Eggcellent Event!

This picture is not a fake. It's true...our first egg! A tiny brown egg! I'm not 100% sure which hen produced this beauty, but I heard lots of squawking at the coop, so I knew something unusual was going on. I hurried outside and found this:

Our version of a nest box

Everyone was excited, even yellow dog!

None of the Girls admitted to laying the egg. This Girl might have done it.

We aren't eating this egg; we're going to get rid of the yolk and save this one forever. To celebrate, my dad joined us for dinner and we dined on chicken legs and drank Rex Goliath wine (it has a picture of a chicken on the front of the bottle).

The Chicken Tenders

Tools of the Trade



I love a bargain. My favorite places to shop include the Salvation Army and yard sales. For the life of me I can't figure out why someone would pay triple the price at a 'normal' store when an item is available for so much less second-hand.

Which is why most of my chicken coop tools cost little to nothing. I spent a whopping dollar on my favorite tool. Yes, one whole dollar. In the photo below, the tool I'm referring to is the little rake. That thing is perfect! It's just the right size to rake chicken poop. As a side note, the shovel was free and the red dolly was from a thrift store and cost around $20. We've had that for quite awhile.

My next great find was my little red bucket I pulled out of a 'free' bin at a yard sale. It's the perfect size to carry back and forth from the coop to the compost barrel. Takes less than five minutes a morning to do a quick coop poop-scoop.

My other treasure are these cute boots from a local supply store, discounted to $14. I've had my eye on a pair of water-proof boots, but I did not want to pay more than $15. Apparently this style was last year's model, so the boots were finally clearanced and I wasted no time picking them up.

The Girls have been concerned lately; something dug under their hen house and tunneled all the way into the run.

I spent a portion of last weekend burying chicken wire around the perimeter of the coop so nothing else can dig its way in. I had already buried wire around the run, but I didn't think I would need to bury it around the coop, too. Now the girls should feel safer!

The Chicken Tenders

Time's flyin' by

I know... it's been over a month since the last update. I thought I would have more time to post since I finished my classes, but July flew right by!

We enjoyed time with friends

  Helped build a playground

Watched our niece

Made a few trips to the lake

Stopped by the zoo

Cleaned up from storm damage

 And watched Ms. Kitty.

When it was time to leave, Ms. Kitty struggled with the idea of riding home in her cardboard box. (I think someone will have to invest in a real cat carrier.) You'll notice the significant amount of tape and wire ties that held the box together.

Ms. Kitty managed to weasel her way out of that box and got her head stuck sideways to the tape. Unfortunately, there are no pictures to document that incident. I'm happy to report Ms. Kitty is back home with no permanent injuries!

Although we've been busy, the Girls still receive plenty of attention. Their favorite treats seem to be blueberries, watermelon, and cantaloupe rinds. When our friends were here, their son got to meet the Girls.

I recently hit a yard sale and a store discount sale and found some valuable tools for the coop. I'll save those pix for the next post!

The Chicken Tenders