Clipping Wings

Why clip a chicken's wings?

My husband ran inside yelling...

"Our chickens have flown the coop!"

And they did...literally.

As our babies have grown, they have started to spread their wings. We went outside the other night to lock them up in their coop for the night and were scared when we couldn’t find them in the pen. After a frantic search of the yard, we finally looked up. To our surprise, all three babies were perched upon an arbor about 9 feet high! With the help of a ladder, they were soon locked away safely for the night. A couple of days later we decided it was time to clip their wings.

While chickens are know as flightless birds, they are still able to utilize their wings to travel short distances. Our babies started this at two months old and have gotten stronger and started to fly higher and longer as their wing feathers developed. As they age and put on weight, their ability to go high or far greatly decreases. But in the mean time, a quick snip of their flight feathers is a good idea.

To accomplish this task, it usually takes two people. One must hold the bird close to them, so the second person can do the clipping. We used a pair of household scissors to cut with. Simply extend one wing to expose the long layer of flight feathers that are tucked under the wing when the bird is walking. Cut about 1/3 to ½ of the length off. It is only necessary to clip one wing on each bird. The purpose behind this is to throw off the chick’s balance, so they can not fly high.

Below are images of the steps I have described:

The chicks have no feeling in their feathers, just like human hair. They will suffer no bad side effects from doing this. You may notice, as we did, they will pick at the trimmed wing for a short while after you cut it. They do this because they realize something is different, not because they are in any discomfort.
With the wings clipped, we now don’t have to worry about them flying the coop!


Flying Chicks and Clipped Wings,

Ling Ling and Crutch

She's a He...Oppssie!!!

Are you wanting a Chicken? Make sure you know what you are getting.

One of the local places to get hairy legged chicken (Feather Legged Chickens) is in Norge, Oklahoma (Southwest of Chickasha) at the Norge Feed Store. In May I took the short drive to Norge.

When you go to this feed store you almost always are interrupting a very "DEEP" conversation being had by “the men”. One fella will always step away from this, no dough interesting, informative & make me jealous I can’t be in, it conversation. I told him I wanted a hairy legged hen. He reached in a box of 17 or so chicks and pulls one out saying he "thinks" this one is a hen. This hen is orange and golden. I say ok and pay $2.50 for Harrie-It. The kind man puts her in a box and we take her home.
After a few days I hear this strange noise coming from the room we had our chicks in. She is on top of the feeder trying to crow!!!!.... What she's a he.

                                                                                             

I guess she I mean he will be called Harrie now. I really only want Hens...I am sure we are going to have to give him away. 

Looking for a Happy Home for HIM!!!

Ling Ling & Crutch

Free Seeds! ... Sort of

As you know, seeds can be expensive. To curb the cost of buying seeds and garden plants, we have started collecting seeds from various fruits and vegetables as we eat them. Not only do we get to enjoy what we have eaten, but for the same price, we are able to harvest seeds for our backyard gardens.

How do you do this?

When you are dicing and slicing fruit and vegetables, remember to scoop out any seeds and set them aside. Simply rinse them and place them on a paper towel to air dry.

We placed some seeds in a plastic bag with the intention of planting them very soon. If you are not ready for this step, you can store them until planting time. Lay seeds out on a paper towel and allow them to dry completely. Next, place them in an air tight container such as an old baby food jar, Tupperware or anything else with a lid. Before storing, it is a good idea to write the date the seeds were collected and the type of plant they came from on the container.

To store and sew seeds, follow these rules of thumb.

• Keep them cool and dry. A fridge or freezer is a good place because temperatures do not fluctuate and the humidity is low.

• There is no set time per seed for how long it can be stored. As long as the seed is mature when harvested, it should go dormant until planted.

• Each seed germination time and sprouting conditions vary, so, when storing multiple seeds, do not expect that they will all sprout at the same time. Be patient.

Also, take time to research different seed types and growing conditions for your area. Remember, we all learn as we go and failure is an option. But, don’t let that keep you from trying. You never know what you might get.

Below is an example of seed harvesting success! We harvested the seeds from a cantaloupe purchased at the grocery store. We planted them right away instead of storing.

Seed Scooping, Money Saving ,

Ling Ling and Crutch

Did I bring home The Devil Chicken???

The answer is YES I do think so. Harrie-It has turned out to be a problem child. She has decided she does not like Whiney Penny. Every chance she gets she attacks her. Harrie-It shreds the paper in the bottom of the box we keep the chicks in, keeps everyone away from the food and water, puffs up to look big and tons of other things that are Devilish in nature. As the nightmare of a story is unfolded to Ling Ling she laughs and said that is the literal “Pecking Order” taking place. Ling gave me some stuff called ROOSTER BOOSTER PICK-NO-MORE COVER-UP LOTION to put on the bullied chicks head.

                                                                                 

ROOSTER BOOSTER  is an amazing product. When the chicks get it in their mouth it has an awful taste. They try to wipe it off on the ground. After The Devil Chicken (AKA: Harrie-It) got a mouth full a few times it curbed her hatred for Whiny Penny.

Cute Devil Chickens & Rooster Boostering,

Ling Ling & Crutch

Meet The Crutch Chicks

On April 23rd we were gifted 2 chicks that were used in the church petting zoo for Easter. The chicks were about 1 week old. A Crutch kid named one that day Genuine. The other went nameless for weeks until a neighborhood kiddo came over. He named her Whiny Penny. What a great name. We told him in honor of her getting a name, he could have her first eggs.

As of today they are approximately 7 weeks old. They are two peas in a pod. They stay close to each other and act in sync with each other. They are starting to fly. They even seem to recognize my voice.

Harrie-It came from the Norge Feed Store on May 17, 2011.
So named due to the feathers on her legs. Hairy leg chickens can come in all breeds. I just love them. Harrie-It is a big ol' baby. If the other two chicks move out of sight she gets very upset and loud. She likes to keep the other two in check.

Updates on the little darlings will come as the chicks grow and lay eggs. This is all very exciting. We hope we are relaying how cool it is to be a "Chicken Farmer" !

Chicks for gifts and cool names,

Ling Ling & Crutch