Eggville

Tide Coldwater

2012-02-07T12:33:00.000-08:00

I was recently given the opportinity to try Tide Coldwater detergent.
Now, how many times did YOUR mother tell you that only hot water cleans well?
Yup, so did mine!

You will be happy to know that Tide Coldwater is not your mother's detergent!
I have cleaned my clothes, my kids, AND my husband's yucky work clothes, in Tide Coldwater.
I am pleased to report that any and all stains were taken care of without an issue!

My linens are still white, and my colors are still bright!

Tide...you made me a happy again on laundry day! My hot water bill is not ginormous anymore!!

Sincerely yours,

Disclosure: I received a free product to sample and gift card from SheSpeaks/Tide

2011-01-31T07:31:00.000-08:00

Visit cosmopolitan.com to learn more about the #1 women’s magazine, see highlights from the current issue and discover other exciting features.

WINNER!!! "Sweet & Salty Giveaway"

2010-05-21T04:27:00.000-07:00

We have a WINNER! Randa @ The Bewitchin' Kitchen has won my Sweet & Salty Giveaway!
Randa said: "O num! He is definitely a salty snacker and he would want the buffalo bugles!"

Congratulations Randa! I hope you and your salty snacker enjoy the prize pack!!!

Thank you ALL so much for entering!!!

"Sweet and Salty" Giveaway!

2010-05-17T05:35:00.000-07:00

Does the man in your life have a sweet tooth, enjoy salty snacks, or maybe indulge in a bit of both from time to time? Mine certainly does! Ha-ha! If this is true for your guy, I have a fun giveaway for you!

This fun giveaway and prize packs are all provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark!!!

MyBlogSpark has just let me try three new General Mills products to satisfy those sweet and salty cravings sold exclusively at convenience stores:

Cocoa Puffs Treats Triple Chocolate: An indulgent cereal bar that combines the great taste of Cocoa Puffs cereal and chocolate into one decadent treat, Cocoa Puffs Treats Triple Chocolate is perfect for satisfying any sweet tooth.

Bugles Hot Buffalo: Need something salty with a bit of a kick? Look no further than Bugles Hot Buffalo Crisp Corn Snacks, which blends the taste of hot buffalo sauce with crispy corn Bugles.

Nature Valley Oats ‘N Dark Chocolate Crunchy Granola Bars: If you want the best of both worlds, give Nature Valley Oats ‘N Dark Chocolate Crunchy Granola Bars a try. These bars mix dark chocolate pieces, oats and crisp rice nuggets for a classic crunch and burst of whole grain goodness, making them a perfect natural snack that's high in fiber and protein, but low in saturated fat.

To participate in the Giveaway, post a comment and tell me:

Is the man in your life a sweet or salty snacker?

Which one of the three products do you think the man in your life would like best?

One of you will win a prize pack, two samples of each snack listed above, AND...a Nature Valley coffee travel mug and a Bugles t-shirt!!!! (it's a VERY cool T-Shirt, might I add!)

The Giveaway ends Friday 5/21, and one winner will be chosen at random!
Good luck!

'Time to go GREEN' WINNER!!!

2010-04-19T04:59:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone!

I just wanted to congratulate 'bettycd'! She is my 'Time to go GREEN' Winner!!!
Congratulations!!! Enjoy your Stop&Shop gift card and good luck on the Hybrid giveaway!

Thank you to everyone who entered!!!!!

Time to go GREEN!

2010-04-14T04:59:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! It's time for another fun GIVEAWAY! I am a member of MyBlogSpark, and thanks to Stop&Shop, and General Mills, I got a $20 Gift Card to Stop&Shop. This is just in time for their special Hybrid car giveaway!

See below for details on how you can win a brand new eco-friendly Hybrid car, courtesy of Stop&Shop. In addition, one of my lucky readers will get their very own $20 Stop&Shop Gift Card, to stock up on their favorite General Mills products. Below is also a list of participating products.

To enter, just leave a comment below: "Which General Mills products will you stock up on for your 2010 eco-friendly Hybrid car entry?"

I will choose one winner on Monday, April 19th!

Good luck!

