tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12153224914241450202024-02-20T14:40:14.965-08:00The Singleton RoostWhile raising rare breeds of chickens, turkeys, pheasants and ducks, everyday is a learning experience here at The Singleton Roost. We hope to share our experiences (usually humorous) for your enjoyment. It is also our hope to share any information we learn from these experiences that might be of value to others.Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-903116666588166512018-08-26T20:24:00.000-07:002018-08-26T20:24:53.244-07:00Raising Wild TurkeysMost of you know that we raise Eastern Wild Turkeys. I really enjoy interacting with them, as much as they let me, and raising the poults. Since they are wilds they don't behave as domestic turkeys. For example, we have two toms that are about 4 years old. Both of them, and all of the other adult birds, roost in the trees at night. We allow them to free range but since they are pen raised they do not leave our place. The only problem I have free ranging them is when the turkey hens start laying, twice a year once in the spring and again in the fall, and begin looking for a secure nesting place. To them a secure nesting place is in the woods and out of sight. Their actions produce two problems: 1) I have to find them and bring them and their eggs in to hatch (If you have ever looked for a wild turkey in the woods how many did you find?) 2) Often predators find the nests before I do and we lose the eggs and over the years have lost 3 breeding hens to coyotes. I don't like losing them but I can't bring myself to pen these beautiful birds year round.
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We raise several breeds of poultry and some are good layers such as our Phoenix. They are also good brood hens, a little too good, so we take their eggs daily to prevent the hens from becoming broody and hatching too many chicks. The Phoenix have their own pen and nest boxes where they lay many small white eggs. Each day I gather the eggs, often taking them from under an objecting hen.
We currently have 12 adult Phoenix hens and 2 adult roosters. One day, about three weeks ago, I noticed I could only account for 11 hens. We free range our birds so it is not unusual for one or two to roost in other locations for a night if it gets dark and they are far from their roost, however, they usually turn up the next day. My search for the missing hen did not find her. A couple of days passed and still I could only account for 11 of the 12. We have had a lot of predators this year, so I began thinking we had lost one of them, probably to the big coyote I have seen around, and now I would only have 11 hens. If you have been raising chickens for a long time you know where this is going. If you are relatively new to the chicken business then you have some surprises in store, and some are heartwarming.
Fast forward to a couple of days ago. As I made my morning rounds I found the missing hen out with 3 new baby chicks teaching them to scratch for food. 'Well', I thought, 'now I know what you have been doing but where have you been?' I decided to leave her out and search for her near where I had seen her and her chicks. That evening while closing the coops for the night I found her by sheer accident. As I rounded our hothouse, which is near the Phoenix pen, I heard a baby chick calling for its mom. Outside of the hothouse and under the edge of the plastic sheeting, where the plastic drapes to the ground, the chick, which was still outside, had gotten as close to its mom as it could get. His position and her clucking to call the chick lead me to the mom and the other two chicks. Inside the hothouse next to the wall, under some of the hay, and completely out of sight, was the hen, the other two chicks, and several unhatched eggs. I gathered the hen and chicks up, moved them to a safe pen, and went back for the eggs. Checking the other eggs showed no others would hatch.
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We keep the door and window open on the hot house during much of the year because it gets so hot inside, around 140 degrees, where nothing can live. The hen had found a place I never thought to look for her or her eggs. Just inside the door to the left we keep some hay on a pallet that is used for nests. There was just enough space between the hot house wall, the pallet, and the floor that the hen had managed to lay more than a dozen eggs and hatch her 3 chicks. It was a miracle that any of the eggs hatched considering how hot it got in the hothouse. The only thing I could figure was the hay offered some insulation from the worst of the heat and the hen did what she wanted to do despite my interference into her daily routine of laying, hatching, repeat….
All are well and growing now.
AMuzeUshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13032516759119688285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-29135109845878865902018-02-22T09:51:00.002-08:002018-02-22T09:51:23.261-08:00Sad Day at Singleton RoostWhen we first started with the chickens back in 2014, my cousin gave us a Phoenix rooster and hen. We named them Woodrow and Charlotte. They have been wonderful, gentle, great pets as well as amazing breeders for our Phoenix. Woodrow has always been so easy on his hens. Despite having long sharp spurs, he never once offered to use them on us. We could pick him up, pick up Charlotte and his other hens, pick up chicks or whatever we needed to do and he seemed to understand that we were helping, not hurting. I cannot say enough about the experiences we have had with this amazing rooster who has become a beloved pet. He has given us gorgeous chicks with Charlotte and a few other hens we acquired. <br />
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Woodrow was the first rooster to crow on this farm, and today we lost him. He will be sorely missed!<br />
Although we still have Phoenix roosters (his sons), there will never be another like Woodrow!<br />
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<br />Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-65664038001985617822018-02-21T10:27:00.003-08:002018-02-21T10:27:51.468-08:00We Could Learn a lot From a ChickenIn this day and age where everything is disposable from our dishes to some of our children, we would do well to follow the example of our feathered friends. <br />
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Probably my favorite part of raising chickens is watching chickens raise chickens. Have you ever just sat and watched the interactions of these birds? Roosters are amazing. They take their job very seriously! Invariably a rooster will choose a few "favorite" hens. This rooster and his hens form a "family" of sorts. They stay together when free ranging and roosting. Upon "flying the coop" each morning, the rooster will set about finding food. When he has located what he's looking for, he will stand over it, pick it up, put it down and call for his hens to come and eat. He will do this until one or all join him. Normally the hens rush to see what he has found for them. Roosters will make sure the hens have first shot at the food even if that means that he gets very little. The rooster will also stay on guard, looking out for danger. If he spots anything that he senses is dangerous, he will then "alarm" his hens and the rest of the flock. They will all run for cover when this alarm starts. He will fight for his hens if need be. The Rooster is normally the last one on the roost. We have one or two roosters that we call "yard bosses" and they are the very last to go to roost. They make sure all the others of their roost are in before going to roost themselves. <br />
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In this protective environment, the hens are free to go about the business of being hens. Their main worry is laying eggs and hatching chicks. Hens decide when to get broody (in the mood to sit on a nest). A hen will find a place to lay her eggs that is hidden well and safe if she is not provided with a nest box. Several hens may lay in the same nest. Then when there are enough eggs or she is ready (which ever comes first), she will sit on any eggs in her nest. We have often given a broody hen some eggs from a different breed because she went broody with no eggs. She will brood for 21 days until the eggs are hatched, only leaving the nest for a few minutes a day to eat and drink. During these 21 days, she will "turn" the eggs and keep them at the perfect temperature and humidity level to insure that they hatch. All of this is done with her body. We have had numerous hens pluck the feathers from underneath their body so that they are in direct contact with the eggs. A broody hen is nothing to mess with! She will defend her eggs with everything in her. She first will offer up a loud warning accompanied by fanning her tail and wings to look menacing. If that doesn't work, she will not hesitate to peck! A broody hen will risk her health and well being to sit on her eggs. Her ferocity grows while hatching and caring for her young chicks. Shortly after hatching, she will lead the chicks out of the nest to find food and water. Their "mama" (and for many she is a surrogate) teaches them to scratch for food. She will search for food small enough for the chicks. Once she finds it, she picks it up, puts it down, and calls for the chicks. She will peck the ground near the food to show it to them. The chicks typically follow her around for 6-8 weeks. They then start becoming independent. Eventually, she stops being so protective and goes back to her normal life of laying more eggs. Once this happens, it's a signal that she has finished her job as their "mama". <br />
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Through all of this, the rooster cares for the hens and the chicks in most cases. We have seen roosters sit on chicks to keep them warm while the "mama" gets out and about. For a time, they are a family unit. They take this very seriously! If the rooster doesn't do as the hen thinks he should with the chicks, she will let him know as well. She doesn't let anybody mess with her babies - not even "daddy". <br />
