Chickens and Goats

 All of the Chickens have started laying eggs.  We are getting about six eggs a day.  The Chickens are about full grown so that is good.  Mom's Silver laced Wyandotts are laying speckled brown eggs.   My Rhode Island Red layed one egg this morning.  While I was cleaning out the chicken coop, one of Dads chickens was laying an egg while I was in the coop.  It is important to keep the chicken coop clean because you don't want worms to infect the chickens.  Also to keep maggots and mites from living there.  That would be gross.  When the chickens have layed an egg, it should be clean and not have poop on it.  If they are covered in chicken poop, that means they have worms and your chickens should get dewormed.  The eggs should look clean and fresh.  When the chicken eggs first come out, they feel warm.  It is ok to not wash them off and they can be left on the counter, unwashed, for a few days if you want.  Once they are refrigerated, they need to stay in the fridge.  We choose to keep our eggs in the refrigerator, but we don't wash them off because they always come out clean and it helps keep them fresh longer.


I have decided to get a dairy goat next year.  I want a dairy goat because they give milk. Meat goats give meat and I don't want to eat a meat goat.  I want to drink the goats milk.  I went to Sunny Cove Organic Farm in Alfred and tried some of their goat milk and it was soooooo good!
You can make cheese, soap, lotions and drink the goats milk.   I think they are better than dairy cows because you only have to milk a dairy goat once a day.  A dairy cow has to be milked twice a day.  A cow eats a lot more and are more picky than goats.  Goats eat just about anything that is growing.
My favorite type of goat is the Nubian and Saanan goats.  The Nubians come in any color and have floppy ears.  The Saanan come in white and have straight up ears, like a deer.

All Eggs on Deck

     Sorry it has been so long between posts.  I had a very busy summer and I have been very busy with school starting up again.
 I have exciting news, my sisters Easter Eggers have started laying their eggs and my dads barred rock chickens have just started laying today as well as my Rhode Island Reds!  We are still waiting for my moms Silver laced Wyandots to lay.
It has been very hot the past week, so the chickens are liking the warm weather.  The chickens are starting to love being held and pet. I think they are because I have been giving them apples from the apple tree that is out side of their run.  They also enjoy getting cantaloupe, watermelon, squash and other snacks from me.  I believe my chickens are the friendliest because they run up to the fence and walk along side me when I am in the run with them.  The funniest thing is to watch all of our chickens run. They have a waddle when they run and they put their heads down then kind of stick their wings slightly out to the side then take off full speed. Its so cute!
When they lay eggs they make the funniest noises.  They cluck and chatter VERY loudly.  It really is fun to listen to them.

Here are a brown and green.  The brown is from the Rhode Island Red, the Green is from the Easter Egger

This is a pale pink.  This one is from the Easter Egger