Van Kampen Chicken Ranch
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Peep Pics, Good News and Bad News...
Goo, our white Silkie hen was killed by a hawk 12/8...it's a tough balance of not getting too attached as we know that this is going to happen from time to time. Can't really blame the hawk, who doesn't like chicken? In other news, our white half silkie (Buffy) has started laying tiny little eggs! We think the other half silkie (drusilla) is a hen as well based on George's advances...he's our hen detector!
The Peeps are growing up! We now think that Willow in the mother of both peeps as the black is developing some streaks of brown...these were taken 12/14/2006
News and Updates
9-22-06 Something attacked and killed one Leghorn and wounded a Rhode Island Red. I suspect it was a dog based on the wounds on the Red (the jaws of whatever it was were too big to be a fox or bobcat) and the way Teddy behaved when I let him out. Total bummer as far as egg production goes, they're our best layers and now we only have one left...
New peep pics, taken 9/28...2 weeks old!
Amy's current theory is that the black peep is the George and Goo's and the Gray is George and Willow's. They've at least doubled in size, the hands shown are Matthew's/
The Adolescents, now integrated with the flock...peeps no longer!
The black adolescent is in stealth mode in the left picture...
The first peeps conceived and hatched at home!
Hatch date 9/14-15/2006
One day old and still wobbly!
Note the quarter for scale, they're very tiny. The small hand is Patty's. We believe that they are the offspring of George, our blue silkie rooster and Goo, a pure white silkie hen; however, Willow, a half breed silkie/unknown bantam mix did the work of hatching the eggs. We now officially have too many chickens.
The Suspects
George (the father), Willow (suspected foster egg sitter), and Goo (suspected mother). Goerge and Goo are pure bred silkies, Willow is a half breed, the product of a white silkie rooster and an unknown bantam, she's quite a beautiful bird...
Other Cast Members
Our two half silkie peeps, almost big enough for integration (left), Busy morning in the nesting box featuring a Rhode Island Red, White Leghorn and Willow anxiously waiting for them to leave so she can sit on some eggs (middle) and George and Goo hanging out by the door (right)
Egg Shots
One of the the Rhode Island Reds lays bizarre eggs that look sort of like wrinkled papier mache (left) and our first ever egg about a year ago compared to a large egg from the supermarket
Our First Chickens
As peeps, 3 Rhode Island Reds and 3 Leghorns (left), more grown up leghorns and reds with their new buddy Teddy the shepherd (center and right). Five of the six original chickens are still with us over a year later. One leghorn died we believe from being "egg bound"
Patty's Silkie Project
George and his brother Alan (we wanted hens but took our chances on unsexed peeps...naturally both were roosters). George is still with us, but Alan was killed, we believe by a hawk. George was traumatized and depressed until we got Goo and Willow (he never really mixed well with the full sized utility breed hens), now he seems completely rehabilitated. And now with the addition of the newest hatchlings, we have six at least part silkies.
The Poultry Palace
...was built in our unused dog kennel entirely from scratch by Matthew over his spring break. It has since been painted white with forest green trim.