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Over the years we have had Turkey Toms that would get the poults under their wings to keep them warm. <br />
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Our feathered friends are pretty amazing. It would be nice to see everyone care for their children in such a way as these birds do! We could learn a LOT from a chicken!<br />
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<br />Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-33511608122127902032018-02-13T14:01:00.002-08:002018-02-13T14:01:49.544-08:00So Ready for SpringHere in Northeast Texas, we are just not seasoned for extremely cold weather. Give us 110 degrees in the shade and we can deal (we may complain, but we can handle that). It's hard to plan for the spring when you step outside and freeze. We have managed to devise a plan for our little farm for this spring, summer and fall despite the current weather situation. <br />
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We (mostly my husband) have managed to get the green house ready by building a planting table, installing a sink and water connection for watering our plants. He has managed to schedule plantings and has several things sprouting in the greenhouse. Our garden has been plowed, but not ready for planting yet. Now we are facing the possibility of two weeks of rain. This would make it impossible to use the tractor or tiller to finish getting the garden plot ready. IT WILL BE DONE - eventually! We have plans for a garden for us and some extra to sell. The deer who think we plant just for them are also counting on the garden. Hopefully we will be able to keep them from eating the entire garden. We will also have watermelons, cantaloupes and a pumpkin patch. This fall we would like for kiddos and families to come out and be able to pick a pumpkin and get the kids picture made with George (our pet turkey). George will pose or do anything you wish for a few meal worms! He is gorgeous but a bit of a mooch! <br />
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This summer we will offer watermelons and cantaloupes for sale here on the farm. We will have fresh eggs, chickens, turkeys, guineas and peafowl for sale as well. We hope that some of you will make your way out to the Singleton Roost for a visit. Oh yeah, there will be baby rabbits hopefully in time for Easter. Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-31821628819629367632017-10-16T14:32:00.002-07:002017-10-16T14:32:57.007-07:00Hickory Dickory DockIf you have ever had chickens or other small farm animals that require having feed around, then you've encountered our next guest! Yep - field mice! They are the "clean up" crew for chicken pens. Our pens and runs are predator resistant, but not mouse proof! We try very hard to minimize the feed that is scratched out of the feeders by the chickens, but let's face it - there is NO WAY to avoid some feed being on the ground. The mice dig nice tunnels from outside to inside the pens. I have watched a grown mouse go through 1/2 inch hardware cloth. Just when I thought I'd seen everything, I saw a mouse that started into a pen through the 1/2 inch hardware cloth and something scared it. Before it got completely into the pen, it decided to go back out. It didn't back up, but instead it threaded itself back through the hardware cloth, which rendered it STUCK in and out of the pen. I am not good with the little rodents. I am not afraid of them, but as with anything that appears from nowhere and is all under or around me - they scare me! Our latest goal, is to set traps at night while the birds are up and see what we can catch. I do NOT recommend this if you do not wish to know just how many rodents can tunnel into a chicken pen. Our goal to rid ourselves of these critters has turned into a daily chore! The larger birds and our barn cats catch and eat their fill and still we trap many many mice each day. I am beginning to wonder just who will win this battle - THEM or US! We are about to have to winterize our coops for the cold weather. I wonder if they suspect that we are creating a warm cozy place for our birds, who will no doubt be happy to scratch out food all over the pens. For any of you that are new to chickens or other small animals, I suggest you start out right. Place mouse traps from the beginning. Maybe if you start early and are diligent, you won't have to suffer the masses of mice! Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-22784585114207295792017-09-09T15:05:00.000-07:002017-09-09T15:05:29.470-07:00Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right...Deer in the garden and skunks on the back porch - such are the days of our lives! My poor husband plowed the ground for the garden numerous times in preparation for our fall garden. When it was "just right", he bought some plants and we had some seed to plant as well. He got it all planted and it was doing so well! "Was" being the key word here. He planted squash, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, beans and peas. Everything was coming up and doing well! One morning he finds all the bean sprouts pulled up and eaten, the peas too, and the tops eaten out of all the pepper plants. He also finds the tracks of the beautiful deer that we have enjoyed watching morning and evening for many months. It seems that not only have they discovered the garden, they have eaten a good bit of it. My husband, normally a tolerant man, is not in such a tolerant mood anymore. Each morning we go and sit on the porch for coffee, as always, but now we watch as the young deer play their games all over the plowed land. They chase and buck and have a wonderful time in the freshly plowed dirt. This also seems to be their chosen place to bed down in the evening. A neighbor loaned my husband some Night Guard predator lights to put on all four sides of the garden. I couldn't help but notice the deer remained unaffected. It seems they realize that the predator lights are for predators! Since they are not predators, they are perfectly safe in that well protected plot of ground. My husband, normally a tolerant man, is losing patience fast! All that remains of the plants and seed he planted are the squash, zucchini, and a few tomato plants. They must be saving those for later! He has given our sons permission to hunt on our place this fall. I am not in agreement! We must find a way to have deer AND a garden!<br />
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If this wasn't enough, I went upstairs a little while back and could smell the faint smell of skunk. I just figured it was somewhere on our property. Upon returning downstairs, I went to the front door to smell and there was no smell in front of our house. I walked into the living room, where my husband was watching TV and he remarked that he could smell a skunk. I asked him if the entry under the house had been closed after the termite inspection. I'm always a little leary of under the house after the skunk incident of 2001! He assured me it had. I pointed out to him that there was no skunk smell in the front yard. He immediately heads for the back door and throws it open to see if he can smell it out there. Well, needless to say, he could smell it alright. It was up close and personal on the back porch. Still not knowing for sure if the skunk was just out back or where, he tells me to look out the patio door that also opens onto the screened porch and see what I can see. I go and find a flash light and start looking through the patio doors to see if it's on the porch. Meanwhile, he has gone and gotten in his van to pull around back and see if he can scare it off the porch if it's on there. I see it there, on the opposite end from the pet door, running back and forth scared and no doubt spraying! I run and flag him down and tell him it's on the porch for sure. He pulls his van to the door and starts flashing his lights and honking. The skunk heads for the other end and gets to the pet door and goes out about the time my husband decided to get out of the van and see where it was. I'm yelling and waving the flash light at him to get back in the van, and of course he looks at me puzzled and says, "what?"! Finally I get it across to him that he must get in the van quickly! I just knew the skunk went out the door and headed his way. Fortunately it left but not without leaving us something to remember it by. The house smelled terrible all night. The next morning was some better! <br />
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All of this happened within a matter of days, and people think country living is boring. Really? It reminds me of a song from my younger days - "clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am stuck in the middle with you!" Here we are stuck in the middle of a life we absolutely love - deer, skunks and all!Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-15218641150277762382017-08-01T15:07:00.003-07:002017-08-01T15:07:57.469-07:00These are not my Grandmother's chickens!"Let's just raise a few chickens", he said! "It's no big deal," he said. Well that depends on if you want a few eggs for your family, or to show and sell rare breed chickens and chicks and eggs. These aren't my grandmother's chickens! A lot of hard work goes into the care of the birds, and a lot of paperwork and behind the scenes work is expected as well. Both being massively important to your success!<br />
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Those of you in the chicken business know that you have to be registered (in Texas anyway) with the Texas Animal Health Commission in order to be able to take your birds to shows or sales away from your home. That is a once per year visit with the inspector who comes to count your birds (this registration is based on the number of birds you have). <br />
