for keeping them. A light in the coop keeps egg production going during the shorter days of winter. Domestic chickens are…
The hardest part of letting my hens raise bantam chicks is we can’t keep them all, especially males. Penguin just recently decided she was done being mommy for her brood of chicks. Since I still have not gotten up the courage to process a rooster, it was time to rehome the extras we can’t keep in our little coop. They were 9 weeks old. This little fellow in the above picture went to a new home today, along with a…
Awhile ago, I posted about my guesses on sexing Bantam Cochin chicks based on my visual observations as they grew. With bantams, it is the only way to sex them, that or spending $25 a chick to get them DNA tested like Silkie breeders sometimes do before selling chicks. I raised, well Penguin raised a clutch of chicks recently. They turned 8 weeks old on Monday. Penguin had 6 chicks, but one is an Easter Egger. 4 cochins (white, partridge,…
Two weeks ago, I got an exciting package in the mail. It was a backyard chicken coop construction book! I know, I know, I already have a coop, why would I be excited? Because… my coop was used for one of the chapters in it! The publisher contacted me back during Girl Scout Cookie season in the Spring. I was so busy then, I never got around to posting about working on the pages for the book. I barely made…
Back in early February 2011, my neighbor and I split an assortment of 2 day old bantam straight run cochin chicks. Her kids came over in the evening to select the 5 cochins they wanted out of the 15 to choose from. I already had plenty of friendly hens at the time, so I wasn’t too particular what i ended up with. I, well Lady Cluck, got the 10 remaining cochin chicks. A day later, I noticed one of Lady…
A big concern for many chicken owners is dogs, especially their own. Pet dogs are probably the number one predator that kills chickens. A backyard chicken can look like a fun toy to play with to most dogs, especially when the chickens are spooked. My dog was probably no exception. He is a bird dog by nature. He is obsessed with squirrels, has caught wild birds before, and I have to keep a careful eye on him when we…
All the chicks arrived alive and well early this morning. When I ordered over the phone on the day of shipment, I asked the hatchery if they could make a note that Cochins are my favorite breed. I doubt most of Ideal’s bantam assortments are this Cochin heavy, but boy was I tickled when I saw how many Cochins they sent. Here’s what showed up in my Ideal Poultry “Special” Bantam Assortment: 1 Blue or Self Blue Cochin 3 Black…
After 6 weeks of hoping Penguin would stop sitting and brooding, I am giving in. She really is a good mama hen, so I don’t mind letting her raise chicks, but the timing isn’t the best of us. We just recently started remodeling our 1/2 bath into a full bath, so I am kind of busy. However, Penguin is starting to feel a little thin, despite making her get off her nest to eat and drink once a day. I…