Stella's Social Club

[Happy Chooks]

Nice egg Rinda.

Cyn - what beautiful paintings. He did a wonderful job.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Happy New Year everyone. We went to a friends house for a small, low key celebration. The kids had a great time playing air hockey.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

Well, today is NPIP test today, I also am part of the A1 testing program. 25 chickens this yr. Yikes that is a new high for me. I really want a clean bill of health for them. For the first time , I would like to hatch my own eggs. Esp want a delewagger and some more Dels. I hatched some last yr. for my Br. and he has the orp-ameracuana. She is blue with a pretty puff around her neck and lays a camouflage egg
. I love the many colors of the flock. Do you all stick with just one kind or many?

what was the process involved in becoming NPIP I want to do that this year as I ship eggs all over the place

Nice egg! My Belgian D'Anver pullets recently began laying with full size eggs, but they waited until they were 30+ weeks to begin so that could have something to do with it, that they were mature.

My DH got back into oil painting after a 20+ year hiatus. He was an art major in college a million years ago (he's about to turn 61 in Feb). He did this portrait of Ladyhawk's rooster, Lancelot, for a surprise gift for her, his first ever chicken painting. You recall she did a gorgeous beaded portrait of my late Suede on deer hide for me that took literally years.

Then, I had a new task for him. Though this one turned out well and looks just like big ole Lance....

The picture he painted from



This one of my sweet old baby boy, Isaac, I love. Big Ike is about to turn 5 years old in February, so like my DH, is close to Social Security, lol, and I wanted a portrait of him before he was gone. He was scared to do a white chicken, but I think he did just fine. I adore that rooster, he's such a love. It will take three to five weeks to fully cure then it goes on my office/craft room wall. Here is King Isaac, surveying his domain.

great paintings. I could use a picture of a crele Penedesenca Rooster in my Living Room

 

[crazyhen]

To do NPIP call your local Agr. Dept. They will hook you up. It is different in every state. Some charge fee's some don't. Good luck.

 

[gryeyes]

May y'all have the BEST year ever in 2014!

I got a ride (still no car for me yet) to the Pub at Fairplay, sold my last carton of eggs in 2013 to the hardware store across the street (coupla bucks for a tip for my server) and rang in the New Year TWICE: once at 4 PM because it's an English pub and that's when the UK crossed into 2014 and again at midnight for us locals.

Almost too much fun.

Intake: Two draft beers, one glass of wine with HHandbasket, Farmer_Lew and his daughter when they came for dinner, and two small glasses of free champagne. Various appetizers either purchased or shared by other folks who purchased 'em, and lots and lots of Diet coke or "still" water. I was the soberest person there.

Home by 0045 hours.

Today I am watching Sparkle with her two new chicks in the dog bed under the TV table.

 

[The Sheriff]

Coop remodeling underway, again.

Our roosts run side to side. We couldn't run them front to back because the fronts were wire and no where to attach roosts. Then the neighbor complained, we closed in the fronts, and now have something to attach the roosts too. So today I got Coop #1 re-done with the roosts running front to back which also gave us more roost space. Now I can walk in at night and remove squatters from the nest boxes and put them up on the roosts. I couldn't do that before because I would have had to take down two roosts with birds on them to get to the ones in the nest boxes! Those little squatters are mine now! Plus, I can gather eggs from inside if I want instead of going inside each run. That will come in very handy on rainy days because the runs get really muddy.



I used one of the shorter roosts to attach across the front of the nest boxes so I could mount the new roosts lower to the floor. They are only 36 inches off the floor. They can climb up to the nest box perch then up to the roosts. I only did one coop today so I can see how it works before doing the other four!

I covered the area above the 2x4 with wire to keep them from roosting on it.



I think I'll attach strips of fabric across the nest box fronts to make them cozier. That might help with the roosting on the ledge. I'll be back later with pictures, hopefully of them all on the roosts where they belong!



I moved my feeders to the doors a few days ago in anticipation of moving the roosts and needing to keep the poop out of them. It works great! I just open the door and fill them up! When the door is shut the feeder is at the perfect height!




Someday I will figure out the perfect coop and then I'll be done, right?

 

[Happy Chooks]

It looks great Mary! I think it will work out a lot better for you.

 

[Eva2012]

Happy New Year! The paintings are beautiful-- and good luck Mary!

 

[drumstick diva]

The portraits are gorgeous, your husband is a very talented man- you picked a good one!!

 

[drumstick diva]

That magnificent crow should be running the White House, you can "see" the wheels turning in his brain as he surveys the situation. I wonder if he was listening when the man discussed what the crow would have to do to reap the reward.

A beautiful bird too, the ones we have out here look very shaggy and unkempt.. I have seen them mob a hawk in a tree until the heavily out numberrd bird finally took off.