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Then we must also be PT tested once per year. This did require an appointment with one of the few folks that travel the state and do this for A&M. We have recently been told that the free testing stops September 1. They are offering classes to train people to be able to travel and do this testing for a fee. The choice for us, is do we train and test our own birds and others for a fee, or do we find someone close enough to come and test and pay them the fee? We have made the decision for my husband to try to get into a training session and be able to do this locally for us and surrounding farms. Most of the current training sessions are hours from our home and would require travel and hotel expenses (not a deal breaker but an additional expense). <br />
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Moving past that, once we are PT tested and all is clear, we made the decision to become members of the NPIP (National Poultry Improvement Program). The first level of NPIP requires PT testing and $100.00 per year for membership. <br />
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We chose to add the testing for Avian Influenza to our NPIP certification. Now twice a year, a traveling Avian vet comes to our farm and tests 30 birds(based on number in your flock) to be sure that we are Avian Influenza H5/H7 clean. This has never been free and is quite costly but worth it.<br />
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Many of these things are necessary to be able to legally ship birds to other states. If we choose to ship out of state, some states require permits to import the birds. This causes more paperwork.<br />
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We register all sales of birds from our farm with the NPIP. We also provide a certificate stating that we have been PT Tested. The NPIP paperwork shows that we are AI H5/H7 clean as well.<br />
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We also must have a Game Bird Breeders License renewable each year to own and raise Eastern Wild Turkeys and Lady Amherst Pheasants. This requires that we report who we sold to, how many we raised and how many were lost (to illness or predators) ending with the number we have left on hand at the specified time. We send this report, and application and our $27.00 fee to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. We then receive our license. <br />
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After we get past all the testing and paperwork, there is the matter of going to shows, sales and advertising our birds online to sell them. Ads must be kept up to date with birds sold and such. We will also begin showing some of our birds this next January. Showing and winning is great for your farm and your reputation of raising good quality birds. <br />
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Several days a week I try to write this blog, update pictures and ads for selling the birds, and just generally keep everything straight. <br />
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We are constantly hatching chicks and improving our blood lines when possible. We allow our birds to free range whenever possible, as this makes for healthier happier birds. We spend a lot of time with and on the birds here. We don't keep aggressive birds around due to the fact that our granddaughter enjoys visiting with and feeding the many varieties of birds. <br />
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We welcome folks out to our place to visit and choose the birds they want. We want them to see the birds in action and be able to interact with them when possible. We do take measures to keep our birds safe from outside illness as well. We want to have a farm that people enjoy. Give us a call and set up a time to come for a visit!<br />
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Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-45101250811305641462017-07-23T18:33:00.002-07:002017-07-23T18:33:38.437-07:00Hatch Day!Probably the best days on any farm are the days when new animals are born or hatch, whichever the case may be. I would liken it to waiting for Christmas morning or your birthday. Today is just such a day at the Singleton Roost. We have several broody hens around the farm, including two Silkie hens and a couple of Serama hens. Two of my blue cream Silkie hens are due to hatch any day now. The normal gestation period of chickens is 21 days. Ours can hatch anytime after about the 19th day so we start anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new chicks a few days ahead of schedule. The heat has been dreadful for a few weeks now so we watch them carefully. We make sure to know when the hatch occurs with the broody hens so that we can have cool clean water available for the chicks within a few hours of hatching. <br />
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Normally I get up and have coffee on the porch (one of my very favorite things to do even in the hot summer and cold winter months). After a cup of coffee, I get breakfast started and my husband and son go down to let chickens out (most of ours free range) and refill waterers and such. They also check the broody hens to see if anything is happening. This morning my husband returns with the news that I have 3 Silkie chicks so far from one hen. We think the other hen started setting a few days later so hers will be a few more days. He gave them water and feed for the chicks when they are ready to bring them out for food. Normally the hen will stay with the nest until she feels all the eggs that are going to hatch have hatched. This could take 24 -48 hours. The new chicks will do fine until then with the exception of possibly getting to water. He put the water by the nest box for the chicks. <br />
Now the rush is on to get done and get down to the barn to see the new babies. We also have some in the incubator due to hatch any day now. We will have a busy few days with all the hatching going on. One of the Serama hens will possibly have eggs hatching today or tomorrow. She and her chicks will move in to a brooder pen in my cute little chicken house. The Serama are much smaller and the nest box if up off the floor of the pen so we will move her to a better pen to get the babies up and going. <br />
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Our grand daughter, Emmylou (now 2 years, 4 months old) will be here this evening to spend the night with us. She is a chicken addict. She is always amazed when the chicks pip and start unzipping their shell. She loves to be here when we candle as well. Emmylou is quite the little farm girl and knows all about the baby chicks growing in the eggs. At Easter, she ran around the yard finding her plastic eggs, opening them, dumping the candy on the ground and moving to the next egg and repeating the process. Finally she looked up at me and asked, "Where are the babies?" That's when we realized she was running about trying to find her some baby chicks. <br />
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Also, I recently won a raffle for some Blue Cream, Buff and White Silkie hatching eggs from one of the better breeders. I set those eggs on Thursday and they will be due to hatch on August 10! I am extremely excited and cannot wait for those to hatch. They come from championship bloodlines and will be a nice addition to my flock (adding another good bloodline). <br />
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Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-5566217186578846642017-07-19T13:55:00.001-07:002017-07-19T13:55:42.033-07:00I am a winner!I have participated in many auctions over the years and occasionally I win the bid. I cannot count the number of raffles I have participated in however! I have not ever won a raffle - that is until a few days ago. I saw a raffle come up on the Chicken Raffle Club page for 18+ Silkie hatching eggs from a breeder who has won several top awards for their birds. Never thinking for one minute I would win, but holding out hope - I jumped right in and bought 4 numbers. There weren't many numbers left, but I remembered the girl who bought the last number in a previous auction ended up winning. I watched periodically to see when it filled up. I then paid my money for the raffle and waited for everyone else to do the same. I went on to church that evening and went on with my daily routine. After church, I remembered that I needed to check on the raffle. I looked in my notifications to see if there were any that would get me to the raffle page (lazy way of doing it I suppose). There it was - a notification that I had indeed won the raffle. I also received a message from the breeder needing my shipping information so that my eggs (did you read that - MY eggs that I WON - could be shipped out. I was told Monday afternoon that I should receive them on Wednesday (today)! First thing this morning the phone rang and it was the Post Office informing me that MY eggs that I WON were in fact there waiting on me to pick them up. I could not cook breakfast fast enough (I had started it when the call came in or breakfast would have been late). I also had an appointment to show some Seramas to a previous customer who wanted more. She and her family came right after breakfast. I always enjoy visits from customers! They picked a pair that they wanted and we got their paperwork all done and they went on their way. Anxiously I drove to the Post Office to retrieve my prize eggs! We opened the box and the eggs were packed so well! I had received 24 amazing hatching eggs! I got a dozen Porcelain color, 6 white, and 6 buff. I have unpacked them and let them rest a bit after all the shipping. I will set them in my incubator this very afternoon and in 21 days I should be the proud owner of some amazing Silkie chicks. The importance of this is that I WON, and also it gives me another blood line for my Silkie flock. I will be adding pictures as they hatch in 21 days! Stay tuned to see what I end up with! I am so very anxious - like a kiddo waiting on Christmas. Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-185056206862166892017-07-11T12:09:00.006-07:002017-07-11T12:10:36.321-07:00Emmylou and the PeacocksOur grand baby, who is now a little over two years old, has always had a fascination with our Peafowl. She just loves them. The first thing she wants to do when she gets here is see the Peacocks. We have had these peacocks and hens for around 2 to 2 1/2 years now. We didn't expect that they would lay this season, let alone that they would be fertile. Our peacock is still somewhat young and we just figured it would be next spring before we had any eggs of our own to hatch. Much to our surprise, one of our three peahens started laying this spring. First she laid three eggs and we immediately put them in the incubator on the outside chance that they would be fertile. They were not. She laid three more and again we rushed them to the incubator in the hopes they would be fertile. All three hatched this time. We have two that are predominately white and one that is the normal beginning browns of an IB or Spalding (our hens are spaldings and the peacock is an IB). We were so excited. Emmylou was thrilled that we have baby peacocks now. She named one Lucy and another Fred. We have no way of knowing the sex this early, but she is hopeful! We then got another egg or two and they turned out to be fertile as well. This time, we involved Emmylou in the candling and all of that. She was mesmerized to see that tiny pea-chick moving about in that egg. Every time she came after that day, she wanted to see the baby peacock in the egg and we would show her again. Then it hatched and we have another mostly white pea-chick. This is the same kiddo that opened all her Easter eggs looking for the "babies" because she watched a chick come out of an egg one day. She is our little farm girl. She loves the birds and they love to see her coming. They know she either has meal worms or feed in her bucket. She is a walking, talking treat for them.<br />
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Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-26251716336829697022017-05-17T09:56:00.001-07:002017-05-17T09:56:23.982-07:00Loyal PetsI'm not sure if I am describing the loyalty of this little hen and rooster, or that of my husband. I'll let you decide. When we first started getting involved with the chickens back in 2014, I ordered two trios of Serama from a well known breeder in Florida. This man was very friendly and kind, and with my order sent us two Cochin Bantams ( a hen and a rooster) for our son to have. These little birds quickly won our heart. My husband immediately grew fond of them and named them Kong and Annie. Kong was a feisty little guy. He was blue in color and Annie is black. They were both very small Cochin bantams. We fed them meal worms daily. Annie quickly reached a point that when we whistled, she came and jumped in our lap for her treats. Kong was always somewhat cautious. She loved Kong, and stayed right with him when they free ranged. Kong developed some sort of irritation on his neck and the feathers came out. We tried and tried to find ways to help him heal, but nothing helped. Soon we lost Kong. Annie was our only Cochin Bantam then. She was visibly lonely but still very fond of us. Before long, we were given a Mille Fleur Cochin Bantam that had been rescued and needed a home. We jumped at the chance to have a friend for Annie. During all her time with Kong, her eggs were never fertile. We tried and tried to hatch chicks and it just wasn't happening. The new rooster was named Willy (just like my husband). This was his name when we got him. Willy and Annie became fast friends. Annie still loved to jump in our laps and eat treats. Willy has always been somewhat more cautious. He likes his treats dropped on the ground. Annie's eggs remained infertile. She finally went broody a couple of times and we gave her Serama eggs to hatch so she would have babies. She is an excellent mama. Soon she just stopped laying altogether. She didn't go broody anymore and just hung out with Willy. They are faithful friends. Annie is nearing 3 years old and hasn't laid an egg in probably a year or longer. She and Willy became just pets. My husband became extremely attached to this little pair. Now my two year old grand daughter likes to go to the secret garden and feed Annie meal worms one at a time. Annie loves meal worms and she loves Emmylou too. She comes right to her and takes the meal worms. <br />
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A while back we noticed that Willy was slowing down. (we have no idea how old he might be as he was a rescue). Nothing in particular seems wrong with him, not respiratory, not mites, not any of the normal culprits. We think he is just getting older. He will still get up and walk a little and he eats and drinks. He just seems to be tired. This breaks my husband's heart. Annie is still active and likes to free range and Willy has gotten to the point he will just go out and find a cool spot to sleep after he eats. One day when Willy seemed to tired to go out, we left them in their cage. Annie is very attentive and tries to coax him to get up on the roost, or just get up. You can hear her almost "talking" to him at times. This particular day, I went over to check on them and much to my amazement, there was an egg. Annie had laid an egg. A few days later there was another. She has been laying occasionally since that day. After much deliberation, my husband decided that while she is laying, we need to get her one of our other Cochin bantam roosters so that possibly we can get some chicks from her (that was always our wish). For a few days we put a new young rooster in with her and she wanted no part of that. She stayed at one end of the secret garden area and he was scared to death of her and stayed at the other end. Each night we put her back in her cage with Willy (who now stays in a lot more). She goes into the Secret Garden during the day to free range and get exercise. Each evening she meets us at the gate to go "home". We decided to try another rooster to see if we could get some fertile eggs from her. Willy has been out less and less with her because he is just tired. Finally and much to our surprise, she likes the latest rooster. Hopefully we will finally get some "Annie" chicks to raise. We still occasionally take Willy out there as well. Some days he will walk around and others he just rests. He is a cherished pet and is well taken care of and will be until he is gone. <br />
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As I said in the beginning, I'm not sure if this story is about my husband's loyalty to these two little birds, or their loyalty to each other. Maybe it's a little of both. I have learned in these years of raising chickens, that they do in fact make wonderful pets. They have individual personalities and habits and are easily trained to come to you. Hopefully I will soon be able to tell a story of Annie's chicks! <br />
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<br />Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-36407591400741522732017-05-16T13:39:00.001-07:002017-05-16T13:39:16.057-07:00Stop and Smell the RosesAt times day to day life blocks the view of our many blessings. We tend to get bogged down in what we are doing, and forget what we have already done. Our goal began, and remains, to create a family friendly farm that we can share with others who come just to see the birds, and with those who wish to purchase some of our rare breed chickens and other birds. To clear our view, we need only grab a cup of coffee or glass of tea and head to our big cedar rocking chairs on the front porch. This is the perfect place to gain back our perspective. From such a vantage point, we can often catch a glimpse of our resident deer making their way across the yard and the field that is between the house and the barn and into the pine thicket where they disappear for the day. As the roosters begin crowing to signal the beginning of another day on our beautiful little farm, we can hear the peacock calling and being answered by the neighbor's peacocks. The guineas begin making their distinctive noises as well. Our cool morning breeze is filled with these and other pleasant and familiar sounds as we start our day. <br />
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We will often enjoy coffee breaks periodically in what I call my "Secret Garden" between the barn and my quaint little chicken house. We can actually see most of the birds from there and watch them as they free range in the large fenced corral area that joins it. The farm is still very much a work in progress. There is a beautiful picnic area already in the works under my favorite huge oak tree. It's a beautiful shaded area with two rustic picnic tables built by my husband with cedar from my grandparent's old homestead. He also builds picnic tables to sell, for those folks that like the beauty of rustic cedar. There are also two old tractors that sit in that area and provide a backdrop for pictures. <br />
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Since we raise and sell some rare chicken breeds, turkeys, guineas etc, we have already started having some visitors. Their reaction to our effort is priceless and serves to remind us of what we are surrounded by daily. Our friends and family also enjoy feeding the birds and interacting with them. We spend a lot of time with our various birds to ensure that they are calm and docile in temperament. Our two year old grand daughter is able to walk among the largest of the birds without fear. She has her own feed bucket and feeds the birds regularly. They know when she gets here, the gravy train begins. Normally they rush to her and the little blue bucket to see what she has for them. She enjoys feeding some of our largest roosters one sunflower seed at a time from her fingers. They take it very carefully and wait patiently for the next. Both she and the birds are thrilled with the visit. We recently added a pair of beautiful rabbits that we also try to spend time with and tame.<br />
