My Chirpy Chicken Coop

How To Boil Eggs November 29, 2020 (One of Hamilton's eggs boiled for 10 minutes!) This week, I thought I'd do a just-for-fun blog post about how to boil eggs! To start, you going to want to have a small pot of water at a rolling boil. Then, turn down the flame a hint, add your eggs, cover your pot, and start the timer. Next, I'm going to show you how long to boil the eggs, the types of boiled eggs based on how long they are boiled, and also what you can do with each type of boiled egg. Let's get started!  4 Minute Eggs - The 4-minute egg will be barely cooked. The yolk is completely runny, and the white will be gelatinous. You may want to serve this egg in an egg cup, or on a piece of toast, because it does not have the strength to hold itself together. Commonly boiled for: Dippy eggs in egg cups or dropped eggs on toast.  5 Minute Eggs - The 5-minute egg whites will be cooked, and yolk will just be starting to cook, with the outer edges of the yolk beginning to firm u

All About Egg Laying November 22, 2020 (A peek at Hamilton laying an egg!) Have you ever wondered about how a hen lays an egg? Or what to feed you hens to help them lay better? Or how to make the eggs taste better? Well, in this blog post, I'm going tell you all about the egg-laying process of a hen! As soon as a hen is 14 weeks old, you should switch them to layer feed. Layer feed doesn't necessarily make a chicken lay eggs, but rather give them stronger eggshells. To keep a hen's digestive system running smoothly, you should also occasionally mix grit (crushed oyster shells, dirt, crushed granite) into their feeder along with the feed. Here's how the laying process works: 1. Fifteen minutes after a hen has laid her most recent egg, she releases a forming yolk in her oviduct. 2. After about 4 hours, she releases the egg white that forms around the yolk. 3. After another 21 hours, the shell will have formed around the white and yolk. The hen also applies a pigment to th

The First Egg November 15, 2020 (Hamilton's first egg in a nesting box!) We've had our chickens for a few months now, and they still hadn't started laying eggs yet. We'd been waiting. And waiting. And waiting. Still nothing. Finally, the moment came: Hamilton laid the first egg. Last Friday, Hamilton was sitting in the nesting boxes for the entirety of the afternoon. I suspected she was practicing for the big moment. Come to think of it, she was showing all the signs of a soon-to-be egg event: Hamilton squatted whenever I came up to her, her comb and wattles had turned into a deep shade of red, and she was frequently spending time in the nesting boxes.  When I came later that day to check on the chickens, I peeked through the window, and saw Hamilton in a nesting box, and all the other chickens were watching her. When they saw me peeking through the little window, they all filed out of the coop. All except for Hamilton. Then, it caught my eye: In the nesting box opposit

What Can Chickens Eat? November 8, 2020 (Our flock's feeder in the run!) For those in complete oblivion: Have you ever wondered what stuff you can feed your chickens? Well, today's your day! I'll give you a list of things to give (and not to give) your chickens. The list includes what feed you should give them, what scraps you can give them, what scraps you cannot give them, and what treats you can give them. At the very end, I'll tell you one food you should never ever feed chickens, on penalty of...death to the chicken. Let's get started! What feed chickens can eat: Starter feed Grower feed Layer feed Mash feed Crumble feed Pellet feed What scraps chickens can eat: Bread Cooked meats (possibility of hyper chickens) Corn Fruits Grains Oatmeal Peas Vegetables What scraps chickens cannot eat: Excessive portions of salt Processed foods Raw potato peels Avocado skins and pits  (avocado flesh is okay) Soft drinks Coffee or coffee grinds Very greasy foods Raw meat What t

Henpecked! November 1, 2020 (Washington's bald head!) Have you ever had to deal with the issue of henpecking in your flock? If you don't know what that is, then let me explain: To put it in simple words, henpecking is when a member of your flock is targeted and singled out. Once that happens, almost every other flock member will team up and pick on that one hen. This usually results in bloody combs, legs, and heads. The hen could also have had her feathers pulled out. Well, I present you today with a tried-and-true method that will help you establish order in your coop. In our flock, we introduced a new hen named Washington a few weeks ago. She is a Production Blue. Due to her small size, everyone  in the flock picked on her. Then it turned to henpecking. They pulled our her feathers, and even pecked her until blood was seeping from her head. (I honestly hope Washington didn't suffer brain injury. She seems fine, so I'm guessing she's okay. I hope.) After that, we s