Clipping the chicken's wings

After noticing that the chickens kept getting out of the pen my dad kept an eye on the chickens to see actually how they were getting out.

Today he saw Henny Penny some how flutter over the pen and into the back garden. So my mom decided that we neeed to clip the chickens wings to stop them flying.

The first time we saw anybody do this was when the chickens first moved in, and this would be our first time to do it by ourselves.

I just want to make sure that people know that by doing this it does not hurt the chicken as its feathers (which is just like cutting someone's hair). You will see that the chicken does not react.



For all the chicken keepers out there if your not too sure how to do this then make sure you read how to:

Make sure that you do some research before clipping the chicken’s wings.

It’s pretty simple.

Pull out the chickens flight feathers by gently pulling it away from its body.

The flight feathers are longer. Then use a strong pair of scissors and clip two thirds of the first feathers on the wing.

The chickens keep escaping out of the pen!

Well since we had chickens they were free to run freely around our garden but after they ruined the grass (as it became muddy) and they attacked my mom's vegetable patch we decided that we would create an area just for the chickens.

We bought a pen that goes around the area where the hens eglus are, so that they still have their freedom but don't ruin the garden.

Even though every so often they still get out, and we (by we I mean my parents and little sister) spend some time getting them back into their pen area when they escape.

Our garden has since started recovering but their is only one other problem. When we put bread out in the chicken area, our dog Bertie becomes jealous and wants to eat the chicken's food. So this results in him getting his head stuck through the mesh.



To be fair this is probably how the chickens are escaping. Through the holes where we have to cut the dog out. Bertie the dog still won't learn though all because he loves food so much.

I need to get some guts!

As you all know I have a big fear of the chickens. I like them and think they are nice to look at but I always think they are going to get me.

But when they first did come and moved in the man who set up the eglu where they sleep passed me a chicken and I was pretty forced to hold the chicken.

This is the picture my dad took of me. If you look closely you will see the tears in my eyes. But to be honest I am very proud of this picture.

A great day for the chickens

Earlier this morning my mom saw our neighbour who said that he had been scarifying his lawn.

He gave us the weed and the moss from the lawn and we gave it to the chickens in a big pile. They loved scratching away at it.

Plenty of pictures below.

This is also a picture of the chickens taking a dirt bath:

Another delicious recipe - Mayonnaise

Ok so now you have your perfect boiled egg, why not give making your own mayo a go!

Home Made Luxurious Mayonnaise

Serves 4-6
Takes 10 minutes
Ingredients:

• 2 medium egg yolks from Faye’chickens/any other chicken!!
• 1tsp Dijon mustard
• 200ml vegetable oil (can use olive oil but has a stronger flavour and is more expensive!)
• 1 tsp of lemon juice or white wine vinegar

Method :

1. Place a folded cloth underneath a medium bowl to stop it sliding while you whisk. Add egg yolks, mustard and a little seasoning, and whisk well until smooth.

2. Add the oil in a slow, steady trickle, whisking with you other hand, until about two-thirds of the oil is incorporated. (Important to add slowly or it will split and not emulsify properly!)

*TIP* - If you have a food processor put eggs and mustard in and leave motor running while you gradually add oil through the open funnel at the top. This will save your arm aching!!

3. Whisk in lemon juice or white wine vinegar,
then whisk remaining oil in a steady stream. If it is too thick whisk in 1-2 teaspoons of warm water to give a consistency that you like.

Yummy!

So simple and perfect for chips. Leave comments to let me know what you think and how you have got on.

How to make the perfect boiled egg by my cousin Chef Amanda

Well I spoke to my cousin Amanda who is a brilliant chef about my chicken blog and she has offered me a couple of simple recipes out there that can be done using eggs. They sound delicious. Try and give them a go.

First of all something that I always struggle with is:

The Perfect Boiled Egg

Serves 1:

Ingredients:

1 fresh egg from Faye’s Chickens/or any other chicken!!

Method:

1.Place the egg carefully into a small saucepan and just cover with cold water. Place on the heat and bring to the boil. Once the water is boiling turn down to simmer and start your timer:
3 minutes for soft boiled OR
4 minutes for harder yolk

2.Meanwhile put some bread in the toaster, get your plate and eggcup ready.

3.When the egg is ready remove it from the water with a slotted spoon and put in your egg cup. Remove the top of the shell and serve immediately with hot buttered toast cut into soldiers.

Very tasty and so simple! Enjoy

Life - guard to help our chickens

Recently the ex battery chickens have had trouble laying eggs and out of 6 chickens we have been lucky to get 3 eggs.



So when I went home one weekend my mom decided to go to a shop called AK feeds in Shenstone.

She asked one of the experts who works there what she could do, and was told that it could be that they need more vitamins.

They suggested a supplement called:

Life-Guard
The slogan on the bottle says: 'Happy Hens Lay better eggs more often'

This is a complementary feed for chickens, also suitable for ducks, geese and all domestic fowl, and it is a natural supplement.

It is really easy to give to the chickens. All you have to do is add to the drinking water:

Maintenance 25ml to 10 litres of water
Poor condition 25ml to 2 litres.

Now we just have to wait and see if it has made any difference to the chickens.