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We hope that at some point, you too can come and enjoy some time on the farm with us. We are richly blessed and would love to share that with you and your family. <br />
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<br />Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-62138235972645239342017-04-25T14:57:00.002-07:002017-04-25T14:57:56.458-07:00Emmylou and the Easter EggsA short time before Easter, our two year old granddaughter, Emmylou, came for a visit. As usual, she wanted to see the chickens, and feed the peacocks and turkeys. There is not a lot that she wants and doesn't get around here, so we took her to the barn to see the birds. First of all, she has now claimed all the Silkies as hers. We got her a little blue "feed bucket" with a shovel to help her feed the birds (and use less of the meal worms). She gathered up her bucket and off we went. After a time, she decided she wanted to see the baby birds. They are kept in aquariums in the barn bathroom for warmth. We walked back into the barn and realized that an chick was hatching in the incubator. Knowing how much she loves the baby chicks, we thought this would be a real treat for her. She watched intently as the baby chick made it's way out of the egg. She was so excited. We took her back to the house to hang out and play until her parents arrived. We had no idea the impact the chick hatching had on Emmylou. <br />
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My son and daughter in law had the family over to their place on Easter Sunday for lunch and an egg hunt for Emmylou. The eggs were carefully stuffed with candy and "hidden" all over the yard. Emmylou took her Easter basket and began to pick up eggs. She would open them, look inside and throw the egg and the candy on the ground quickly moving to the next egg. This puzzled us all because it's normally the candy she is after. After opening a few eggs and throwing them down, she looked up at me puzzled and asked, "Where's the baby?". She had been systematically opening each egg and discarding it and it's contents in search of a baby chick. We have to be careful with our little ones because we never know what makes a lasting impression. I was thrilled, to say the least, that she not only remembered the chick coming out of the egg, but was looking to find her own chick in those Easter eggs. <br />
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Emmylou is such a joy around our farm. She is full of wonder and excitement. She has no fear of our birds and they know when Emmylou shows up - so do the mealworms!<br />
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Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-68025301176476480692016-12-27T13:07:00.000-08:002016-12-27T13:07:00.585-08:00The Inevitable Being a member of numerous chicken farming groups, I often see where someone's entire flock or most is destroyed by some predator. It is absolutely heartbreaking! We all try to build the best fences and pens we can to protect our flocks, but sooner or later the inevitable happens. <div>
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Our inevitable came a few months back. We fed and cared for the chickens before leaving to spend some time with our son, daughter in law, and beautiful grand baby, Emmylou on Halloween. We had a wonderful day! As usual, upon our return home, we change into work clothes and head out to care for the birds. This time many of our rare breed, Silver Laced Orpingtons were gone (without a trace), as well as some of our younger Malines. The Serama seemed to be all in their chicken yard, which is accessible through a very small gate (too small for a dog to fit through). Those chickens that were in the corral for the day were also alright. We spent a long time trying to locate the missing chickens. We also found that our dog was out of her pen. This was very peculiar since our eighteen year old had fed and watered her and locked the pen before we left. However, she is not a good chicken dog. Due to the circumstances involving her being out, we are unsure as to the real culprit in the disappearance of our chickens. </div>
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We found one of our eight Silver Laced Orpingtons in the shed on the barn. She was up in a window ledge. We found one Cemani up in the rafters of the same shed. We found one Maline hen of those missing and she was alive. We searched the area and all the way to the house from the barn and found no birds, dead or alive. We remained hopeful that they escaped and were roosting somewhere on the place. The next morning we resumed our search. We did find the remains of 4 or 5 of the missing chickens. We have never found the rest. </div>
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The sad part of this is that the we raised the Silver Laced Orpingtons from chicks that we purchased. They were beautiful and just about ready to start laying. We went from our original eight chickens down to the one survivor. We found a rooster to buy so that we had one pair. I was able to find a young pair to purchase for my husband for Christmas. We are starting over again with that breed. </div>
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It is absolutely heartbreaking to come home and find your birds gone or dead, no matter what the cause. We have had neighbor's dogs that have come into the yard once before and killed some of our turkeys. However there had not been any problems for a long time. We have learned not to become to comfortable with our situation. We live on a dead end road and have been the dumping ground for many unwanted dogs and such over the years. I truly wish that folks wouldn't get pets that they are unwilling to care for. IF you are unable to care for them, please take them to a shelter! Don't dump them on the roadside for other people to have to care for them. </div>
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Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-44190066805502060412016-10-31T07:15:00.003-07:002016-10-31T07:16:07.973-07:00Back on TrackFall brings with it a busy family time for everyone and we are no exception. We have been busy sharing the East Texas Yamboree and Halloween festivals with our youngest (19 months) old grand baby. It is wonderful to experience these things through her eyes. We also have an upcoming "Backwoods Marketplace" vintage style Christmas show that we take part in each year. Needless to say we have been very busy lately and I apologize for being a little lax in my blogging as a result. <br />
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We are now getting back on track. We made the painful decision not to raise ducks any longer. All our ducks found new homes. We are reducing the price of our pen raised Eastern Wild Turkeys to $60.00 a pair (really good price) to bring the numbers down for the winter months. Having a small farm (a farm of any size) is hard work. We like to be sure that all of our birds have warm dry places to get when our weather turns cold and wet, as it occasionally does. When the temperatures begin to consistently drop into the lower 40's, we will cover the pens and coops with plastic and add heaters and lamps as necessary for the birds, such as Serama, that do not handle the cold well. We slow our hatching down considerably for the winter. We are unable to ship when the temperatures are the hottest and coldest here. As a "hatchaholic", this is one of the harder things to do but necessary in order to have the space to keep them all warm and healthy. <br />
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My husband and son have been very busy building extra pens and an aviary for our Peafowl so that they can get out on warmer days and exercise those wings. It will be finished this week hopefully when the aviary cloth arrives. We are very anxious to see the birds in their new area. We also want to be able to watch them strut and allow the neighbors to see them as well. We have three Peahens and one Peacock. We will hopefully have eggs in the spring! Just in time for the hatching to ramp back up. <br />
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We love to go down and walk among the various birds that are allowed to free range on our property. They are all very docile and sweet. Most of them will eat from our hands and come when we whistle to collect their treats. Raising these birds is very therapeutic and calming. All of the kiddos in our life, grandchildren and friends kiddos, LOVE the birds. They love coming over and feeding the birds meal worms. We love sharing them with everyone. <br />
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Happy Halloween! Hope you all have an amazing week! For those interested and nearby, I will include the times for the Backwoods Marketplace coming up in November.<br />
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<br />Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-26782083642032459122016-10-20T08:57:00.000-07:002016-10-20T08:57:18.613-07:00East Texas YamboreeBeing from Upshur County, my family has attended the East Texas Yamboree each and every year of my life (that's been quite a few years). This year will be no exception. This year we will be enjoying the Yamboree through the eyes of our youngest grandchild, Emmylou. This will be her first year to really understand and enjoy the lights, sounds and happenings of the Yamboree. She is nineteen months old and has become quite animated lately. After their home burned last January, they lived with us here for about three months until they could buy a home and get readjusted. Emmylou became quite the little farm girl. She loves the chickens, ducks and turkeys that were part of her everyday life for those three months. When we feed the chickens meal worms, she is right in there with us handing out worms. We also have Peafowl and she really has taken an interest in them lately. I mention all this to point out that I cannot wait to go with her to the Livestock Pavillion to see all the rabbits, goats, chickens, cows, and pigs. She will be "Emmylou in Wonderland"! I am not sure how many of you attend or even know of the Yamboree, but I assure you that if you are unfamiliar, you need to experience it at least once. <br />
