1) We moved to the country.
2) We decided we needed a garden and a chicken coop.
3) Our land is very “roll-y” and covered in weeds and brush.
4) David bought a bulldozer to clear the land.
5) Clearing the land takes longer than one might expect.
6) We spent all our monies on supplies to fence a garden and chicken coop.
7) We could not put up the aforementioned fence because our land was not yet clear.
8) On Saturday, David saw a listing on Craigslist for free chickens. Getting good deals is what makes my husband’s world go round. He went and got 24 chickens, 1 rooster, 1 Tom turkey, and 2 hen turkeys.
9) We did not have a fence.
10) My husband is insane.
***
So, we put all these birds into the chicken coop that my husband just finished this week and boarded up all the doors so they could not get out into the wild and be eaten by a great beast of some sort.
On Sunday, we got up early to start working on this fence . . . that we were not ready to build. David started at 7:45am with putting in posts and pouring concrete. I came out around 9am because the laundry pile was going to eat us if I did not conquer it.
Now. David is an extremely hard worker. He does not complain. He does not get mad. He does not quit. He does not even break for lunch.
I am a good worker . . . in theory. But I cannot do what he does. I lack the muscles and general knowledge needed to properly fence a yard. But I am willing, and he is patient, and therefore, we get it done.
And when I say “we,” please understand that he basically did all the work and I can only deduce that my purpose is to serve as eye-candy.
Ha.
I have no idea how he does what he does everyday. But have you ever used wire cutters? Apparently I do not have the hand muscles required to properly cut wire. My hands are sore and they are covered in cuts and scrapes from trying to pull the chicken wire tight enough against the fence posts.
David’s hands are completely covered in callouses. I think he must no longer feel pain in his hands.
We had to be in town at 1pm, so we had to quit early. We only got about half the fence up before we had to go. Because, remember? We weren’t supposed to get chickens this weekend.
We got home at 7:30pm and decided to try and finish the fence. The boys had fallen asleep, so David, the girls, and I got right to work. We finished in a little over an hour with the help of some headlights and a flashlight.
The girls had fun and were excited to find a few more eggs before bed.
Sweet Pea (blue jacket) is holding a turkey egg. What does one do with a turkey egg? Don’t ask me. I didn’t know I was raising turkeys.
I suppose it was probably supposed to stay under its mother’s feathered hiney. Oops.
Since the girls were such hard workers, we let them stay up and watch a little TV. We made popcorn and ice cream and watched The Waltons. And, yes, I will admit. I enjoy me some Waltons. Apparently this is what happens when one moves to the country and homeschools.
The girls went to bed, but Daisy Mae came up crying, saying she heard a noise. David checked things out and found nothing. Then she came up again. This time I went down and told her I heard nothing, but it was a LIE, because there was TOTALLY something making noise and I knew not what it was. So I went and got David and we did some investigating and it turns out there is something living in the wall!
The wall!?! Why do these things happen to me?
So, she came and slept on the couch because she was too freaked out, but now I have to worry about what sort of colony is living in my walls.
***
The chickens came out and enjoyed their new backyard this morning.
And because this is the luck I have, there is a dead chicken in the driveway, eaten by some sort of animal.
This is a problem.
I have to go past this dead chicken in order to get Handsome Dude to and from preschool today. And there is NO WAY I am moving a dead chicken body, I can tell you that right now.
I think my husband needs to quit his job so he can take care of all this nonsense. I wash my hands of it.
So, now, dear readers.
1) What should I do with the turkey eggs?
2) Did you know that none of the eggs are white? They are like blue and green.
3) Can I make a craft out of the pretty eggs?
4) Does anyone want to come and move a chicken body for me? I have a flannel shirt you can wear, if that sweetens the deal for you.
5) These eggs are fertilized and I am scared to crack them open.
6) There appears to be poo-poo on the eggs. The eggs at the grocery store don’t have poo-poo on them.
7) Have you ever had a creature living in your walls? What can one do in a situation like this?
Country life is fun.
