Digital Art - How to Draw Chickens Like a Boss... Or like a SAHM trying to pay bills...

So this is the beginning of our rags to rich... ermmm... not-so-raggedy... story.

Back in late August my husband lost his job. Losing a job sucks. Especially when you've finally worked your way back up after losing everything just 7 years before to medical bills. Just when we thought we were hitting the big time in our new-to-us circa 1973 sexy single-wide that just happens to be on the most beautiful 2.7 acres in the Appalachian Mountains ever (yeah - OK... we were going to start building a home on our land in January of 2015) we crashed face-first into the mud!

 I mean really? Even the brand name is some sort of strange misspelling...

This Week In Chicken Art

I have plenty of great blog posts in my head, but until I get all my illustrations done, they'll have to stay in my head.

So instead, this is what I have done over the last 10 days:

Dark Cornish

NCK Online Show Awards Ceremony

Well - this post would have come out much sooner, but due to a glitch with Blogger, the entire post was erased when I was trying to post it the first time and I had to completely recreate it. 

Sorry for the delay!!

And with no further ado...

Photo Shoot and How to Draw a Chicken... Or Two

What a fun and crazy weekend I have had!

Ever since my husband lost his job and my youngest became home-bound for fear she might catch the dreaded Enterovirus D68, we pretty much thought that FUN would be on hold for a while. Yet so much kindness and generosity has been shown to us in our recent hard times.

First, I have been offered a wonderful opportunity to provide 25 illustrations of various chicken breeds to GRIT Magazine for their annual Guide to Backyard Chickens issue. I have been working from sunup to sundown to get these illustrations done. Admittedly, it's a bit stressful. This is a HUGE opportunity, and I have a very limited time. I'm not used to banging artwork out so quickly! But as stressful as it is, I'm positively thrilled to have this chance to have my artwork used in such an awesome magazine!

Pictures of Chicks and Chicken Artwork - The Sequel

I have been seriously, ridiculously, over-the-top busy working on chicken breed artwork for GRIT Magazine's 2015 Guide to Backyard Chickens Issue, and I have had little time to come up with awesome chicken keeping articles for you over the past days... So I hope you will enjoy a bit of visual fun instead.

One of my lovely Swedish Flower Hen pullets, Sofia, went broody at the ripe old age of 9 months and has hatched out a beautiful clutch of four chicks! I'm quite sure she would have hatched five chicks, but unfortunately my 11-year-old daughter, who is in the autism spectrum, dropped one of the eggs about 4 days prior to hatch. We were both very sad about the loss, but everyone makes mistakes!

We're thrilled for the four that have hatched! Three of the four are out of my pullet Greta who took the title of Champion Pullet at a local county fair poultry show. (Read more about the show here.)

Look at these sweet babies!

 (Both parents are BIG - but I didn't expect the chick to resemble a Rottweiler! Hee-hee-hee!)

Fall - The Best Time to Plant Garlic (Your Chickens Will Thank You!)

Fall is the best time to plant garlic - specifically just after the first frost. If you live in Australia, please flip this post upside down you you can read it better (and don't plant garlic until spring)... and if you happen to reside in a place like Grand Cayman, it probably isn't advisable to wait until after the first frost as it could indicate that Hell is finally freezing over - in which case planting garlic might be the least of your worries!

Chicken Artwork - Roosters and Hens

In today's episode of You Show Me Yours and I'll Show You Mine...

Of course as you may know, we are hosting our first ever  Online Poultry Show. Yes - we want to see YOUR chickens because we know how much you enjoy them and how special they are to you. We want you to show them off!
(You can click the photo link below for more details and to see the current entries!)

And since you going to show us yours, I'll show you mine!

You've seen tons of photos of my own birds throughout this blog, so instead of showing you photos again, I'll show you some of the birds I've been painting. I'm going through a list of breeds and creating artwork based upon those breeds. I figure that by the time I'm 103, I'll have at least a third of the known breeds translated into art form! (I hope.)

Working for Chicken Feed

While my husband diligently searches for a job and my flock muddles its way through a molt, we have found ourselves in a position where we can't afford chicken feed. Normally our chickens earn their keep in sales of fertile hatching eggs, but of late I have been lucky to collect 1 - 2 eggs per day.

So I'm getting creative again because, by golly, I want to do something to earn their feed!

So this post isn't about my birds and me at all. Nope - this post is about YOUR birds and YOU!

A few weeks ago (before my husband lost his job) I showed one of my birds at a poultry show for the first time... and I had a blast! I still enjoy peeking up a few times a day at the trophy my pullet won. (I'm a proud mamma!)

So why not share the fun of showing with the Natural Chicken Keeping readers?

The Truth about Guinea Fowl

Are you considering getting a flock of guineas? (Do you have masochistic tendencies?)