April is here which means it’s time to celebrate Earth month! This month, Stop & Shop is paying homage to Mother Earth by offering you the chance to win one of two 2010 eco-friendly Hybrid cars!

Entering couldn’t be easier! From April 16-29, buy 5 participating General Mills items with your Stop & Shop card, use a re-usable shopping bag and you’ll automatically be entered to win. There are two different sets of participating General Mills items for each week of the promotion (participating brands listed below). No purchase is necessary. You can also enter without making a purchase by completing an official entry form at your local Stop & Shop store. There are two 2010 Hybrid cars up for grabs, and the more you buy the better your chances are to win! Limit one entry per visit. Open to residents of MA, RI, CT, NH, NJ, NY, MD, DE, VA or DC and individuals at least 18 years old. For details about the sweepstakes, see in-store for complete rules.

Week 1, April 16-22	Week 2, April 23-29

Cascadian Farms Cereal	Cascadian Farms Cereal
Cascadian Farms Frozen Vegetables	Green Giant Vegetables
Progresso Light, Reduced Sodium and High Fiber Soups	Nature Valley Crunchy or Sweet & Salty Granola Bars
Betty Crocker Specialty Potatoes	Green Giant Boxed Vegetables or Prepared Vegetables, Simple Steam Seasoned Vegetables or Rices
Betty Crocker Boxed Muffins	Green Giant Wanchai Ferry Entrees
Betty Crocker Cookie Pouch	Yoplait Frozen Smoothies
Nature Valley Crunchy, Sweet & Salty,Trail Mix and Yogurt Bars	Totino's Pizza Rolls
Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters	Pillsbury Savorings
General Mills Fiber One Chewy Bars	Fiber One Muffins
Betty Crocker Gushers, Fruit Shapes, Fruit by the Foot or Fruit Rollups	Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers	Pillsbury Sweet Rolls
Yo-Pus, Yoplait Fiber One or Yoplait Delights Multi Pack	Yoplait Greek Style Yogurt Yoplait Original, Light, Thick & Creamy, Light Thick & Creamy or Whips
Totino's Pizza Rolls 90 Ct.	Yoplait Kid Multi Pack Pillsbury Grands Biscuits
Cheerios 18 Oz	Cheerios 14 Oz
Cinnamon Toast Crunch 24.9 Oz	Cocoa Puffs 16.5 Oz
Honey Nut Cheerios 25.25 Oz	Honey Nut Cheerios 17 Oz
Kix 18 Oz	Lucky Charms 16 oz
Lucky Charms 24 Oz	Multigrain Cheerios 12.8 Oz
Multigrain Cheerios 16.2 Oz	Reeses Peanut Butter Puffs 18 Oz

Gotcha!

2010-04-05T05:48:00.000-07:00

Our little farm is in full Spring mode! The kids can finally go outside without heavy jackets and snow boots! Yay! The sandbox is getting a LOT of use these days!

Oh, and let's not forget that every one of our hens lines up by the fence and puck-pucks, to let us know they want OUT! Naturally, they want to experience the Spring grass too!
Little do they know that our kids are just waiting for these birds to get out, so they can chase them all over the backyard. Try explaining to a 2-year old, or even a 3-year old for that matter, that the birds just want to be left alone.

"Mommy, come look, hurry up!", I hear my daughter calling. I look out the window and see this:

Ha-ha! I did not have time to pick up the "good" camera, so the phone had to do! She was so proud of herself that she caught a chicken! :) Ahh, kids will be kids!

Enjoy the Spring everyone!

BABIES new movie

2010-03-26T05:40:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Check out the trailer of a new BABIES movie to Premiere in Theaters Mother's Day Weekend.

"Everybody loves... BABIES. Coming to theaters this Mother's Day Weekend (May 7th), this visually stunning new movie simultaneously follows four babies around the world - from first breath to first steps. From Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo, BABIES joyfully captures on film the earliest stages of the journey of humanity that are at once unique and universal to us all. "

I am a member of Bzzagent.com, and they have the coolest stuff there!
You can find reviews on almost any product or website out there!

I am registered as LeandraCat, if you want to check it out.