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In addition to the Livestock Pavillion, there is an art contest, craft contest, canning contest, and I'm sure pie contests involving the famous Yams. Downtown is where the carnival part of the Yamboree is held, as well as the School Parade on Friday and the Queen's Parade on Saturday. These are also very enjoyable. Many girls from local schools are included as duchesses, and Ladies in Waiting in the Coronation of the Queen. The Queen is then presented on Saturday on her beautiful float in the parade. <br />
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If you are a fan of yams, then the Yamboree is the place to be to get all the yams you need. You can purchase jellies, jams, and other canned goods as well. There is also a craft show out at the Fairgrounds outside the exhibit building where the contests are held. This craft show has grown in size annually. We must not forget to mention the bandstand downtown where you can find all sorts of local talent playing all kinds of music. Normally there is a street dance in that area on Friday night. The famous Barn Dance is on Saturday night just off of the downtown area. Each year they have a great band. <br />
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If you haven't been to the East Texas Yamboree in Gilmer, Texas, it began yesterday and runs through this coming Saturday evening. Come on out and enjoy yourself. There is absolutely something for everyone at the Yamboree. You might even run into some folks you know!Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-59198485319698352762016-10-11T17:13:00.002-07:002016-10-11T17:14:06.520-07:00Heckle, Jeckle and the Peafowl CrewI have always been in awe of Peacocks. They are simply some of the most gorgeous birds on the planet. From the start, I wanted to have Peafowl here at the Singleton Roost. Early in our "chicken" adventure, I was gifted three Peafowl eggs. We incubated them immediately and managed to hatch two of the three eggs. I was thrilled beyond words to be the proud owner of peachicks. They do not look anything like they do when they mature. They are homely looking little critters at first. I grew very fond of these two chicks and spent time with them daily feeding them meal worms from my hand to be sure they'd be tame. They reminded me very much of Heckle & Jeckle. I realize some of you are too young to know who that is, but if you Google them you'll see what my peachicks looked like.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heckle & Jeckle</td></tr>
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I knew we would need more peafowl so there would be varying bloodlines. We soon found two that were a little older than Heckle & Jeckle. One of them was a pied Spalding. The four range in age now from 14 month to 18 months. As they grew I waited on eggs only to find that Peahens do not mature until around 2 years of age. There would be no eggs until then. I shared pictures of my four beauties in a Peacock group to see if they thought I had Peahens and Peacocks. Unanimously they said I have four Peahens. What are the odds that I would hatch and buy only Peahens. In my chicken world I hatch a large percentage of roosters and expected such from my Peafowl. I now needed a Peacock for the flock. We found our Peacock. He now has four lovely ladies! The more I research the Peafowl, the more I realize that a large amount of patience is required to raise these birds. <br />
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The Peacock does not mature until he is around 3 years old. This is when his train (tail) becomes long and full. The train or tail can reach 6 feet in length and make up about 60% of it's body length, and is made of more than 200 feathers. His wings will be a streaked brown and white design. He will use his train in an effort to impress the girls! However, they remain mostly uninterested with the exception of a short period of time in which they are ready to breed. This happens at around 2 years of age for the girls. It's best to only have around four Peahens to each Peacock. The breeding season typically lasts from around April until late summer (August -September), at which time the male will molt and lose his tail and the fertility rate drops. This ends the breeding for that season. He then slowly begins to grow a new train and by the next March - April it is full and pretty again. Each year the tail grows longer and fuller. <br />
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After breeding, the hens will lay an egg a day for around a week to ten days and then they will sit on the eggs to hatch them. If the eggs are gathered daily, hens may continue to lay for up to a month. Peafowl eggs are much too scarce and valuable to be eaten. Incubation is an option for the gathered eggs. They need to be kept at a temperature of 99.9 degrees for 28 days. The chicks must then be kept in a brooder at a temperature of 95 degrees for the first week and dropped by 5 degrees per week until they are at room temperature. Most peachicks can fly within days of birth. If bred in captivity and allowed to raise the chicks, peahens might raise three clutches per year. Clutches vary in size and range from four to 10 eggs with 8 being the average. It is said that chicks raised naturally by the hen are smarter and healthier, but chicks incubated and handled a lot are much tamer and friendlier. <br />
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Peafowl are long lived with wild peafowl living up to 20 years and domesticated peafowl having been known to live for 40 to 50 years. There are two popular species of Peafowl, the India Blue, and the Greens. There are 15 known colors of peafowl. As a side note, I thought one of my early ones might be a peacock because at a young age it would fan it's tail. In researching, I found that the females also fan their tails. Their tails are just not a pretty as the males.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHnXMSnfUa3S0epwhMbNELtehkr50U7_hCjhfqQdGG1cMoKvWEpDPSuFU9fChsb3ASeUXGDZuieNhEg5Al9zHzZHabb_ank4dpHxC7ITchcaYtrzME8olp5hWZLxdIygRXHmNFhHAq1c/s1600/IMG_1261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHnXMSnfUa3S0epwhMbNELtehkr50U7_hCjhfqQdGG1cMoKvWEpDPSuFU9fChsb3ASeUXGDZuieNhEg5Al9zHzZHabb_ank4dpHxC7ITchcaYtrzME8olp5hWZLxdIygRXHmNFhHAq1c/s320/IMG_1261.JPG" width="320" /></a>Heckle will still come to me to eat meal worms from my hands. She will jump in my lap if I allow it. Jeckle will come to me but wants her worms on the ground. She is a bit more shy. My other two girls still prefer that I throw them their worms a little distance from my feet. Of course non of them can reach me for Heckle. I still go in daily to feed them meal worms and work on keeping them tame. We are currently planning a large aviary outside their pen for them to be able to get out and enjoy the sun and for others to be able to enjoy their beauty when they pass our farm. <br />
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<br />Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-17290902012051157192016-09-30T19:19:00.000-07:002016-09-30T19:19:45.599-07:00One of a KindMy husband loves the Belgian Malines because they are huge and ever so gentle. However, we noticed that one of these wonderful hens started to act peculiarly about 6 months ago. She kept going away from the others and always seemed to be calling chicks. It was as if she had hatched some chicks and lost them. She didn't want to be any part of the group of Malines either. First we noticed that she was always away from the crowd. <br />
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It wasn't long until we would find her roosting with the cats. Our two barn cats, Nala and Sandy, always lay around on the staircase in the barn. We even feed them on the staircase. Eventually we noticed that LuLu (the crazy chicken) would go get on the staircase with the cats to spend the night. The cats didn't seem at all bothered by her strange behavior. My husband would try to reintroduce her to the Maline flock. She would go off alone and for the longest time would come back in the barn to sleep with the cats. <br />
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This phase passed and she moved into what we call our "Secret Garden". Our chicken house and the Serama Runs are connected to this little sitting area underneath a shade tree. She moved into the Secret Garden. She decided she loved it there with the little chickens. My Silkies run free there as well. She likes being with them and a few Serama that have also moved into that area. We have some cages that the Silkies and Serama are kept in at night (for safety). She now has taken over one of those cages. She is very nice though and shares it with a little Serama hen. During the day, she comes in and out of the chicken house when we go in to feed the Serama. She pretty much defends all that live in there with her. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LuLu posing for pics!</td></tr>
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I decided I needed to take some pictures of Serama I have for sale. I had my son bring a pair of Serama at a time into the Secret Garden to take their pictures. He would set them down and they would scatter. He would gather them up and pose them again, and off they would go. LuLu watched this behavior for a while and then decided she could be of assistance. She came over near them and posed for the camera. I got a fantastic picture of her. The Serama took a while to convince even with LuLu's help. She is such a sweet strange hen. She thought they were crazy for not posing, especially when the reward was meal worms.<br />