I will come move the body for you. I will forgo the flannel but will need a plane ticket. Also happy to get living thing out of wall, as long as you’re not too attached to the wall.
You can eat the turkey egg but it sounds repulsive because I hate eggs.
I will move the dead chicken, I live in Missouri so I need directions.
Some chickens lay colored eggs, I hear they taste the same.
The reason I don’t eat eggs is because I found a half-formed chick in one and almost threw up and died.
You can carefully wash the poo off the eggs. Don’t give that job to fast moving children- no yolk.
My sister had bats in her ceiling. We had a raccoon in the attic. Both times did not fare well for the animal in question.
Whatever you do, do NOT watch the show “Infested” on Netflix. That is all.
Apparently, certain chickens lay certain colors of eggs. But in order to get a new color, you have to go to a chicken swap and swap out your chickens.
I learned this in Bible study.
It had nothing to do with developing a heart like His.
Oh, aren’t you so lucky to be living the country life!!
I’ve been begging for a chicken coop and some wonderful feather chickens for a while now….maybe there’s a reason that they haven’t materialized in my backyard yet…hmmm…
Not sure what to do with the turkey egg…
…and I think that commercial eggs are bleached, but I don’t remember the source…
…But when I see the eggs and envision all the eggs you’re going to have, I’m thinking Angel Food cake!
Jenna from The Newlyweds blog is kind of a chicken guru. maybe she can help. http://www.newlyweds-blog.com/the-chickens/
Taylor! Reading this is like re-living my childhood all over again. My parents moved to rural Iowa 13 years ago from the LA area. We had chickens, too, and my Mom loved them.
You can eat turkey eggs, just like chicken eggs. We actually learned this from friend in Cali.
I haven’t heard of blue or green eggs, but the eggs the girls are holding look like the right brown/tan color for layers. You’ll have to get some books about all the chicken breeds on your next library trip 🙂 FYI, Rhode Island Reds are some of the best.
I have no idea about crafts with eggs. Pinterest probably does.
Don’t worry. If you do this long enough you’ll get used to moving dead things. Ask me how I know.
Eating fertilized eggs is fine, most farmers out here that have chickens have a rooster in with the hens.
Here’s how we cleaned the eggs (and yes, you do loose all fear of germs on a farm 🙂 Fill a bowl/bucket that you designate specially for the purpose of egg-cleaning with warm water. Soak the dirty eggs in it for a while, enough to soften the straw/dirt/poo. Put on some rubber/disposable medical gloves, get a rag, and carefully clean off the eggs. Yes, it’s a bit time consuming.
You’ve made me want to do a post about our days of raising goats, cows, and chickens – I just have to dig out those old photos! Hope you all enjoy your new adventure!
I don’t know which was more fun – reading your blog or reading the responses! Oh what a life – what a day — Your tale reminds me of a writing friend who moved to vermont and has been homeschooling, establishing a farm, learning the ropes as she goes along. Quite an adventure – rewarding in the long run – a thrill a minute meanwhile…
visiting via the AtoZ blog challenge
Crys and I were at the same Bible study and therefore she inadvertantly stole my chicken knowledge. Sadly, that is all of the knowledge on chickens and turkeys I have, so I can’t help you on the rest of that. (Other than to say that I will be praying for you!) 🙂
I don’t have chickens, but want to. You need to read some chicken blogs. You’re not supposed to wash eggs, apparently they are coating with a protective coating called bloom. Your eggs should be fine to eat because you just got the chickens, (meaning they just laid the egg since you brought them home) so there won’t be any baby chicks in there, and now that you’ve taken them away from the hen, they won’t grow even if they are fertilized. Also, I read that you’re supposed to use hardwire for your run, not chicken wire, apparently chicken wire is not predator proof, it’s also supposed to be buried in the ground.
The coop and the run look very nice, I think you’ll have some very happy hens! Now you have to name them!