You can take a look at more BABIES stuff here:

Enjoy! I can't wait to see the film!!!

Bye bye Henry...sniff

2010-03-09T05:06:00.001-08:00

I am sorry to report that our Rooster (I named him Henry) had to go.
The neighbors started complaining about his early morning "singing". Personally, I would rather send the geese away, that make SOOO MUCH noise on the lake behind the house.

Henry will be missed :( I love that Rooster! He is so gorgeous! I was actually thinking of entering him in a 4H Fair this Summer!

I think some people would much rather hear the noise of traffic, than a nice soothing crow of a Rooster.

I hope Henry doesn't get turned into "chicken" soup! :(((((

{Sweet on You- Giveaway}

2010-01-25T09:45:00.000-08:00

Hi y'all!

Head on over to "A Good Build" for a Sweeeet Giveaway!
http://agoodbuild.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/sweet-on-you-giveaway/

General Mills - a Healthy choice!

2010-01-20T10:08:00.000-08:00

Recently, I had the pleasure of getting to try some General Mills cereal, courtesy of General Mills through MyBlogSpark!

My kids love cereal and so does my husband. I always make sure everyone in my family, including myself gets a healthy breakfast every day!
A healthy start to your day with breakfast is so very important! If you feed your brain, it'll serve you well all day :)

Did you know that ready-to-eat cereal eaters consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters? Cereals also deliver important vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, making cereal a top source of key nutrients in children’s diets.

Other cereal benefits:

Ready-to-eat cereals, including presweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children’s diets.

Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child’s diet today.

More frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures.

Studies also demonstrate the benefits of eating breakfast. A 1998 study showed that children who eat breakfast tend to perform better at school. Compared to children who skip breakfast, children who eat breakfast score higher on tests, are less likely to miss class or be tardy, have fewer reported discipline problems, and make fewer trips to the office.

For more information about kids and cereals, please visit Cereal Health and Wellness.

Right now if you visit here you will find a $1 off coupon for one of four General Mills cereals.

The Mysterious White Egg!

2010-01-08T10:20:00.000-08:00

Up until now, we have only been getting brown eggs from our hens, but the other day, THIS appeared in my husband's egg basket:

We don't really know what to make of it. At first we thought that the Silkie hen might have laid her first egg, but this white egg seems almost the same size as the others. Silkie eggs are usually quite small.

Nevertheless, it still tasted really really good for breakfast! hehe
I can't wait to get more surprise white eggs!

Oh the weather outside is Frightful!

2009-12-21T05:14:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

Brrr! It's cold out there, but despite the weather, our chickies are doing really well! *knock on wood*
We are almost completely rooster-free, haha! We have kept one, only because he's just too gorgeous to give away! I think there is another one in the mix, so we'll have to send him away soon. Mr. Rooster starts crowing at 4am!!!! At one point, I thought it was time to wake up already, and then realized it was just way too dark for that. Sure enough, it was only 4am! Crazy Rooster! Go back to bed!

We are keeping our flock nice and warm, with heat lamps in the coop. Everyone is so big and pretty now. It's hard to believe some of them were just little chicks a few months back.

I was finally able to take some pictures!!! Hubby was outside clearing the snow from the storm we had, and I asked him to snap some photos! Hope you enjoy!

Super cool apron giveaway!

2009-11-24T10:21:00.000-08:00

Rhanda Lee over at "The Bewitchin' Kitchen" is giving away a "Carolyn's Kitchen Apron"!

Head on over to Carolyn's Kitchen, to check out the cool designs and then enter the giveaway!

Schools Rule!

2009-11-23T04:46:00.000-08:00

A big "Thank You!" to the Pequannock High School class, for visiting our little farm on Sunday!
The kids are doing research and writing a paper on sustainable farming. I think that's awesome! A lot of farms are closing down, because they can't afford to stay in business. These farms should be our source for natural products, and yet, people don't visit them because they don't know where they are or don't know enough about sustainable farming.

I hope the kids learned something on their field trip that day, and I hope they tell their parents and friends about it.

