Today at breakfast...

we spent time talking, planning and then reading. Some of our favorite things to plan and talk about during this time of year are what to plant in our garden and what kind of activities would be fun for the summer.

One thing we enjoy doing regularly is reading various stories, out loud. Even though we have already read Laura Ingalls Wilders', The Little House Series, before (this will be our third time), we are reading it again.  It is such a classic and we always find similarities between the books and the seasons we are in.
Hope your day is blessed and productive!
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{SpRiNgTiMe!!} How to trim chicken's wings

 Every year chickens will molt. Their new feathers are soft, shiny and smooth. In order to keep them protected from predators, it's important to allow the chickens to roam freely in a confined (fenced) area. Hawks, coyotes, and packs of dogs will feast on my sweet, little flock if I don't keep them safe. To keep them inside their fencing, I trim their wings every spring. Below is the process. All you need is a sharp pair of scissors and a helper.

1.  Spread out one wing

 

  2. Cut the longest section of feathers. (these are the ones that help them fly)There are several rows of short feathers then the section of long ones. Cut just below the short feathers and you won't hurt the chicken. Begin snipping slowly.

 3.  Continue clipping the long row, until you have curved all the way along the wing.

 4.  No need to clip the other side. Chickens can not fly when one wing has been trimmed, and when you let her down, you can barely tell it's been clipped. Simply lovely!!

 5. Below are some additional photos of a couple of my chickens having their wings trimmed. It's a very simply and quick process. My flock is down to 10 now, and it only took my daughters, about 25 minutes. (I was taking the pics). The longest part of the process is catching them!