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A few days ago, my husband decided it was time to try again to reintroduce her to the Maline flock. She came to my gate and stood and cackled at me until I opened it up and let her come "home". She is now back sharing a cage with a little Serama hen at night and guarding and directing traffic in the daytime. LuLu is definitely one of a kind! She is more like a dog or cat than a chicken. I suppose she will remain with my Silkies and Seramas until she decides otherwise!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Secret Garden</td></tr>
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Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-74625921376053611172016-09-27T13:02:00.001-07:002016-09-27T13:03:08.244-07:00Jubilee Orpingtons - the Orpington of many colorsThese wonderful chickens are known for their easy going sweet temperament. They are stunning to look at as well. Their base color is a bright mahogany with white tipped black spangles. Their shanks and feet should be white and they have red eyes. When purchasing Jubilee Orpingtons, be very attentive to their coloring to be sure you are in fact getting Jubilees. There are some crosses to mottled Orpingtons that have a more black base color. Jubilees are very fluffy in appearance, like most Orpingtons, making them appear larger then their actual weight. The roosters will average 8 1/2 pounds when mature, while the hens will be around 7 1/2 pounds. <br />
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The Jubilees were introduced by the William Cook family in 1897. They were named for and presented to Queen Victoria for her Diamond Jubilee and have been in England for many years. Being relatively new to the United States, they are more rare here causing the chicks to sell for around $35.00 each straight run. We sell ours for $25.00 each when we are fortunate enough to have some left to sell. They are greatly sought after and sell quickly. <br />
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Jubilees are a dual purpose bird. They are good layers and good meat birds as well. The hens are good brooders and mothers. Their eggs are a creamy light brown color. Jubliees are cold hardy and mature quickly. Again it is worth mentioning that they are the sweetest birds to have around. They are extremely friendly and will eat from your hand. We have had them for a while now and never have had an attitude problem among them like with some other breeds. </div>
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Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-84424156114071205542016-09-21T15:22:00.001-07:002016-09-21T15:22:57.816-07:00The Tiniest of ChickensOne of my favorite breeds of chicken is the Serama. Who wouldn't love a miniature chicken? These tiny little chickens originated in Malaysia and are the smallest breed of chicken in the world. They fall into the following weight classes for competition. They compete in cage and tabletop competitions.<br />
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Class A up to 13 ounces Class A up to 12 ounces</div>
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Class B up to 16 ounces Class B up to 15 ounces</div>
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Class C up to 19 ounces Class C up to 17 ounces</div>
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There are also some Micro classed birds with the Roosters weight falling up to 13 ounces, and the hen's weight up to 8 ounces. The Micro are not viable as layers or for type normally. They are mostly a novelty. Everyone searches for Micro and Class A Serama before learning about them. I have a little Class A hen who is precious and a valued pet. However she has only laid about 4 eggs in the past year and only one hatched. The chick that hatched was a class C at least and grew into a larger rooster. I mention this to point out that class A won't always lay. When they do they won't always give you class A chicks and it's rare for their eggs to be fertile. For breeding purposes, most Serama breeders recommend a class B or C bird with B being the favorite weight class for breeding. A class B bird will give you A,B and occasionally C class chicks. </div>
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A Serama will eat approximately a pound of feed per month making them very affordable (unless of course you have as many as we do). The size of a Serama is not nearly as important as the "type" of the bird. The "type" refers to the bird having large chest that is held high, a high tail (coming straight up behind the head when the bird is posing), a short back, and a "V" shaped profile (meaning the back and the tail form a "V" from the side view). The wings should point downward nearly vertical when they are alert and posed and the legs should be long enough to keep the wings just above the ground (showing the feet). Type is very important in competition. Temperament is also a desired trait for these competitions. The birds that are accustomed to people and other birds will tend to do the best. There are points given for each of the following categories in a tabletop competition.</div>
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Type: 30 points</div>
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Character: 25 points</div>
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Tail Carriage: 15 points</div>
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Wing Carriage: 10 points</div>
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Feather quality: 10 points</div>
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Condition: 10 points</div>
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Originating in Malaysia they tolerate 90 - 100 degrees fairly well, but they do not tolerate cold well. We cover our coops and runs with plastic in the winter and even use heaters when necessary to keep them at around 50 degrees minimum at night. They come and go in and out of the coops during the daytime hours and do fine here in Texas</div>
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Now that I have shared all I have learned about these birds, I'd like to add that they are such friendly chickens. They are easily trained and love human attention. If you are wanting a pet chicken, find a pet quality serama that someone is willing to part with. You will not regret having a Serama. They will lay eggs and many of ours lay an egg a day. However, the eggs are very small and if you want to eat them, it takes about 3 Serama eggs to equal a large store bought egg. Still, how many people have a pet that lays breakfast? </div>
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Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-23200130240199229172016-09-18T14:37:00.002-07:002016-09-18T14:37:58.341-07:00East Texas Poultry Trades DayWe brought our son home from the hospital just in time to start thinking about the East Texas Poultry Trades Day at Gilmer, Texas this coming Saturday. It will be held in the Yamboree Livestock Pavillion on Hwy 271 next to the Civic Center and Walmart. The event will start at 9:00 A.M. and last until 3:00 P.M. on Saturday, September 24, 2016. Our East Texas group held our first such Trades Day last May in Gilmer. It was such a hit with the vendors (we got to visit and shop among ourselves) and our customers that our good friend who planned it all decided to go again in September. We are looking very forward to this next event. Our vendor list has grown considerably as has our customer list. The show will have everything from chickens, ducks, turkeys, guineas and such to chicken coops, meal worm kits (so you can grow your own), cages, and much more. We may even have some rabbits and goats. It's a very enjoyable day for all. If you live near Gilmer, Texas and can make it out to see us, we would love that!<br />
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The Singleton Roost will have Serama pairs for sale, Serama chicks and juveniles for sale, Guinea keets, possibly ducklings and young Eastern Wild Turkeys. We are also hoping to bring some Belgian Maline chicks and roosters. We will be there around 7:00 A.M. to get set up and ready. </div>
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There will be many breeds of chickens represented at the event. I know friends who are bringing Silkies (be still my heart). I got my beautiful Blue Cream Silkie Rooster at the last Trades Day. If you can find the time and live in the area, come on out and visit with us. You might just find a chicken or two you cannot live without. We all know how that goes! </div>
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Check out the Facebook Page for this event - East Texas Poultry Trades Day. There you will get a better idea of who all you can hope to see and what they will be bringing. Hope to see you there!</div>
Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-78356776715569385952016-09-14T12:18:00.000-07:002016-09-14T12:18:23.297-07:00Never a Dull MomentWhile our son has been in the hospital, my poor husband has literally had the weight of our world on his shoulders. He has not only spent as much time with us at the hospital as possible, but he has also run errands for us, brought us food, AND cared for all of our birds. Have I mentioned we have nearly 400 birds total? <br />
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Each day I gave him Tristan Updates (we came home late last night finally), and he gave me Chicken Updates! We had 22 Silkies due to hatch the day after Tristan was admitted to the hospital. We keep new babies in ten gallon aquariums with tops made of hardware cloth so that we can maintain the appropriate temperatures. We currently have three of these full and a large one that he built. My husband is very serious about our chicks and chickens having the best possible care! <br />
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He would occasionally call or text me about something funny a certain bird had done. For instance, our broody cochin hens (who had no eggs of their own) have begun hatching the guinea eggs they were given to hatch. It is funny that neither they nor the guinea keets seem to notice the difference.<br />
