Yogie's chickens lay lots of eggs, she takes good care of them, Booboo has turkeys.

Poppie has had chickens for three years, we actually got his first chickens when he was in the hospital, they were Easter gifts for the girls. He came home from the hospital on Easter day that year. They did well but eventually all of them died, their were five of them originally, one of them lived over a year. We were given a little rooster that summer but the bigger rooster we had hurt him and he died. We got a dozen chicks the next year and they all were hens which was great. The big rooster started attacking Poppie and eventually we had to have  my brother come and get him to make lures out of. Every time Poppie would turn around in the coop the rooster would hit Poppie in the back and really hurt him. Poppie did not miss him when he was gone but was reluctant to have a rooster again. The new chickens grew up and he had the start of our hens. Last spring we got more chicks 7 regular and 5 meat chickens. The meat chicken grew very fast and because their legs aren't strong they eat themselves to being crippled. As soon as their legs can no longer support their weight you butcher them. We had nice big birds but their legs were still strong but we did butcher them and got 5 nice big birds. Son butchered them. Yogie loved the whole process, I couldn't imagine my little girly girl up to her elbows in chicken guts cleaning out the bird cavity but there she stood, She was totally in her element, she is a farmer at heart down to her core.

We also were given some chicken from Herbalist and Mokie gave us all of their so we had more chickens than we needed. Poppie's friend found one of his hen had, unbeknownst to him sat on a clutch of 12 chicks in his flower bed so we got the hen and the chicks. Way more chicks than we needed. Herbalist ended up taking the hen and chicks because a dog or coyotes had killed hers so she was in need of them. So now we are down to 20 some chickens. They molted in December and quit laying and didn't start back up after molting so we gave them a pound of raw hamburger and they started up and went into over drive. We get 16 to 22 eggs a day. Yogie began by just helping Poppie getting the eggs and then she asked to have the job as her own. She helps feed them, throws scratch to them to entertain them, so they don't get out the door while she collects the eggs. She is always so excited to count and see how many she has collected that day. She brings them in and I help her clean them. She is delighted to re straw their laying boxes with new straw she loves the whole process, from life to death in a chickens life cycle. She now has 5 regular customers for her eggs, even so we still have to be creative with eating eggs, frotattas, omelets, puddings, and with suggestions of friends we will be making angel food cake and pound cake for the farmers market as well. Poppie likes pickled eggs too, I just hate peeling really fresh eggs, but the bottom line is once you have eaten farm fresh eggs store bought are unpalatable.

Booboo was a little jealous of Yogies chickens, so we have bought her 5 turkey chicks, they are doing well, have learned to eat and drink and are thriving. She is hoping to get a hen and gobbler out of them to raise future chicks, and the other three will be for holiday dinners. We have to find a Peahen too as our old hen died in the cold of the winter and our two Peacocks are missing her so looking for a new hen or two. The neighbors all enjoy them, as they are free range, except when they poop on their vehicles. Our birds are coming along well and the little ladies are learning responsibility from having them, win win in my book.... tomorrow.