Twisted Chicken Homestead

Don't forget! November 2nd clocks & roosters Fall back and hour! ⏰️🐓

Hey!! I hope everyone is doing well. Life has been so crazy these past 6 or so months!! Where do I start??? Buckle up cuz it’s a roller coaster of a ride. Here we go… My little chihuahua Brodi who was 15 years old passed away. We really missed his little face so I found another little face who is part Chihuahua and part Frenchie and she is just a doll!! Her name is Saki and she is always making us laugh.

After many months of pacing and worrying, we have been blessed beyond means with a beautiful and perfect grandson!! His name is Grayson and my heart overflows!! He will get everything he wants (with mom and dad’s permission) cuz I just melt when I see him 😁❤️

My youngest son moved out and into an apartment with his beautiful girlfriend Fayth and asked her to marry him and she said yes ❤️❤️❤️ My family is growing and just makes me so happy!!

And then there’s the chickens 😁 They are still clucking along and seem to be happy. However I did lose one today that was kind of special to me. When I picked up a clutch of chicks, they were all going to be the Polish breed (the ones with the foofy heads) She was a little brown fuzzy ball that turned into the prettiest black and white spotted hen. She was a cross between an Appenzeller Spitzhauben and a Polish chicken and she was beautiful. Some time in the summer, something happened to her that broker her neck or back. She was so resilient!! She was hunched over like a little old lady but she was tough and hung in there. I knew she was on borrowed time from then on so I just made the most of it. When I would feed them, she would come straight to me and I would put her feed on the ground in front of her and keep the other girls away from her so she could eat. Any other time I was out in the run, she would stand right between my feet and follow me where ever I went. She was smart and strong willed. Today when I went out to feed them, she wasn’t there and I knew today was the day. I found her laying near the feeder passed away. Her name was Margot (from Despicable Me 😊 ) and she would come when I called her. Miss Margot will be remembered. She was a sweet girl. It’s amazing how much personality chickens have and how they can be like little feathered dogs. They sure are an interesting bunch 😊 Enjoy the photos 🥰

We have hit our first day of triple digits for this season. Here is what I do to help keep my girls cool…

I have a misting system that I turn on for them once we hit triple digits. Chickens can’t sweat so they cool off through their comb and their feet. If you see your chickens panting like dogs, then they are hot. They will also stand with their wings out to try and circulate cooler air around their bodies. The misters are kept pointed up to help cool the air, not necessarily to cool them. Unlike us who like to have the water mist on us to keep us cool, chickens bodies work the opposite way. If you get their feathers too wet, the wet feathers will actually insulate the heat in and will make them hotter. Cooling the air helps to bring the hot temperatures down a few degrees to make them more comfortable.

Since they also loose heat through their feet, you can have small, clean oil pans or shallow pools out for them to stand in (mine were full of dirt when I snapped the photo 😕) They like standing in the cool water. You can also add ice to the water to help keep it cool. Make sure their drinking water is fresh and cool.

A great treat for them in the summer is Mellon or frozen fruit. The melons are full of water to help keep your birds hydrated and they love it!!

Do you see the pathetic looking buff Orpington? If your girls are beginning to look like this, don’t be alarmed. This is normal. They molt in the summer and grow their feathers back once fall begins to make an enterance. During molting, you’ll want to give your girls a little extra protein. The protein is used to help them rebuild their feathers. Normal chicken feed has 16% protein. There is feed called Feather Fixer that has 18% protein. You will also see feed that has 20-21% protein. That is usually for meat birds to help them bulk up. You don’t really want to give that high of protein to your layers because it can affect their kidneys. I give mine the feather fixer towards the end of summer for about a month just to give them that extra help to get their feathers in. You can also give them protein by feeding them worms. They can be pretty expensive. If you can stomach it, you can cultivate your own worms. It will save you a lot and your girls will go nuts for them 😊

Nov. 5th When will this ever go away???