Girls Gone Wild

The girls go crazy for watermelon while Rudy stands alert...

Soon, though, he can't resist...he asks to join in...

He's almost timid, and very dainty in his pecking. The girls get their whole face inside and shovel it in....

Soon they wander off, one by one, to look for meatier morsels....

Leaving only Phoebe and her BFF, Izzie...

And then only Phoebe. "Where did everybody go?"....

"Wait for ME!...

Eggs!!

The first batch of quail are eight weeks old and we began getting our first quail eggs two weeks ago. They come in lots of pattern variations, but each hen lays the same color and pattern throughout her reproductive life. We are up to 17 a day, and have eaten most of them...fried, scrambled, and deviled.

The size of the eggs we've collected thus far have ranged from two finger-tip sized "barbie doll eggs" to several of these huge, almost bantam chicken sized eggs. Ouch!

We finally got our first real chicken egg! I say finally, but the normal age of age egg laying onset is 20-26 weeks. Our girls are 18 1/2 weeks old, but in the last couple of weeks their combs and wattles have gotten bigger and redder-a sure sign of reproductive maturity. Also, Rudy has been doing his duty for a couple of weeks now. (I had read that roosters mate 30-40 times a day, and I'm here to tell you this is no exaggeration). I also say "real" egg, because two days ago I was out in the garden with the kids and noticed two were missing. This is highly unusual because they always hang together, like they are attached with an invisible teather. I searched and found Phoebe and Izzie in a brushy area standing over a sort of egg. It was missing a shell and looked a bit like a silicone implant. This is common for first eggs. You aren't supposed to put birds on layer feed or give extra calcium until point of lay, as it can hurt their developing organs before they are ready to utilize it. I've since added a bowl of crushed oyster shell for free choice feeding. Anyway, I knew Izzie was the layer because she looked positively shell shocked. I was proud of Phoebe, her BFF, for staying with her and holding her hand through this traumatic event (if chickens had hands).

No more eggs for two days. This morning Izzie did not come out of the coop at daybreak with the others. When I let the rest out for morning free range, she was sitting in the nest box. She sat for over an hour until Rudy informed me by chattering and leading me to the coop, that she was down and ready to join her pals. I opened the door to let her out and found in the nest box; a warm, perfectly formed, hard shelled egg. Woo hoo!!

Hangin' with my Peeps

I like to sit on the porch to shell lima beans so I can just throw the shells into the flower beds to compost. The chickens investigated the shells and quickly decided they were not edible. When I offered them the small or buggy beans though, they gobbled them up. It didn't take friendly Violet long to join me on the swing (me, me...pick ME!). Of course I can't play favorites and each got their turn, although gentleman Rudy gave most of his to one or another of his girls. After awhile Violet did try to snitch limas from the colander, but after I nudged her head away a couple of times, she caught on that she had to wait her turn. Meanwhile, sneaky Sadie who is pecking at the bag of unshelled beans, managed to pull it off the swing, causing a chorus of squawks- and one human version of a squawk.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

II have focused a lot of attention on Rudy the roo, as he is so smart and has so much character, but now it's time to introduce you to the "girls". These young pullets are developing into quite beautiful hens. While Rudy takes his responsibilites as flock keeper and protector quite seriously, the ladies are content to pursue nutrition for their occupation as future egg layers. Rudy keeps one eye on the ground, and another on the sky and another on his girls as they forage carefreely. (I know I've given Rudy an extra eye-but that's how watchful he is).

I've purchased colored leg bands (they are now hippy chicks with ankle bracelets) so we can tell them apart and they now have names. Introducing in no particular order, (ok, pecking order)- Phoebe, Sadie, Izzie, Ellie Mae, and Violet. Above is Phoebe, who is the biggest and a bit aloof. Nobody messes with Phoebe-not even Rudy. Check out her posture. She is the queen of the flock.

This is Violet, the smallest but friendliest. She's the first to come running to greet us.

Sadie could also be called stubborn Sadie. I'm convinced that she is the chick we've had to chase around the pen to get her in with the rest. She gave Adam a frustrating hour once when she balked at the coop door and led him on a chase to the back of beyond.

Ellie Mae and Izzie are true middle children. They get along with everyone and don't ruffle any feathers. Ellie Mae (pictured on the far left looking a bit like Mae West) does wander off on her own more than the rest, so she has a streak of independence.

This photo shows it well. I've called them and Violet in the foreground is first to come running; Izzie, hovering in the air, has delayed to find one last grasshopper-then flies to catch up; Sadie, on the left, is saying "maybe I'll come, or maybe I'll run over there". Phoebe, sitting on the right, is saying, "I'll come when the rest of these fools are out of the way", and Ellie is out of the picture doing her own thing.