CoopCam in Mashpee

The hens are having their own tailgating party!!!

Lets Go Patriots, Lets Go!!!

On Friday morning we woke up to a light dusting of snow that clung to the cypresses beautifully. It melted as soon as the sun came out. Yesterday, winter finally arrived with snowfall of about 10 inches where I live. We’ve had an incredibly mild and snow free winter thus far. So a day like yesterday is enjoyable to me from the inside looking out. The hens were out exploring in the run, the bird feeders are filled and a flurry of activity. A yankee pot roast dinner cooked in the crock pot and I had indoor projects to keep me busy all day.

But today’s a new day. The path is cleared to the coop.
The hens are out and unfazed by the white stuff.
Jasmine loves to be out prancing in the snow.
But Jet, not so much, he won’t venture out at all. He sits at the open door and just looks out. He’s so black you can hardly see him.

Happy Championship Sunday. A day of food, fun and football…let’s go Patriots!!!

Welcome to a refreshing new look to my blog. Please check out the hens live by clicking the CoopCam Outdoor tab above. The hens would love you to peek in on their antics. Feel free to leave comments and suggestions.

Reflecting back on another wonderful year of family, friends, and fun. The hens, along with my dogs and birds continue to be a source of joy to me and to the many visitors that come through our house during the year. Releasing the hens in the early morning is the favorite part of my day. Going out so early to the quiet of the morning, watching the early birds at the feeding station and anticipating an unusual wild life sighting is thrilling to me. I am so grateful for my little piece of the earth.

Over this past year I had the pleasure of meeting fellow chicken keeper and blogger Melissa of Tilly’s Nest. She visited my hens and blogged about it in her Tour de Coop series. During the summer we both attended a Chicken Keeping Workshop held by Terry Golson at her Little Pond Farm. It was an amazing day. Their knowledge and adventures in managing their flocks continues to inspire me.

Other online blogger friends from across the country that I correspond with are Amy, Lee and Kristy. Their blogs are delightful and I so enjoy their stories. I’m assured that I am doing things right by the experiences they share with me and others.

I’m looking forward to another fun filled, chicken loving year. Here’s wishing you all a happy, healthy, safe and prosperous New Year!

For many, many years, my sister, Tina graciously held our annual family Christmas Party at her house. As the family continued to grow, with marriages and new babies, a few years ago we decided to have this event at a rented hall. My siblings and I each take an action item to make this party so easy and successful. There are beautiful centerpieces which are always a give way at the end of the party. There’s really good food and delicious desserts. A craft table for the kids to make a trinket to take home. There’s a video of pictures of our family through the years shone on a big screen. There’s music and a game of musically chairs for the kids. And then finally, Santa comes with his sack full of gifts for the children. The day is always so fun and memorable in so many ways.

Of course, the best gift is an unexpected gift, and my niece surprised me with this;

When she saw it she thought of me! She choose it because of my love for my chickens. And it’s body is encrusted with the tiniest sea shells, which she attributed to my living on Cape Cod. It was so thoughtful and appropriate and truly touched my heart.

After Christmas, when I put my Santa collection away, I will display it with the other chicken items that have been so carefully selected or gifted to me.

Thanks again Ashlee, you sweet thing!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

This was a recent morning sunrise sky when I went out to feed and release the hens. Beautiful!

It’s been one week since the first egg after the molt and the count is five thus far. Yeah!!!

The coop is decorated for the holidays. (Click on pictures for an up close view.)

And Jet and Jasmine pose for our Christmas card photo. Good dogs!

The Christmas count down is on….let the fun begin!

The weather has been unseasonably sunny and warm for late November. It’s been lovely. We took advantage of the mild temperature yesterday and ventured out to the yard to do our fall cleanup.

I was busy raking when I suddenly heard little children’s voices. I was happy to see company stopped in to visit us, but mostly to visit the chickens. The kids love to go into the coop, peek in the hen house and visit with the hens. The hens like it too. They get extra treats from our little guests, whom want to hand feed them. They ask lots of questions and I delight in telling them about my birds and teach them how to properly hold a chicken. The kids light up with the interaction and notice all kinds of funny behaviors in the hens.