I learn something new every day! Found this at http://www.wisegeek.com/why-are-chicken-eggs-different-colors.htm
Chicken eggs from various chicken breeds emerge in different shades because of pigments which are deposited as the eggs move through the hen’s oviduct. The pigment depositions are determined by the chicken’s genetics, with some breeds producing rich dark brown eggs, for example, while others lay snow white eggs. The eggs inside are essentially identical; there are no major flavor differences between chicken eggs from different birds, as the flavor is determined by the chicken’s diet.
There are three main colors for chicken eggs. Most eggs in the store come in white or shades of brown. It is also possible to find blue to green chicken eggs, which come from the Aracuana, a breed of chicken developed in Chile. Araucanas have also been crossed with other breeds to produce the Americauna, sometimes called the “Easter egg chicken” in a reference to its multicolored eggs.
Originally, all chicken eggs were probably brown. Over time, people selectively bred chickens with progressively lighter eggs, ultimately producing white chicken eggs, which came to be the norm. Brown eggs were reintroduced to the market in the late 20th century, although people on farms were already quite familiar with the them. Some classic white egg laying breeds include Andalusians, Faverolles, Dorkings, Leghorns, and Lakenvelders. Barnevelders, Rhode Island Reds, Jersey Giants, Delawares, and Orpingtons are well known for their brown eggs, which vary in color from light cream to dark brown.
Yes, I heard movement in the walls and convinced myself I was nuts. But then I heard it in the drawers of the armoire. Critters got out of walls and into the drawers. Then I knew I wasn’t nuts and we had to call the exterminator who first sealed all possible ‘breaches of perimeter’ of house and then set traps with walnuts. Who knew?? They said that was their best trap food. ICK!!
Re: Free Fowl – Holla I guess…
Do not wash the eggs, that’s bad.
Also, the blue and green eggs sound like the fancy kind that Martha Stewart has, so maybe you have fancy chickens like she does! Araucana? Or something? Anyway, you should totally make a craft. For sure. You must be fancy!
Wipe off the poo but do not wash until you are ready to use the egg, they will keep longer. Freshly laid eggs do not need refrigerated – (this is one I don’t know if I can do, I just refrigerated mine automatically) – one you refrigerate them though you need to keep them in there. Eggs are the same no matter what the eggshell color. The eggs are probably fertilized since you have a rooster but if you collect them everyday they probably won’t have time to make an embryo. If you don’t like the noise, you don’t actually need the rooster, unless you want to breed more chickens.
Oh, good times! Did you know I grew up with chickens? I was in charge of collecting the eggs. I know you cared about that little factoid. Colored eggs are good things, my friend! It means you have real, down-home fresh eggs! I will leave it at that, since you already had wee advice from others. Yum for you!!
HUH???
I grew up thinking that white chickens lay white eggs and brown chickens lay brown eggs!!!!
🙂
LOL! And I bet you thought white milk came from white cows and chocolate milk came from brown cows! Did you ever figure out where strawberry milk came from?! I love ‘city folks’!
Oh Taylor. Eggs and chickens come from the store. I’m much into the city life and such. Your life is funny and fascinating though and I enjoy reading about it from afar. I hope you find what is in the walls, because that would creep me out. Good luck!
Exterminator post haste!
For the wall problem, not the chickens/turkeys/goat problem. Come on, you know you’re going to have goats before summers end. : )
Wash or wipe off the poo. Eat the turkey eggs too–Jumbo sized! Always crack fresh eggs into a separate bowl before adding to a recipe or cooking. This keeps you from ruining the cookies in case you find an egg with a little extra something growing in it. (a chick) yeah, it’s gross. You need a scoop shovel to haul the dead chicken from your driveway. You won’t have to touch it that way!
And yay! You ! for building fence!
Do not bleach your colorful eggs. They are okay to eat. Just not the poo. Wash the outside. If you want more chickens, let the hens keep the eggs. If you don’t want more chickens, just take them away from the hens and refrigerate them. If there is a partly formed chick in there, don’t eat it. Usually it isn’t a problem, as you will throw up before you even get close to eating it.
