Eggs Available!

Free Range, Farm Fresh Eggs Available!

by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

Just a quick post to let you know that our new flock of 100 Bovans Brown hens (plus Rhubarb and Rutabaga) have been busy producing an average of 97 eggs each day for us!  So, as you might expect, we currently have plenty of free range, farm fresh eggs available for sale in the Long Barn ($5.00/dozen)! 

How do you enjoy your farm-fresh eggs? 

Scrambled?  Sunny-side up?  Poached?  Deviled?  Perhaps in a veggie or a Denver omelet?  There are many, many egg-cellent possibilities!

Chicken Interactions

Chicken Interactions:

Interspecific, Intraspecific…

by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

This past weekend was another warm and sunny gift – so Rhubarb and Rutabaga had another field trip to my backyard.  They stayed for about four hours on Sunday, while I puttered around doing various yardwork tasks.

I observed some interesting interactions during this time – both between Rhubarb and Rutabaga, and between the hens and some non-chicken critters.

 

The first happened very shortly after they arrived.  They started exploring the yard as usual, but then suddenly stopped. Rhubarb started giving a mildly agitated warning call.  Rutabaga joined in.  At first, I couldn’t figure out the cause – but I followed their gaze and fairly quickly spotted the intruder.  A rabbit, hunkered down in the bushes.  Abruptly, the rabbit took off, further startling the chickens (who was more afraid of whom?) – then all was well in their chicken world once again. 

Chicken-cat interaction…  I have a an indoor cat named Moira – the furthest outside she’s allowed to go is my screened-in back porch.  Moira is a bit of a “chicken” herself – if I can use that term.  Once last year, when I brought a sick chicken home in the same dog carrier (and brought the carrier onto the screened-in back porch), Moira tore back into the house (I’ve never seen her run so fast!), absolutely terrified of this strange new creature. 

But when I bring Rhubarb and Rutabaga home, Moira intently (albeit cautiously) watches from inside the screened-in back porch, while the hens mostly ignore her as they wander around outside the screened-in back porch.  Either Moira has become a bit less chicken, or all she needs is that thin screen to help her feel safe. 

Check out the photos!

 

Can you see the cat, watching from the back?

 

There she is!

 

And finally, the chicken-to-chicken interactions.  There are many, but my favorite this time was also a first for me to observe.  After several hours of scratching around the backyard, Rhubarb and Rutabaga settled into some preening behavior – each preening themselves while standing close, side-by-side.  A sure sign that the hens are feeling safe and content.  Then I noticed Rhubarb reach over and start preening Rutabaga, as Rutabaga continued to preen herself.  She continued to “help” for several minutes.  Too cute!  I wish I had been quick enough to catch that with my camera – but, alas, I did not…

Thanksgiving tomorrow… 

I am thankful that my job gives me the opportunity to work with chickens – Rhubarb, Rutabaga, and the rest of our flock.  I am thankful that our new flock of hens is producing many, many farm fresh eggs for our customers.  I am thankful for Anya (our Hen House Helper Coordinator) and our great group of Hen House Helpers – dedicated folks who help us care for our hens every day.  Thank you!

Here’s hoping that you have many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving – and that you have the opportunity to share the day with those you love. 

Thanks for reading!

 

New Chicken Flock

New Flock in their New Home…

by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director



Our newly-purchased flock of one hundred Bovans Brown hens are now in our newly cleaned winter coop.  Home Sweet (New) Home!

We caught and moved the hens during the morning hours on Tuesday this week.  They settled into their new space relatively quickly.  We kept them inside the coop for the first couple of hours, giving them fresh food and water after a bit of settling down and exploring time. 



finding the water...

By mid-afternoon, we opened the door to the attached chicken yard to let them explore further.  All but two hens managed to find their way back into the coop as dusk fell that first night.  By the second night, all of them had it figured out.

As mentioned in my previous post, these birds are just under a year old.  As we might have expected, they’ve come with a few odd habits.  Despite plenty of roosts in this winter coop, some of the hens choose to sleep huddled up together in a corner on the floor.  We’ve spent some time the first few nights, gently picking them up and placing them onto the roosts as darkness falls.  Some of them stay put, others jump back down and return to their corner huddle.  Perhaps they’ll figure it out after a few nights; perhaps they’ll always prefer to sleep in their hen huddle.  Time will tell…

I’ve attached some photos of the new girls in their new home – a few of them finding the water, finding the food, and finding just the right nest box!

 finding the food...

and finding just the right nest box!

  

Changes in our Chicken Flock

Chicken Transitions...

by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

It’s a time of transition for chickens at the Learning Farm…

Last Saturday we held a chicken adoption day for our flock of 2-year-old Buff Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds, Black Australorps, and Barred Plymouth Rocks.  Five adoptees (some individuals, some families) came during the first hour, each choosing 2-4 chickens to take home.  Then, to our surprise, a couple arrived from central Illinois saying that they were willing to take as many of our hens as they could. 

They explained that they are leaders of a community group that’s dedicated to promoting gardening, healthy eating, and backyard chickens. They have about fifty member families wanting to get started with backyard chickens, and their thought was that our 2-year-old hens would be a good way for these families to start out without being overwhelmed.  And so, the remaining chickens that we had available for adoption traveled south to central Illinois toward their new backyard homes! 

So that we can continue to provide eggs to our loyal customers through the winter, next week the Learning Farm will be purchasing 100 Bovans Brown layers from Sandhill Organics.  Bovans Brown hens look similar to Rhode Island Red hens – but they are a hybrid, not a true breed.  They are said to be docile and excellent brown egg layers.  The hens that we will be purchasing from Sandhill are less than a year old, so still in the prime of their egg-laying.

 

 

Fresh and clean winter chicken coop!

We’ve been working hard to clean up our winter chicken coop and adjoining fenced-in chicken yard in preparation for the new flock.  Yesterday I brought the Children’s Garden chickens, Rhubarb and Rutabaga, over to join me while I worked on some of the final coop and yard preparations.  They seemed to enjoy exploring the “new digs.”  I would like to think that they approved.

Next week, an update on the new flock!