Baby soft

2009-11-18T08:11:00.001-08:00

I received a small package in the mail yesterday. At first, I thought it was a shipment from Burt's Bees, but then realized it was from my Bzzagent campaign!!!!
I got a full-size bottle of Aveeno Essential Moisture baby shampoo to try.

Now, my kids are not "babies" anymore, they are 3 and 2, but that doesn't mean they cannot be treated like babies when it comes to bath time!

I love Aveeno Baby! I love their baby wash, shampoo, diaper cream, sunscreen! I love that it's natural, gentle, free of harsh chemicals. I love how my kids' body, hair feels after using the Aveeno products.

Along with my full-size bottle of shampoo, I got some trial-size samples. If you want to give it a try, please post your email address and I'll send some your way!

Thanks!

Class is now in session!

2009-11-16T10:34:00.000-08:00

"Hello, Eggville farms?". This is what my husband heard when he answered his cell phone the other day. A teacher from a local school was calling to see if he could bring his class over, to learn about the chickens/farming.

When I gave our little farm its name "Eggville", and registered us on the CSA website, etc..I never imagined THIS would happen :)

I told Kevin he'll have to wear overalls and a straw hat, and get a corn-pipe, for the occasion! hahaha
This is going to be WAY too funny! I hope the kids learn something!

And the Winners ARE:

2009-10-26T05:01:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Melanie and Carla!!!!

We did not have too many entries, so the random number generator picked the first and last numbers :)

Thank you EVERYONE for visiting my Blog and for entering! Hopefully, I will have some more fun giveaways soon!

Winner ladies...please email me ASAP with your contact info, so that I can have the prize pack sent out to you!

Congrats again!

Yoplait Kids Less Sugar, More Fun Giveaway!

2009-10-22T07:11:00.000-07:00

Time for another Giveaway!

I just got a Yoplait Kids prize pack from MyBlogSpark, which included two cute yogurt spoons, a little cooler lunch bag, and a coupon for a free Yoplait Kids product.

Yoplait Kids is a great source of Vitamin D and 25% less sugar than the leading kids' yogurt.

If you want to participate in my Giveaway, please leave a comment and share how you make snack time fun for your kids. Or one of your most fun memories you've had with your kids.
Be sure to include your email address.

I will pick two winners by the end of the week!

Thank you!hank you so much!

And the Winner is...

2009-10-19T05:02:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to "DLib30"! She won the Progresso giveaway!!!
Enjoy your Broth and Panko!!!!!

A very BIG Thank You to everyone who entered! Please stay tuned
for the YoPlait Kids Giveaway coming soon!

Progresso Panko/Broth Giveaway

2009-10-12T05:43:00.000-07:00

"If you’ve never cooked with panko before, now is your chance because it’s never been easier. Progresso’s panko is a flaky bread crumb which adds a light crispiness to your food and is available in two flavors, plain and Italian.

Progresso broths are 100% natural and use high quality ingredients to achieve a great homemade taste. They are fat free, gluten free, contain no preservatives, no added MSG and no artificial flavors. Progresso broth is available in chicken and reduced sodium chicken and beef flavors."

A few days ago, Progresso sent me their Panko and Broth prize pack through MyBlogSpark™ to try out and share my experience with you.
Progresso sponsored this giveaway and one of my lucky readers will win this prize pack!

Also available on ProgressoFoods.com is a coupon for $1.00*off any two Progresso products. At ProgressoBroth.com you’ll find a coupon for $.50 off a package of broth.

I have tried Panko in the past, and I cannot say enough great things about it. Progresso did a great job on this product! If you are a fan of breadcrumbs, Panko will be your new best friend!
I have used Panko on tilapia, founder, pork cutlets, pork chops...it's awesome!

To enter, please leave a comment (include your email address), sharing your tips on using Panko or Broth.

Thank you for entering! Please come after Sunday, October 18th to find out who won!

Dirty dozen...

2009-10-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

With our three roosters gone, and possibly a few more lurking about, with us not knowing who they are yet, my husband decides to buy MORE HENS! I swear, that man just can't sit still.

So off he goes, and buys 8 hens from a lady that "dresses" her own birds. Yup, she actually kills them, plucks them, etc....all on her own. Ugh! I could never!

