Saturday, August 23, 2008

Chicken update, blackberry pickin', giveaway hint...

Since early spring, Buffy had been begging me to let her have some eggs in her nest. Each time I'd go gather them, she'd pouff up and make soft clucking sounds. I kept apologizing, explaining that I needed the eggs for breakfast, and cakes, and cornbread, and to give to the neighbors. She understood and let me take them, never pecking my hand like one of the other girls used to do. But she kept begging ~ she even got Henny Penny to help her beg, so then I had two hens asking to keep the eggs when it was time to gather them! Finally I gave in. After all, the girls are old and egg production is down quite a bit. It wouldn't hurt to have a few babies hatch and by next spring, they would be old enough to start laying ~ IF they are hens and not roosters!

The day I let her keep a few eggs, Pierre (above) had to keep peeking in to see what we were up to. I was marking Buffy's eggs with an X. We wanted to be sure which eggs were hers.
Fast forward about 21 days. Unfortunately only one of three made it, but it is a sweetie and Buffy is such a good Mama! I'll share some photos of it in a few days.

Since the chickens have stayed in the pen all summer, Tweedle Dum stays close by the pen, pacing back and forth, usually stalking Pierre. I know what Pierre is thinking.... "Boy, you'd better be glad you're on THAT side of the fence!"

Below are photos I took of Pierre and Eowyen a while back. It was so sweet ~ he would pick little bits off a plant, lean his head down to hers, and she would get the food from his beak. He did this for several minutes. Pierre is certainly considerate of all the ladies in the chicken pen! When I take them fresh water, he stands there with them, but waits until all the girls drink before he does.



Had I mentioned picking blackberries? Forgive me if this is a repeat. I'm going through photos on my pc, trying to post something I haven't already talked about. A few weeks ago I picked some blackberries at my childhood homeplace and made blackberry dumplings. I hadn't made any in years but these were delicious ~ especially with ice cream! I wouldn't mind having more this week. Maybe I'll drop by to see if there are any berries left to be picked.



and before I end this post... here's a visual hint about the giveaway prize:



Keep those ideas coming in and post them here. I'm certainly enjoying reading them and taking notes.

I'd better get busy, I have a couple more orders to finish up and then I have something new that I'm working on. It's something that I'd wanted to try for a long time, but just never found the time. I still haven't found time ~ I just had to re-prioritize and sleep a couple hours less, lol!

Take Care & God Bless,

Lana

~*~

17 comments:

  1. Oh I SO wish I could have chickens! The baby chick sounds great! :)

    I didn't know that you could use fertilized eggs for cooking...learn something new everyday!

    :)

    Mere

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  2. Yes, you can eat them. If you have a rooster with your hens, chances are, they are fertilized. I gather them daily though.
    Here are a few things I found for those wanting to know more about chickens and eggs:

    At http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_you_eat_fertilized_eggs

    "Can you eat fertilized eggs?

    Absolutely If you gather the eggs daily the process will not really have started enough that you would know. It takes 21 days from start to finish (egg to chick) and many factors will slow and even stop the embryo from forming. Cold is one main reason so collection daily and putting them in the refrigerator ensures that a fertilized egg will be as good as the unfertilized ones. A fertile egg needs temps of 99+ degrees and high humidity to get going. This is provided by the hen or an incubator. Its not a good practice but even leaving the eggs in the nest for a day or two (no more) is usually safe."

    And found here:
    http://www.eggs.ca/AllAboutEggs/FAQ_OtherEggInfo.aspx?id=52

    "Yes. Most eggs sold today are infertile because there are no roosters housed with the laying hens. But fertile eggs can be found at roadside stands or health food stores. There are no nutritional differences between fertile and infertile eggs. If fertile eggs are not incubated, there will be no development of the embryo and no way to distinguish them from infertile eggs."

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  3. Lana,
    Thank you so very much for your comments on my feature in Vintage Indie, it is appreciated!
    I was in charge of gathering the eggs growing up. Sometime I'll have to share the story about gathering eggs after dark! : (
    Love your photos, brings back such wonderful memories! Also, if I haven't told you, I am a very big fan of your work!
    Hugs,
    La Donna

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  4. What a fun and inspiring blog Lana!
    And I'd love to be a part of the give-away! The hint is intriguing.
    My faves are of course old dollies and dolly parts. Vintage baby dresses and shoes, and old photos too!
    Thanks for stopping by my blog , i'm so glad you did!
    Nan

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  5. There's that tweedle dum..love the chicks..hey how come we haven't exchanged links for our blogs? Let's do it :-)
    Sharon

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  6. Hi Lane , I love your wonderful blog !!! ( I have given you an award but you don´t have to accept it if you don´t want to !)

    hugs Lone

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  7. Hello Lana dear. It's been a while since I have visited, but I must tell you how much I enjoyed reading your post about the eggs. I envy your life on your farm and loved hearing about your amazing veggie garden. Bill and I have been away at the beach most of the summer so I only planted tomatoes. Maybe next year I'll have more, but probably not.
    Hugs
    Carole

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  8. I can't believe I just got so caught up in the story of your chickens! I bet you could lose hours of your day watching them, they seem to all have such personalities!

    Thank you for sharing the stories.

    Ps I love your image of peonies on your blog - they are the best most blowsy and romantic flower aren't they?

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  9. yummy... I'm coming to your house for breakfast and then, I plan on staying through desert.

    Can we just make it a slumber party and tell ghost stories too ?

    Please???

    You always create the most wonderful treasures - I wish I was loaded, I'd scoop up everything ♥

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  10. Thank you for visiting my blog today, Lana!

    I miss having chickens! We had 12 of them when I was a little girl. I remember feeding them Ritz crackers on occasion (I wasn't supposed to, though)! lol

    I bought that vintage French wired ribbon from a seller on etsy named "UnfinishedBusiness". =)

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  11. Love these chicken pictures Lana...they are so sweet.

    Take care,
    Doreen

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  12. I just LOVE it when you post about your TURKEY Boy, Chickens & Rooster!!! Your a wealth of information which makes Very Enjoyable Reading for me...Thanks for sharing Lana...
    Marilyn

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  13. I can't wait to have a few chickens! We have property south of town but it's going to be a few years before we are living there. So I will just admire yours until then.

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  14. We had chickens when I was kid and I have been trying to talk my husband into getting us some. Maybe some day- I think they'd make really cute lawn ornaments!

    And as for the blackberries on ice cream- that is the best- love it!

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  15. mmm!

    BTW...I posted about your blog on my blog, so please enter my name twice to win your "what I know will be wonderful" giveaway :)

    Patty

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  16. Lana, I have really missed your turkey tales on the forum! I'll just have to keep visiting your blog for them.
    Deb

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