Guinea fowl are commonly used to control tick and mosquito populations on farms around the world. They will also kill and consume snakes - even poisonous ones. These birds truly excel at keeping large areas clear of biting critters of all sorts.

Molting Season – Fewer Eggs and Fewer Feathers

Molting season is upon us, and with it comes a reduction in egg production and possibly some raggedy-looking chickens.

In the late summer and early fall, chickens that are about one year of age and older go through a seasonal cycle where they shed their old feathers and grow in new feathers to keep them warm through the coming winter. This can take a lot of a chicken’s energy. It can also lower a chicken’s immune system because resources from the food it eats are being redirected to growing all those new feathers.

Preparing and Showing Your Chicken at a Poultry Show

Yesterday I tried something I have never done before. I took one of my Swedish Flower Hen pullets to a poultry show at a county fair. One of the neat things about keeping this blog is that it has pushed me to try things I might not have otherwise tried, like fermenting feed, raising my own meat birds and... entering a bird in a poultry show.

My Gingerbread House Chicken Coop - Another Upcycling Project

My family had been renting the century-old farmhouse on a beautiful horse farm (partially pictured in the header) since June of 2012. We were able to live there for a song because the place was on the market and we could be asked to move at any time. Sadly it sold in the winter of 2014 and we were given until spring to move.

After hunting high and low, and learning my husband was being transferred to a different part of the state for his job, we found a beautiful little property with a very well maintained 1973 single wide trailer on it. We bought it just for the sexy single wide! OK - not really, but we do have PLANS, my friend!

Life Hacks - 40+ Boredom Busters for Chickens and Chicks

We speak highly of free ranging on this blog. There are so many benefits for the chickens and for your feed bills, but the truth of the matter is that free ranging is not always possible for many flock owners. Whether one lives in a suburban setting or a rural setting with plentiful predators, there are many situations where flocks must be kept in limited spaces.

Bird Shots - Portraits of Chickens

One thing that many non-chicken people don't know is that every chicken has its own personality. Right from the start that personality is evident. Not only that, but chickens are expressive! It is not hard to tell what mood your chickens are in just by watching their faces and body language.

Look at the expressions in each of the faces or in the body language of the chickens below. How do you think these birds are feeling? What are they thinking?

 shy?

Processing My Meat Birds (Heads are Going to Roll!)

Let me start by saying that if you are an animal rights activist or don't believe that animals should be killed for meat, this post is not for you. Further, if you fit into the above description and are here to leave harassing comments about MY choice to eat meat, the following articles will be considered Required Reading before you leave any comments...

An Open Letter To Angry Vegetarians
Just Chillin' (with) My Meat Birds

Oh - and if you still choose to leave a hateful comment, I will delete it... because I am the Blog Goddess and I can do that.

And with that out of the way...

This blog is for anyone interested in raising and processing their own chickens for food. There are lots of different right ways of processing chickens, and the way I'm going to share is just one of them. I don't own any fancy processing equipment, and you don't need to either (though if you do, that's great).

Writing about killing and death is almost as difficult as writing about sex, so I'm going to do it my way and try to lighten it up for all of us with a bit of humor.

The Broody Bunch

Here's the story,
Of a lovely lady,
Who was sitting on 2 very lovely eggs.
both of them were Swedish Flower,
Like their mother,
Though they resembled tiny kegs.

Here's the story,
Of another lady,
Who was busy with two eggs of her own,
They were three chooks,
Living all together,
Yet they were all alone.

'Till this one day when this lady met this lady,
And they knew that it was much more than a hunch,
That this flock would somehow form a family...
And that's the way they all became the Broody Bunch!

Raising Ducklings and Chicks Together & Aspergillosis in Chickens

*** Warning - this blog post contains graphic materials. ***

Yesterday as my husband and I were working on a new run for our young flock of guinea fowl, my phone rang. It was my dear friend Linda. She was in tears and she needed me to walk her through her first necropsy over the phone. Over the next hour, Linda and I were able to solve a mystery and offer Linda some peace of mind for the health of the rest of her flock.

Let me start with some background...

Linda keeps her chickens and other livestock as organically as possible and recently decided that she should get some young chickens as her current flock is aging. Most of us might assume that Lida's birds might perhaps be 4 or 5 years old. Maybe even a little older. Well... Linda's oldest flock members are currently 13 years old! (No - that's not a typo.) And she even has the receipts from the purchase of those chickens to prove it!

Wry Neck - Using Turmeric to Treat Wry Neck in a Chicken

~ By: Christine Myers

Just last week, I was standing in my yard, looking at my favorite pullet, feeling sure I’d have to euthanize her. Hope (an Easter Egger) had suddenly developed a case of wry neck which had gotten progressively worse over the course of the day. I ended up treating her condition not with the recommended regimen of vitamins, but with a spice that is a medicinal powerhouse in the human world. Here is her story.

