Fresh Eggs Everyday!

It has been very cold here and when it gets cold my little chickens don't want to lay their eggs as frequently.  Soooo, we have a red warming lamp in their coop to help them along.  It keeps them warm in the cold of the night and then when the sun is starting to come up in the morning they come out and begin to peck around. 
 Here is Bridget.
 She found 2 eggs this morning and we're going to go see if they've laid any to others around the barn. 

Nope, the little ladies didn't lay any more, so we'll check back later. Did you know that 'hens' don't need a rooster to lay their eggs?  Most hens are born with the capacity to lay between 2000 to 4000 eggs in their lifetime.  Isn't that amazing!  The reason you would have a rooster is so that the eggs could be fertilized and then set by the hen. This would give you little chicks.  So technically we don't need our roosters. I just like them because they are so pretty to look at, but with the way they've been acting here lately, they may end up on our dinner table!

Diego and Broody

This was too cute not to share...Diego, my paint horse is always a very curious fellow. He likes to be all up in your space and you can never pet, brush or love on him toooooo much as far as he's concerned! Here he is trying to get a better look at my chicken, Broody. If you look close, you can see his eyes looking right at her! He's a very intense guy and very smart...almost too smart. Broody was eating away and minding her own business when she looked up and saw this huge horse peering down at her...Yipes!! Their eyes met and she just stood there for a moment. But then...off she went and Diego had a look on his face like, "Where ya going?" I couldn't believe I caught it on camera...I just had to laugh!

My chickens are growing

Here we are several months down the road and we still have our little chickens. We got them when they were just 4 days old along with 2 ducks. By the way, the ducks think they are part of the chicken brood I guess, because they all stick together. Here is their coop with a fence around it and then here are the chickens that have decided they like it out of their yard. If one goes into the coop, they all will follow. If one decides to eat or drink, they all want to do it too. It is so cute. There is a 'PECKING' order you know. I mean among fowl. They all know who's 'BOSS'.

Do you see my little 4lb long-haired Chihuahua? She is just sitting there watching them. Especially Broody, who is getting a bit too close. Now, the chickens are about 3 1/2 months old and today I opened their fencing door and let them out for a while. They are big enough to walk around the YARD, (our big yard), and enjoy getting all the worms they want. We had the kittens, puppies, dogs, cats, the goat, the pony and the ducks and chickens out in the yard. Thank goodness the chickens like to stay right around where my garden is growing. Here are most of my little brood-8 chickens & 2 ducks This is Broody(my chicken), Jemima & Willamina(Camille's ducks)

They decided to take little walk. They went right into the horses pasture and found something good to munch on. But in a moment they were back at the coop and ready to get into their own little yard. I just got Broody going in the right direction and the rest followed along. Love It!!