Anyways, these birds are so friendly you can just walk up to them and pet them! Really cute!

Next thing you know, we wake up to TEN EGGS in one morning! Woo Hoo! We now have two customers for our eggs, with a few more to come. Very very exciting times at Eggville!

I posted an ad on Craigslist, because I just don't think my fridge can hold all these eggs AND my regular stuff. I am hoping we get a lot more customers soon, or I'll start making quiches and fritattas, and Lord knows what else, every day of the week! hahaha!

Bye bye roosters...

2009-10-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems that instead of 1, we had 3 roosters, there could be more, but these were easily recognizable roosters.
Only one of them was crowing, and at first, he wasn't that loud or consistent, but over the past week he has found his voice and was an "in-full-swing" Rooster! hahaha
Every morning, around 6:30, he would start crowing. We heard him with the windows closed!
Kevin asked the neighbors if they were bothered by him, but no one really seemed to have an issue...except Kevin!

So...we posted an ad on Craigslist and within a DAY, someone responded and came by to pick them up. The man was really nice and took all three roosters, plus, he bought a dozen eggs from us :) Our first sale!!!

I will miss the rooster(s). It was kind of cool waking up to the sound of him crowing. I felt like I was really living on a farm.

Bye roosters...I hope you get to crow to your heart's content in your new home!

Cock-a-doodle-do!

2009-09-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a ROOSTER!

I suspected this guy was not a hen! He's standing tall, tail up, long legs, and he struts his stuff, man! Well, this afternoon my speculations were confirmed!

I went outside to get something from the backyard and overheard a very horse "Cock-a-doodle-do!". hahaha The funniest thing! It's like he was practicing. As cute as it might be and all, I don't think the neighbors will appreciate waking up to HIM rather than their regular alarm clocks. After all, the rooster does not come with a SNOOZE button! hahaha

If no one complains, I'd really love to keep him!

Double the YUM!

2009-09-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

Since our egg-laying hens seem to be getting better and better at...well...egg laying, haha
I have not had to buy eggs for weeks now! Woo Hoo!

Last night, I was prepping a Strata recipe, which apparently has to sit in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight, before you bake it (thank goodness I looked at the recipe, otherwise I'd have to invent dinner for tonight!).

The recipe called for 7 eggs, and since most of our eggs are still on the small side, my husband suggested I use 9. So I am taking the eggs out of the carton, one by one, cracking them into a mixing bowl, when I see a really BIG egg in there. Ooh! I figured I can use that one as the extra two I was going to put into the recipe.

Both Kevin and I looked at this egg in amazement! haha As if we have never seen one that big, when in fact, it's actually a NORMAL size egg for a full-grown chicken to lay. I crack the egg open and....

TWINS! hahaha Oh happy day! "Aren't you proud of our chickens?" my husband asks?
LOL, LOL!!! "I sure am, honey!"

Can't wait to taste this strata now!

Friends of a feather flock together

2009-08-26T05:44:00.000-07:00

Look who came to visit us recently?!

Yup! This Mama turkey and her babies came to visit our chicken flock!
They must have sensed that Kevin keeps cracked corn in the garage! Aha!
Too funny! Before you know it, we'll have every animal in the world in our
backyard...we are pretty close already!

SmartKnitKids Back to School Contest!

2009-08-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

SmartKnitKids sells these really awesome seamless socks!
I will surely have to get some for the kiddies!

Right now, SmartKnitKids is having a back-to-school contest!
Check it out here: http://www.smartknitkids.com/backtoschool/

Eggs ! Eggs ! Eggs !

2009-08-13T06:26:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I came home after work, nothing out of the ordinary....
Kevin came home about 10 minutes after...he gets out of the car and proceeds straight to the back of the house, to tend to the chickens.
While I am trying to put the kids' shoes on, I hear Kevin calling my name. I say: "What?", but don't hear a reply.
Finally, I let the kids go outside, and step out onto the deck. Kevin comes out of the coop with THREE eggs in his hands!!! Three small, brown, perfect eggs! hahaha! He says he found them behind the "nesting boxes".
It is a RED LETTER day indeed! "Too bad you can't eat them", I tell him. The entire flock is on antibiotics, for some cold-like symptoms, so the new chickens we got from the fair, probably had some of that medicine-treated water as well. It is recommended you wait a week or so after stopping the antibiotics, before you eat the chicken, or eat the eggs.
Nevertheless, this was a VERY happy occasion and the kids were VERY excited as well!

