The E-I-E-I-O Farm portion of my business is a loss financially.  My accountant likes to call it the fluff section of my business.   He points out everytime I visit him how much I make in egg sales, and how much it's costing me to keep the chickens.  I try to explain that I'm doing this because I think it's the right thing to do. 

Everyone who knew me growing up was really surprised that I wasn't a vegetarian.  I can finally understand why.  Owning outdoor animals and being surrounded by farm animals has totally changed my point of view on what I want to eat.

Caring for these animals, maintaining the buildings building relationships with them and treating them with kindness and respect has been so rewarding.  My parents tell me it's really more like a petting zoo then chicken coops.  People who come to visit, want to come back.  It's relaxing and peaceful.  In a hectic, crazy world where no one has time for anyone, I can go out to my farm, sit down and have a lap full of friends, to me that is priceless.

 

This is Becky and Donald they're retired and have an entire section all to themselves, Donald flirts with the hens next door and Becky tries not to pay attention to him when he's doing that.

 

My Roosters:

      

Rooh - Silkie                        Ambrose - Top Hat           Cappaccino

     

Lola                                    Foghorn - Silkie                 Paris - Top Hat

 

Rooh is as sweet as can be and I can pick him up and hug him pretty much anytime I want.  His feathers feel like hair they're so thin and whispy. 

Ambrose is extremely shy and gentle.  He is with all of my polish hens. 

Cappaccino was abused by someone I thought I could trust.  I'm still dealing with the repercussions of that.  He's become very aggressive and I'm trying to gain his trust again. 

Lola is very gentle and is with some rescues I adopted that were going to be killed if I didn't take them. 

Foghorn is also very sweet and gentle he always makes sure the girls eat first and then he'll eat. 

Paris was hurt as a baby by the adult chickens (accidentally) and almost didn't survive.  As an adult he's a little bit clutzy but has a big heart.  The hen he is with loves him and accepts him but knows he's a bit ditzy.

 

My Hens:

        

Marlo - Americana             Lana - Americana               Leslie - Americana

     

Whitney - Barred Rock     Lolita - Spanish?                Shirley - Americana

Greta - Americana

Marlo is one of my largest Americana hens she is gorgeous her colorings range from chocolate color browns to charcoal greys.  She's just recently allowing me to pet her and I've had her now for over 2 years.

Lana is my lap chicken.  She watches me like a hawk, or anyone who enters her area that she's in to see if they are coming near the chair that is in there.  If anyone sits down she runs across and leaps into their lap.  She loves to snuggle and will literally fall asleep snuggling with them.

Leslie is my second snuggliest chicken.  She will often join Lana in my lap and will snuggle up side by side with Lana for hugs and preening.  Her feathers are gorgeous.  Each feather has browns, and three different colors of yellows and golds.  She's stunning.

Whitney is a barred rock.  Her nickname is Whitney Houstchick.  She's right next to Greta who is an americana.  Her coloring is very similar to Marlo's only more red.

Lolita lives with Peep who is another rooster and Rocket, who is another hen.  Lolita has personality plus.  She hops the fence and roams around the pasture with the pony and goats.  She loves to help me feed all of the other chickens and will hop on the water wagon and sit on the pony water bucket to drink.  She follows me everywhere and loves to be picked up and hugged. 

Shirley was the runt of the flock of Americanas and ended up raising my two Frizzle roosters, Breezy and Stormy who passed away in 2007.  She lives with June another Americana and Rooh.  Rooh enjoys the girls a bit too much, so the girls have the ability to get a break from him whenever they want.  They just sleep with him at night.  In the photo above she is peeking at me through the fence that separates her from the Polish chickens.

My Polish Hens:

     

Dewey - Polish                   Rosie - Polish                      Sylvia - Polish

Dewey - Sweet and adorable, biggest brown eyes you've ever seen.  Polish hens are so gentle they're one of my favorite type of chickens to have around.

Rosie is just starting to get a full head of feathers.  She kept putting her head through the fence where the other chickens are and they would pull the feathers out.  Now she's learned not to do that and her feathers are starting to fill in.  When Ambrose, the rooster finds a treat and calls to the hens, she is the first to arrive.

Sylvia is my newest polish hen she is with Thelma and Louise who are an Americana and a Buff Orphington in that order.  They all get along really well, even though she's slightly younger than them and a different breed.

 

My Dogs:

  

Dusty - yellow lab             Duke - border collie - tennis ball to the left

Patiently waiting for me to get done with the farm animals so they can have me back.  

 

To read about Bandit my indoor chicken follow this link.  http://www.petexpectations.com/Banditsstory.html