Bert the bad chicken

**peanut** · 11-07-2011, 07:57 PM

Sounds like the henyard/house is under control for the moment.

Hope grain prices don't make eggs much more expensive than they are now. Free range organic eggs are over $5.00/doz. where I am.

**ladytoysdream** · 11-07-2011, 08:16 PM

I was able to get $ 3 a dz for my eggs this summer at the market. I still don't have enough customers for this winter, unless I want to deliver to the customers I had last winter.
And a few of them think $ 2 a dz is too much. Sigh

If my head count is correct, we currently have 44 birds. Last winter , we had 29 birds total. And we still have our senior hens.

**cottageliving** · 11-07-2011, 08:37 PM

I was SO HAPPY to have an update on Bert the Bad Chicken. And to know he has a son -- oh my! Glad to know Henry and all the others are doing well in their new homes.

**ladytoysdream** · 11-16-2011, 06:14 AM

A update with pictures.

This is Bert from 2010, so you can compare to his son Rudy.

This is Rudy Nov 15, 2011. Born April 4, 2011

Rudy and two of the girls from same hatch time.

This is Peakaboo aka Boo, who was the only Ameracuana girl out of 6 chicks I got this spring from TSC. Niece had the same numbers, 5 boys, 1 girl. Next spring, we hope to hatch from her pullet Scaredy Cat, and Boo, to get her some more hens that will lay green or blue eggs. They did keep 2 roosters.

I wasn't sure if we were going to keep Boo or give her to the niece. She is quite the character in the hen house. One of those animals that just stand out more. Decision was made to keep Boo here.
I like putting a green egg in a carton of eggs and seeing the customer's reaction when I do sell eggs at the market. Had one lady refuse the green egg, so had to get a dz for her with no green ones.
It's called a hen house run....expect the unexpected

**peanut** · 11-16-2011, 09:54 AM

Cool! Bert and his son look pretty close, except Bert has that more extreme colouring (and Rudy has the tail). Chickens are so pretty when you look at them. I understand why they have fascinated artists for years. That plus they're a subject that can't fly away!

**ladytoysdream** · 12-16-2011, 04:05 PM

Wonder what the girls are trying to tell me ?
This was the 4th hen up there...and 2 more later.
The one in the picture , I named her cookie monster

**Russ** · 12-16-2011, 04:47 PM

They love the bird seed! When we would let our hens out of the pen they would RACE towards the bird feeders!

**ladytoysdream** · 12-16-2011, 05:51 PM

The first place they run to, is the 2 bird feeders. There is plenty of seed on the ground, that the wild birds kick off. But this feeder, they really like the best. They take turns jumping up there. Notice the ground. This pic was this afternoon. No snow and looking like a NON white Christmas this year. But it sure is cold enough.
One year, we had wild turkeys at this bird feeder. One of hens figured out how to jump up there and knock the top of the feeder off. That was when we had a regular feeder up there.
We also have a partridge that comes visiting now. Sometimes, a pheasant too.

**ladytoysdream** · 03-08-2012, 11:03 AM

Update....
We lost our white cocker spaniel, Freckles, the end of February. The one who is the pictures in my chicken album and my avator.
He had a tumor and the vet gave him 6 months a year ago in February, and he lived 13 months more. He was 15 yrs, 4 months old. Our blonde cocker Buster will be 15 in June and is doing good. He takes a lot of naps.

The chickens are doing well . We are looking at a early spring here. I still need a few more year round egg customers. In the summer, at the market, I sell out.

**onencgirl** · 03-08-2012, 11:12 AM

So sorry to hear about Freckles. I'm sure he will be greatly missed.

**peanut** · 03-08-2012, 03:38 PM

Sorry to hear about Freckles, ladytoysdream. Hope you find more green egg loving customers this year!

**ladytoysdream** · 03-11-2012, 04:55 PM

Thank you for the kind thoughts about our dog.

Yes green eggs spark some interesting conversations

Well today was interesting. A fellow we know lost about 10 chickens to a dog, and he wanted to get some birds to replace them. My son had found a recent deal and was able to come up with 8 chickens to sell him. I told him, if he wanted some of my oldest hens, I would let a few of them go. They probably won't lay much but their eggs are huge jumbo ones. He still wanted them, because he likes the big buff opringtons, just wandering around his yard. So I sold him 5. It was real interesting catching them and keeping them quiet till I could crate them, so the rooster did not get all bent out of shape with the human.
So they went to a good home, and it will help with feed costs.
Maybe I can let one of the hens go broody this spring. I have several volunteers trying to practice already. I need to come up with a few more egg customers , before I add too many more replacements.

**warramra** · 03-11-2012, 05:29 PM

Lady,

What do I do with a broody hen when I don't really need one. I have a golden comet that only lays about 2 times a week (my other GC lays every day). Instead she sits and waits for the other hens to lay and jumps on the nest to sit on the eggs. We can't have a rooster so I can't breed chicks...what to do with her?

**Russ** · 03-11-2012, 05:40 PM

Sorry to say, but the hen would wind up in a pot if she was not producing here. I know it's hard, but in all honesty, your average backyard chicken rancher does not make or possibly even save money having chickens.
So to have hens that are not producing is nothing more than having a pet. Thats ok if you like chickens as pets.

**ladytoysdream** · 03-11-2012, 05:47 PM

Originally Posted by warramra

Lady,

What do I do with a broody hen when I don't really need one. I have a golden comet that only lays about 2 times a week (my other GC lays every day). Instead she sits and waits for the other hens to lay and jumps on the nest to sit on the eggs. We can't have a rooster so I can't breed chicks...what to do with her?

Maybe put a ad on craigslist for her ?
Some people would LOVE to have a broody hen.
Our Little Red Hen when she goes broody will literally throw another hen out of a nest box when Red wants a certain box.
I have several hens right now who I know will sit if I give them the go ahead. They grump and growl at me, when I remove eggs from under them. I talk to them a lot this time of year....*no you can't be a mom ....give the human the egg....no I won't go away....fork over the egg.....sheesshh....
One real pretty pullet/hen from last year's hatch, her name is Cocoa....growls at me a lot when she is in the nest box...hubby laughs and says, she doesn't do that to me.....
well, she walked on my foot like I wasn't even standing there this morning, giving them their treats for the day. And the other day, late in the afternoon, they basically told the man human, they didn't have their treats yet, and they were sulking. So I had to go out there and take care of them. Spoiled brats they are.....