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The next day, one little Serama hen and her two chicks were let out to range. Come nightfall, they were no where to be found. He looked and looked and could not find them. Our only hope was that they found a place to roost and went to roost. Yesterday he called to say he had found them. They went to roost with our silkies and were apparently UNDER the silkies when he checked! All were well.<br />
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We had baby ducklings in the duck crib. He let them out with the juvenile ducklings to roam around in the pen for the day. They too went missing. He found them completely outside the pen all huddled up. This took an extensive search on his part. He could not find how they got outside the pen fences. They are fine as well. <br />
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Even during a family crisis (and we have had a major one), the chickens keep up with their antics. There truly is never a dull moment at The Singleton Roost!Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-45206838963967986052016-09-12T16:00:00.000-07:002016-09-12T16:36:20.742-07:00About my SonToday's blog, my first in almost a week, won't be about the farm or the chickens or the ducks or turkeys. Today's blog is about someone much more dear to my heart - our 18 year old son, Tristan who helps us on the farm. <br />
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Last week at this time we were enjoying Labor Day, with our family, cooking hamburgers and having fun. We had no clue what was about to happen. That evening, Our son started feeling a little "off" or "weak". He just thought he'd worked out at the gym too hard. Tuesday he awoke with a fever of 101 but not really any other symptoms. Still we made an appointment and took him to the family doctor. They didn't find anything specific and gave him a steroid shot and a Z-pack and sent us home. This seemed to help and by Wednesday morning he had no fever and felt a little better. He had a quiz at college (they are not forgiving on missing college) so he went and took the quiz. By the time he reached home, his head was hurting really bad. I took him back to the doctor when Ibuprofen and Tylenol could not stop the headache. They tested for Strep throat and it was a positive. He was given an antibiotic shot and sent home again. All evening the headache worsened no matter what we did. We fought it all night. Thursday morning I loaded him up and took him back to the doctor's office not waiting on an appointment. He was given a pain shot for the headache and still no affect. Then they decided on blood work to check his white cell count. It was high but not terribly high. I had already asked about meningitis the day before and it was not high on the list of possibilities since he had his vaccine before high school and one last spring for college. The decision was made to send him to the ER to do a CT Scan and a Lumbar Puncture to test for Meningitis. The CT scan was clean but the Lumbar Puncture proved our worst fears - Meningitis. They started treatment for bacterial (the worst possibility) but were leaning more towards it being viral (still horrible but not life threatening like the other). The shock set in. We were told they would send it off for cultures to be done to see if anything grew indicating Bacterial. It was going to take 48 hours or more for this to be done. They were treating for the worst and hoping for the best. Viral Meningitis, although still extremely painful, will normally run it's course in 7 to 10 days. They will treat the symptoms such as give you fluids, nausea medicines and pain medicines but there is not much more they can do for viral meningitis. All day we braced ourselves to deal with viral meningitis. Late that evening we were still at the ER waiting to be admitted to the hospital when a doctor from the hospital came in and rocked our already shaky world. He said it was most likely bacterial and we would all have to have shots and until the cultures were negative we could assume it was bacterial. He told us horror stories about worse case scenarios of losing hands, fingers, feet or limbs or even possible death. He did NOT have a good bedside manner and scared our son to death. My entire body went cold. I could not feel anything, nor think. We were horrified of the fate our son might be facing. <br />
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We were finally transferred to the hospital into the Progressive Care Unit and into isolation. Anyone entering the room had to keep a mask on at all times. All of this was in addition to our son's extreme level of pain in the form of a headache and occasional nausea. The nurses in that unit were amazing. They were reassuring and very knowledgeable. It still took them most of the night to get his pain to a manageable level. They tried various pain medications including Morphine that did not work. His pain level was an 11-12 on a scale of 1-10. He is not a whiner and NEVER cries. He begged for help. Finally they found something that would bring it down gradually until it was a 3-4 the next day. Three different antibiotics were given in the beginning. The next day was great only to return to excruciating pain that evening. Again they gave everything they could and ended up back to the same pain medication as the night before (they had avoided it because it made him itch). They added Benadryl to the mix for the itching. He rested all day at a level 3-5 pain. That evening, yesterday and last night his pain level has been down to a 2-3 with very little use of pain medication. He is eating and moving about. We have been moved to a regular room, no isolation and at long last yesterday we were informed that the cultures grew nothing and there was no need for us to be treated as well. However, they will continue treating for bacterial as a precaution due to him having antibiotics in his system when the Lumbar Puncture was done. This could possibly alter the cultures. Our nightmare is easing up and although recovery could take a little while, he will recover. <br />
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My point in sharing this is to let others know to be persistent with their kids doctors and treatments. You know your child better than ANYBODY! A headache that cannot be managed with normal medicines accompanied by a fever are symptoms of something more serious. Take the Meningitis shots recommended for high school and college. It can be more serious without them. Although our son's neck was not stiff to begin with it was sore. This is another sign of meningitis. Meningitis is not common and therefore not the first thing checked for. Do not ignore your parental instincts. <br />
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Most importantly, we could not have gotten through this without the hundreds of church friends, friends and family and all their friends constantly praying for us. It is our faith in God and His never ending grace and mercy that gives us the strength to get through this. We hope to be recovering at home in a few days. Thanks to all those who have called, texted, messaged, visited and most especially to those who are praying for us!Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1215322491424145020.post-34173910905383801782016-09-07T09:10:00.000-07:002016-09-07T09:10:39.463-07:00A Web full of InformationThe World Wide Web can be a source of great information. There are numerous websites for gaining information on the various breeds of chickens, their characteristics, and care. Once you have chosen a breed to add to your flock or start your flock, research extensively BEFORE you buy if possible. However, if you already own them it's never to late to learn. <br />
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"Google" your chosen breed(s). There will be many pictures to view showing standards for each breed. Each breed has a "standard of excellence" as many call it. This will tell you what you need to look for in a particular breed and what you need to breed for as well. There are many sites to suggest feed for certain breeds including plants and vegetables that are good for the chickens. Flowering plants exist that will not only beautify your coop areas, but also be healthy for your chickens to snack on when they are allowed to range. One such site that we have found particularly informative is www.the-chicken-chick.com. She shares wonderful advice, tips, projects and more on her site. Another great site is www.backyardchickens.com. This site has forums that allow you to discuss things with other chicken owners. <br />
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Social media is another alternative for information. Facebook has numerous groups for the different breeds of chickens, show and tell, selling and just discussion. Go to Facebook and type in a specific breed in the search box. Many groups will appear. Click on a group to see what it's purpose is and to find out if it interests you. Ask to join. It's as simple as that. <br />
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Having Seramas, I have joined numerous groups about this breed. One group that I find extremely helpful is "Serama Housing, Hatching, and Care"! It is a wonderful group of Serama folks with a wealth of information. Ask anything and they will be happy to offer guidance. There are also Rare Breed groups and probably groups specific to your home area. We are members of "East Texas Poultry Trades Day". This group started to share information on our local East Texas Poultry Trades Day held twice a year in Gilmer, Texas. We also allow buying and selling in the group. Another wonderful group of very helpful folks. <br />
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Venture out and take advantage of the friendly people who have websites, blogs and more. They are normally very willing to help. Our website, www.thesingletonroost.com is currently under construction but will be updated any day now. We are always happy to help in any way possible. Renee' http://www.blogger.com/profile/07399763040173134148noreply@blogger.com0