I cannot wait until this is an everyday thing, and we are in full egg-production mode!

Woo Hoo!

New flock

2009-08-11T06:48:00.000-07:00

Life on the "farm" is unpredictable! After we lost our baby hens, Kevin bought more chickens, and we are slowly trying to figure out how many roosters our new flock has.
It's funny...some of the chickens look like they could be roosters, but it's still hard to tell. Kevin seems to think we have more than we'd really want, and NONE is what we really want. hahaha
We visited the Sussex county fair last weekend, and what possessed my husband to buy TEN more HENS is beyond me, especially when it is NOT recommended you add chickens to your flock.
The new hens are ready to lay eggs, of course I have yet to see any eggs being laid. haha
I think the new hens decided that they should be in charge because they are older. The pecking order is definitely getting interesting. These hens are BULLIES, I tell ya! They stand around the food, not letting anyone come near it. My poor Silkies are all huddled up in the corner, afraid to get pecked! One of these days I'll have to put my foot down and say: "Kevin, no more!". My husband is so determined to have a full flock of egg-laying hens, he doesn't stop to do research before acting on his "wants".

Anyway, here are some pictures of our new flock...these bully-hens better shape up and leave my Silkies, and everyone else alone! Or else, they are going to become CHICKEN SOUP!!!! haha

Shopping Frugal is having another GIVEAWAY!

2009-07-31T10:25:00.000-07:00

I follow this blog and this wonderful lady is having an Old Navy Giveaway!!!!
Click HERE to find out more!

Of Mites and Men...

2009-07-29T04:27:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, hubby was cleaning out the basement, getting it ready for a delivery from "Better Choice Foods". He had the chicken coop door open, as usual, and one little hen just kept following him around everywhere he went. After noticing that Kevin wasn't paying much attention to her, she started wandering over by the sand box, the kids, me, the deck, and finally laid down on the deck, right by the entryway. She was laying in the sun, eyes closed, and I really didn't think anything of it, just thought she was super people-friendly.

When Kevin was done ripping out the stairs in the basement, he picked up the hen and noticed the source of her "friendliness". She had MITES. YIKES! Not 10 minutes ago, my son was trying to pick this little thing up, while I tried un-successfully, to get him to leave the poor thing alone!
My first thought was: "Can the mites transfer to humans?!" but hubby assured me that the kids were safe.

So now what do we do??? Ahh..the power of the World Wide Web! If you can imagine it, you can Google it! hahaha Or as I have been doing lately...Swagbucks-It!

We found out that a special powder/dust is needed to treat the mites, and it's probably a good idea to treat ALL the chickens, to avoid the spread of these pesky critters.
Yesterday, Kevin drove to THREE different places to get this "special dust", which is probably something I could have found at PETCO/PetSmart! And spent about 2 hours, if not more, dusting all of 40-something chickens in the coop! LOL! They were NOT happy hens! But hopefully they will be mites-free!

The joys of trying to have a farm!

The Eggville Massacre!

2009-07-20T07:33:00.001-07:00

We planned a vacation at the New Jersey Shore for last week. Kevin spent all his free time, before the vacation, securing the chicken coop and the surrounding area. We left on Sunday morning and asked Kevin's dad to come and check on the chickens during the week we were to be away.

Tuesday afternoon, we received a phone call from Kevin's dad, which I was certain was just his idea of a joke. He said that he just got to our house and all of the chickens are DEAD! Kevin could not believe his ears! I got the chills! We could not imagine that our beloved flock of 20-something chickens was slaughtered in just a few days.

Long story short...turns out there was a little corner of the fence, which was not as secure as we thought. Something, probably a fox, got into the coop and killed all the hens.