If you decide to eat a chicken someday, that is a whole ‘nother topic, that my parents had to face when we became Green Acres people. Their beginning attempts were traumatic to us kids as chickens really do run around like a chicken with their head cut off when that happens.
Now I know why I don’t like eggs….
Sometimes ignorance truly is bliss!
Wow, what I wouldn’t have given to sit with a cup of coffee and and watch this unfold. Actually I would have pitched in.
Poo on the eggs. The factories wash it off, but by doing so they remove a protective film from the outside of the egg (that the she-bird coated it with on exit) This actually preserves the egg longer. You can wipe em, soak em, or let your kids clean the poo off. As a kid for some odd reason we always loved this job.
Don’t worry. As long as you’re collecting the eggs every day and the hens don’t get a chance to sit on them and incubate them you won’t get any half formed chicks. If one of your hens goes broody you can put some of your fertilized eggs under her to hatch and get more chickens, if you want. But they have to be “in the mood” heehee. As for the number of eggs, not all of them lay an egg every single day. Mine tend to skip a day after 4 or 5 days and if you just got them, it may take them all some time to settle in and get comfy laying. Congrats on your chickens!!!
I’ve been doing research and learning about chicks and eggs. You can gently brush the poo-poo off; but, don’t wash the eggs because chickens naturally lay them with some kind of protective covering which prevents bacteria and the like from entering the eggs themselves. Just before using, wash them and then fry them up! 🙂
I don’t plan on having roosters. I don’t want to deal with fertilized eggs. No thank you. Mine will all be hens.
Fry the roosters, then you won’t have trouble with fertilized eggs.
After you or one of the girls or dudes have been spurred by a rooster once, you will have no trouble ringing their necks and frying them.
I concur with VAGirl; no matter what they taught the Lumberjack in classes, you aren’t going to get an egg a day from every hen. It doesn’t work that way. And in the winter they will probably all take a break from laying altogether.
The colony you ousted from the trunk of the car has found a new place to live. 🙂
Wringing
The comments are as much fun as the post! The turkey egg can be eaten – just a big bigger and somewhat richer flavor. We just used our turkey eggs in baking. We also raised ducks and duck eggs make baked goods really fluffy and light!
Too many eggs to consume? This is what we did and it worked great. Crack each egg individually, stir it up a bit with a fork to break the yolk, put one egg in each cup of an icecube tray or small muffin cups if you prefer. After the eggs are frozen just put them in a zipper freezer bag or airtight container and leave in the freezer. Then when you are baking (or even needing scrambled eggs) remove, thaw by placing them in a zipper bag in warm (not hot) water for a bit to thaw, then use away! They will keep about 3 months in the freezer. Your chickens will go through a ‘dry spell’ and you won’t get as many eggs so having some in the freezer is great. You need to be sure to date the bags so you know when your froze them!
If you want to use the pretty colored eggs for crafting, there is a way to blow the eggs out of the shell so you can still have them – um – egg shaped! But be sure to rinse them well afterwards or they will stink! 🙂
One comment on fertilized eggs. A spec of blood in the egg yolk won’t hurt anyone, just whip the eggs and do scrambled or use in baking. But I agree it is a ‘bit’ gross! When I found one that was more than I could handle, I just whipped it up with a bit of water and poured it into a dish for the cats/dogs – egg is great for their coats!
I now live in the city and my HOA would have a HEART ATTACK if I got chickens! So I will have to just enjoy your blog!
I don’t think I read where anyone else said, you CAN eat turkey eggs, but they have 3 times more cholesterol than a chicken egg…
We use a wet paper towel or rag to clean off poop, but have very little. Do you have hay in your nest boxes? Don’t let your chickens roost (sleep) in them, they will get all poopy.
The reason the turkey’s head is blue is for mating purposes… You figure that one out! 😉 they are creepy, but I haven’t had one charge me yet, but ihave had a rooster be mean. We got rid of it.
Ahhh country life, you’ll get used to it!!
I enjoy your stories!