Day 1. I opened the main coop and stepped aside for the stampede of chickens to their morning rations. As always, Hope did her cute half-run, half-fly thing that often gets her to the food dishes first. She seemed fine. 

Bird Shots - Photos from this Week

Just Chillin' (with) My Meat Birds

Just chillin' (with) my meat birds. 

So there's something you don't hear every day. In this day and age of factory farming we are more likely to hear the horror stories of the lives of meat birds warehoused in giant buildings with nothing to do but eat all day. But if you're a long-time follower of this blog, perhaps you have already read about Justine's adventure raising meat birds.

The Dry Incubation Method for Hatching Difficult-to-Hatch Breeds

~ By Karen

I hatch a LOT of eggs – generally more than a thousand annually. Over the years I have had a great deal of luck with the Dry Incubation Method. I hatch a lot of Swedish Flower Hen eggs, and for whatever reason, this breed can be very difficult to hatch in an incubator – but even shipped Swedish Flower eggs seem to do well using this method.

Bird Shots - April Showers Bring Swedish Flowers

While I haven't had time to get a good post put together, I couldn't resist rolling about in the grass with some of my favorite flock members today. All the birds below are Swedish Flower Hens (yup - even the rooster). The Swedish name is Skånsk Blommehöns.

What Goes Around – Natural Prevention of Common Poultry Diseases

(Disclaimer - There are varying opinions on the statements concerning culling flocks for MG/MS. Many state Agricultural Department veterinarians DO NOT suggest culling a flock as these diseases are currently very prevalent... up to 75% of ALL domestic flocks *may* already be carriers of MG/MS.) 

Recently an acquaintance of mine (who for privacy reasons we will call “X”) lost his/her entire flock of rare breed chickens to mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG). Due to the number of birds X had as well as the breeds involved, X’s monetary loss would be well into the thousands, though if you were to ask X I believe s/he would tell you that the emotional toll was far greater.

Been Gone Too Long!

Yes - I've been MIA for a while, but don't worry! I'll be posting more great articles soon.

Where have I been?

I Donated a Chicken to Science - With Awesome Results!

Check out the complete Natural Chicken Keeping article at GRIT Magazine by clicking the picture below! And don't miss the video!!

Doesn't Everybody Keep Chickens in their Laundry Room?

Funny thing about this chicken addiction. It all seems to start out so innocently, and a couple years later... BOOM! An out of control Crazy Chicken Lady/Man is walking around wearing your shoes, kissing your spouse and living your life.

I refer to my friend Karen as my enabler. Our rather co-dependent friendship was born when she hatched chicks for me. Now I find myself bootlegging eggs to her in bi-weekly runs to a town an hour away. I quietly drop them off with our "messenger" and that evening Karen lets me know if the goods made it to her safely.

Help ~ I Broke My Chicken! What to do for a Broken Leg

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Disclaimer:  Shattered bones, joint and soft-tissue issues may require different care than a cleanly broken bone and in some cases may not ever heal properly.

I have friendly chickens. Sometimes, though, their friendliness gets them (and me) into a bit of trouble. When I go out to feed, I tend to be swarmed by no less than 40 chickens, which can make it very difficult to walk. Two weeks ago the inevitable happened when I stepped on one of my younger flock members!

We're Having a Party!

I don't know about you, but I live wayyyy out in the country. I wouldn't change it, but there is one thing I do miss about suburban/urban life...

I miss getting together with oodles of friends for fun product parties! Then I saw the adorable rooster warmer (the white one) that is on sale throughout the month of February... and I decided to go ahead and host a Scentsy party ONLINE! Heck - I have met so many wonderful folks out here, and there's no way you'd be able to find my house anyway - - so I do hope you will come!

Where Do Eggs Come From - How Chickens Create Eggs

Warning!
The following post contains graphic material.

Some time ago, we ran an article on this very subject, complete with artistic representations of the inner workings of a mature, laying hen. (Chickens, Eggs, Fertilization, Reproduction and Other Insider Information) Now, due to an unfortunate hawk attack, we can show you the real thing.

Super-Simple Flourless Egg Bread

Check out my recipe for my simple, yummy egg bread on GRIT Magazine's website!

Please click HERE to read the full article.

Random Farm Photos from this Week

Enjoy!

Signs of a Stroke in Chickens - Yes, Chickens Can and Do Have Strokes.

Many of you will remember my post about my gyandromorphic chicken. You can read the post HERE if you would like to. Since the writing of the article, we named the chicken Italy. We couldn't call it a he or she and didn't want to keep referring to it as "it" so somehow "it" morphed into "Italy" over time.

Now I'm not so sure if Italy was truly a gyandromorph. It/he certainly may have been, but the more likely scenario, based upon recent developments, is that Italy may have had a chicken-y form of Cerebral Palsy.

Keeping Chickens Healthy in the Cold Weather

Check out our newest blog post on GRIT Magazine:

Keeping Chickens Healthy in the Cold Weather