Kevin asked his dad to take the dead chickens out of the coop, so not to spread any kind of disease. When we got home, Kevin spent the whole day fixing anything that looked like it could be a way in for any predators. And then...are you ready for this? He found a woman through Craigslist, who has a chicken farm, and bought 40-something chickens from her! Unreal, my husband, I tell ya! We don't know if the new chickens are hens or roosters, although some are already displaying rooster-like qualities...like fighting for example. The flock will probably get a lot smaller, once we find out who the real roosters are.

So that's that, ladies and gentlemen....our new flock is here, and hopefully will stay for a lot longer than the last one! It's weird...the other chickens felt a lot more like family than these do, at least right now. Hopefully we will get to know them better, and it will feel different....

No one likes being cooped up!

2009-07-07T06:20:00.000-07:00

Our ladies are getting bigger, fluffier, and more curious each day. The chicken run is almost done, but in the meantime we let them roam around, supervised of course.

I don't know what it is, but they are SO fascinated by this boat. They love scratching in the dry leaves underneath it, and we almost lost two of the chickens underneath this thing!
There is a little patch of sun to the right of the boat, and the chickens will actually lay down in the grass, to soak up the sun!

Pecking order

2009-07-01T05:27:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, my husband discovered one of the chicks had an open wound from the others pecking at her. He removed the chick, and a few of the others, which are calm, and separated them. Well, yesterday he came home to find another chick dead, pecked by others :(
Kevin says that it's because the chicks are now bigger and it's getting crowded in the brooder. The temperature is also pretty high down there. After dinner, he decided to finish up the chicken coop and transfer the chicks in there.

He put up the wire on the ceiling, around the windows, and put shavings down on the floor. He transferred all the chicks, except the wounded one, and everyone seems a lot happier now!

Let's hope this does not happen again!

RIP little Black Star!

Out and about...

2009-06-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

We had great weather over the weekend, perfect weather for letting the chicks roam around on the grass.
It was so cute watching them scratch around, and huddle under our feet.
The kids had a ball with them! We took a few out at a time, and the kids were just following them around, trying to feed them a piece of hard boiled yolk.
Both kids were very gently with the chicks, which is quite surprising of my son :)
Here are a few shots...

Peep's the word!

2009-06-26T04:04:00.000-07:00

The automatic water dispenser arrived today...I can't wait to see this thing in ACTION!
Meanwhile, our little hens are getting BIG! They are fluttering around the brooder like mini helicopters.
I tried to take some pictures last night, and at first they were all huddled in the corner, and then they started to get curious about this big lens staring at them....

Aren't they adorable? Look at their comb on top of the beak, actually looks like a comb :) hehehe

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

2009-06-24T04:02:00.000-07:00

In our case, it was the egg(s)...

My husband Kevin and I love animals. We had two cats before we got married and were living together. We always wanted a home with a large property, so we could plenty of room for anything we wanted.

Well, we did end up buying a house with a nice piece of land, but there is no way I would agree to having sheep or goats or anything of the sort roaming around. We have two kids, two very adorable and smart toddlers, a 19-month old son and a 33-month old daughter. Do I really NEED farm animals in addition to the madness these two create? I think NOT!

"What about chickens?", Kevin asks. I still don't know why he all of a sudden decided that chickens would be a good idea, but I said "No". I feel like I am saying "No" to a lot of things lately, but my husband LOOOOOVES "pet projects". Let see...there was a dwarf hamster, fancy mice, a cockatoo, a guinea pig, ferret, rescued baby squirrel, a cat, a hairless cat, another not-so-hairless cat, a another hairy cat, fish...need I go on? In the process, I said "No" to a Sugar Glider. Yes, I said Sugar Glider. As cute as they are....umm..."NO!"

Don't get me wrong, I love animals, I really do. You cannot tear me away from bunnies, and kittens, Chinchillas, puppies, etc...but at this point in our lives, the last thing we need is something that generates more work...and more poop! But I digress...

So I refused to get chickens and yet somehow I got sucked into it. Kevin started showing me pictures of cute Silkie Bantams, with their fancy "hairdos" and furry feet. He promised we would only get a few hens, like 3 or 4, and keep them as pets. In addition, we would have a small egg supply, once they got older. This started to sound appealing to me, and like a fool, I went along with this plan.