They also get a kick out of being on the coopcam. I’ll bet it is fun for viewers whom happen to be tuned in when our little guests are there too.

Right before company came, I heard the bawk…bawk..bawk… of a hens glory in announcing an egg had been layed. Molt should be officially over for that girl. We should be back to anywhere between 2 and 4 eggs a day very soon.

The other little visitor was Jasmine.

Today is the day for cooking a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, taking out the special table cloths and dishes to set a fancy table and enjoy a nice glass of wine. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade is routinely watched in the morning on this day. And, another Thanksgiving day ritual for us is at 12 noon, while busy in the kitchen, we look forward to listening to Arlo Guthrie’s Alice Restaurant on our local WMVY radio station. After dinner, there will more than one football game watched, and a nap taken. These annual customs make our day special.

I’m thankful for many things in my life, but most importantly; a loving family, wonderful friends, and good health. I’m also grateful to have Jet and Jasmine, and my flock of hens!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I would love to let my hens free range, but there’s too much danger to justify the risk. The coop sits on the edge of our property were it is heavily wooded. We’ve seen coyotes during daylight hours. There’s often a loose unfamiliar neighborhood dog strolling thru our yard and the predators from the sky are always about trying to snatch a bird from our feeders.

It would be delightful to watch the girls happily scratch and peck and discover all there is to see under the leaves and debrie this time of year. I know it would be good for them. And the photos opportunities would almost make it worth the risk….but no, I can’t chance anything happening to these precious girls.

A wound of any nature would mean a costly trip to the vets and unnecessary stress and worry. So I will keep the girls in their run and continue to provide them with fresh greens, worms and live crickets (among so many other goodies). Stay safe, I say!

It’s been a beautiful autumn and I’m enjoying these mild temps. There’s a lot of prep getting ready for the winter. I’ve closed down the fountain, cut back the gardens and put the outdoor furniture in storage. There’s leaves to be raked and some older weak trees to be taken down before the winds and heavy snow arrives. I’ll hire a professional to do that.

The coop and run have been cleaned. Fresh shavings and hay put in place in both the henhouse and nest boxes. The water heater is set to turn on automatically when the temperature drops below 35 degrees and will shut of when the day warms up to 45 degrees. Very convenient!

Molt seems to be winding down. Not as many feathers falling and I’ve seen one of the girls occasionally go into the nest box, but just as quickly come out. But I take that as a sign that she may be getting ready to lay soon. Hopefully it won’t be long before all four are producing eggs again. I really miss the eggs and the store bought ones are no substitute.

The days are getting shorter and the hens are attuned to the changes. They’re still a delightful bunch and I truly enjoy owning a backyard flock.

I’ve been a backyard chicken keeper for almost three years now. When researching chickens I was amazed to learn of the many varieties and different personalities; from docile, to aggressive, friendly to flighty, just to name a few of the numerous characteristics. For my first flock I wanted an easy to handle, friendly, and winter hardy breed. After much research I decided to stay with same breed and I settled on four Buff Opingtons as my first flock.

Some may think that an all breed flock is boring. I appreciate that I’ve not experienced a lot of drama or commotion with my same breed flock. Occasionally, I’ll observe one girl give another a quick peck, almost the way my nieces will push or snap at one another. They just as quickly walk away and carry on.

But, I do love the look of a mixed flock. The differences in size and colors is very appealing. With that comes a more dynamic pecking order. Breeds that are more aggressive will bully the docile breed bird. There’s more feather pecking and stress in the flock. It’s important that your hens have enough room. Typically, 2 square feet in the henhouse and 4 square feet in the run per bird. Keeping them busy and stimilated lessens boredom, bullying and aggresssion. Filling the treat ball, throw a clump of dirt or greens into the coop. They’ll scratch and peck at that looking for grubs and such. When tired, they dust bath and nap.

I know eventually I will need to add to my flock. Maybe then, after acquiring chicken keeping experience, I will add a new standard breed or bantams to the covey.

(Notice the one hen onto of the nesting box.)