I started to look into getting fertile eggs from a nearby farm, started researching affordable incubator solutions. We decided on a small incubator sold on eBay, intended for classroom projects. Once this thing arrived, we were not so sure anything could hatch in there. This thing looked like a mini spaceship, had very primitive design, and even though the instructions were really well-written, it did not look promising.

Nevertheless, Kevin set up the incubator, to ensure proper temperature was achieved and maintained, before getting the eggs. Once he was sure everything looked ready, he went to a local Poultry Farm and bought 4 Silkie Bantam hatching eggs. At $1 a piece, we did not really care what percent of them was going to hatch, and the Farm even agreed to take the chicks back if they turned out to be Roosters.

Into the incubator the eggs went and thus started a 20-day waiting period. I am going to make this VERY long story VERY short...not a single egg hatched. One of them came very close, but died just a few days before "due date". It was quite sad, considering how much effort went into making sure everything was perfect for these little eggs.

Oh, I almost forgot...before we bought the "trial quartet", Kevin wanted to order some 2-day old chicks from a Hatchery in Iowa. New problem...the hatchery will not ship an order smaller than 25 chicks, this is to ensure there are enough in the box to keep warm, and there is NO WAY IN HE** I was going to keep 25 chickens. I placed an ad on Craigslist, hoping that someone would want to split the order with us. The Hatchery says they "sex" their eggs to determine if they are hens or roosters, and since we only wanted hens this would work out great. I got a lot of responses to the Craigslist ads, and before we knew it, we had 3 people in on the order with us.
Kevin spent all of his free time researching different breeds, to make sure we got some really good egg-producing chickens, just in case we ever decided to turn a little profit. It was not long before we placed our order of something like 33 chickens!

The chicks were due to arrive the first week of June and it would be 4-5 weeks more before they are allowed outdoors. This gave Kevin plenty of time to a) build a brooder, b) build a coop, c) figure out how to pay for a & b.

In the weeks leading up to the chicks' arrival, Kevin built a brooder, cleared out the garage to be turned into the chicken coop, cleared out the area behind the garage to be used as "chicken run", installed posts for the "chicken run", and ran out of money. LOL

Finally, we got the call that our precious cargo was going to arrive the next day. Everyone has been asking about the chicks and we could finally tell them they were coming!
Here is how they arrived....

Do you believe there are 33 chicks in this box??? And what kind of a human being puts the shipping sticker over the breathing holes??? Seriously! Thankfully all of the chicks were alive and well!

Aren't they adorable??!! My kids are really in awe from these little gals. And so am I!

Once the chicks arrived, Kevin contacted the 3 people who split the order with us, only to find out that one of them back out! Can you believe it??? So after all said and done, I am now the proud owner of TWENTY TWO baby chicks! This is truly insane! But they are too cute!
This takes me back to when I was little and my mom would buy me a few chicks, every Spring. They would follow me around as if I was their mother. Once they got older, my grandmother would take them to a friend of hers, who owned a farm...

The chicks are drinking and eating, and enjoying some soothing sounds of "Gypsy Kings", LOL, my husband's idea of entertainment for them. They are a little scared, and don't want to be picked up...naturally, but once we are able to "catch" one, it's great holding that little chick in your hand. They are so fuzzy and sweet! They are also growing really fast! Just a few more weeks and the coop will be done, and they will be able to roam around outside. What a site THIS will be! I cannot wait! For now, they are in the brooder, under a heat lamp, in my basement...listening to "Gypsy Kings"...I am still laughing thinking about it. LOL!

Now that we have so many potential egg-layers, I have started to advertise our little "farm" on-line. I signed up at "Hobby Farms" and local farm sites. I have already gotten responses from people, asking me to notify them once the chickens start laying eggs! Everyone loves Farm Fresh eggs.
On the Hobby Farms website, I was asked to create a farm site, and therefore a Farm Name was required. This is how EGGVILLE was born. We live in MontVILLE, we have chickens, the chickens will lay eggs...EGGVILLE! Hahaha! Is this creative, or what?

Please come back soon for more stories from the "Funny Farm"!