Tuesdays' Show & Tail - Beloved Hen of Christmas Past

I'm joining in West Virginia Treasures for Tuesdays' Show & Tail - according to her guidelines, I've featured her lovely peacock image, and am linking back to her blog, where you can either find the other features for today, or link in yourself to tell your animal or pet stories!  Follow the Peacock!!!

 This is Valentina.  She joined our lives one Valentines' Day - as a gift for my hubby!  Well, actually, I found her on a busy stretch of highway on Valentines' Day, in the snow, with frost bitten toes and a broken wing.  I brought her home and put her in a large box stall in the barn, and made a huge banner with Happy Valentines' Day to My Hubby to hang on the stall door!  You can imagine, this was the most surprising (and astounding) gift that man had ever received!  I mean, who would THINK of a hen as a gift?!?!? Tee hee!

Tina was the best hen - she knew her name and came when called.  She learned to play the piano, retrieve items, and could fly up from the ground to snatch treats from my grandkids' hands!  She loved to be held!  And as a reward for bringing her back to health, she would lay a sage green egg each morning for several years!

Here she is, enjoying a Maxwell House Moment!  She was truly loved!  Tina's the REASON I got more hens - because thanks to her, we realized the great taste of fresh eggs vs store bought varieties.  And thanks to Tina we realized hens make fun and entertaining pets!  She passed away at the grand old age of 6, due to an unknown cause.  These photos were taken 3 days before she died - just after Christmas 2008.  I still miss her and we talk of her often - she was a remarkable pet!

the ChickenWrangler 

Winner Winner! Chicken Dinner!

Oops - I should not have used that for the title of this post - Sorry, Lizzy....!  But, indeed I was a winner in a drawing at Jean's blog, a Romantic Country Home!  Stop by and visit her blog- and be sure to tell her I sent you!

Here is a picture of what I won (excluding the dog statue - she is there to help display the vintage rose pin included in my "stash"!)  Click on the picture to enlarge for better viewing!

Everything so pleasingly pink, so lacy and enticing!  The crochet doily is So darling, the teacup SO dainty - and the entire package makes a darling display!  I just love it! 
Thanks so much for a great giveaway, Jean! 

the ChickenWrangler

Q&A: Cloudy Whites

Dear Lizzy,
My son's bantam hen has been laying eggs since the end of July.  About once a week she will lay an egg that is scrambled (for lack of a better word) inside.  They smell fine but look a bit cloudy...and maybe that is because of the "scrambling"  We have not been eating them.  Why is this happening?
Signed:
Cloudy in Michigan

Dear Cloudy,
ooooOOOOOooooo!  Ms. Lizzy sees cloudiness as a sign that your farm-fresh eggs are VERY fresh!  The "clouds" are caused by carbon dioxide dissolved in the whites, and after while, the gas escapes through the shell wall as the egg 'ages'.  If the white of the egg is greenish, that usually means there is too much riboflavin in their vittles.  If you feed a good brand of layer mash or pellet, your Ladies will be getting a balanced diet for their egg laying needs. Eating acorns (HEAVEN FORBID that Ms. Lizzy would munch on ACORNS!  Pttuie!) or certain types of weeds can cause that greenish tinge,  or means that there is too much riboflavin in your Girl's diet.  Whites can take on a pinkish hue as well, and that is caused by high amounts of cottonseed meal.  These eggs are not harmful to eat, but again, be sure that the Ladies have access to good layer mash if they are free range hens.
  Since you did not send a picture of the 'scrambled appearance' of the Egg In Question, Ms. Lizzy can only surmise that perhaps what you were seeing was a large string, or lumpy thickness inside the egg.  This attachment is called the Chalaza, and it anchors the yolk to the center of the egg.  This is a sign of a fresh quality egg!
Cluck Cluck!  Thanks for typing!
Ms. Lizzy

Q&A: Dear Lizzy:

 Dear Lizzy:
I have a question for you...any suggestions on how to get a hen to stop pecking the head of her rooster to death? I have two polish and he is truly hen-pecked. His poor little head sometimes bleeds. I need help Lizzie!! 
Signed,
Anxious

Dear Anxious,
The beautiful Polish Breed is one of the most picked on of all breeds of chickens.  Most probably because the other hens are so jealous of the fancy top hats they display - so amazing!  (And that's where the HUMAN saying "hen pecked" comes from, don'tchaknow?!)  Chickens tend to pick on other chickens for such reasons as age differences (getting rid of the younger competition!) or because one breed is a different color than what the main flock is used to being with...or, a different and intriguing style of head-dress, such as your Polish Rooster.  I will try to address this concern to others who may have Chicken troubles with large flocks as well.  Read on.
  Ms. Lizzy's advice here would be to remove the Roo from that offending Hen (or flock, as the case may be) for a time, and treat his wounds with Scarlet Oil, found at local feed mills or perhaps your Tractor Supply Store (Click HERE for information of the product and where to find the TSC nearest you!).  You can also apply a medium coating of Petroleum Jelly on the injury with good results, but Scarlet Oil is something Ms.Lizzy highly recommends...it covers the scent of blood and helps disguise it from the flock once the bird is returned to the group after about a week, depending on the depth of damage.  Chickens cannot resist the smell of blood and will often continue pecking to the death of the injured bird.  The mere thought makes Lizzy SHUDDER!!!
  You do not state the age or size of your Roo - that makes a difference in the PECKING ORDER of the flock.  Mature Girls perfer a Mature Roo, or one that is the same size or a tad bit smaller than the rest of the flock.  BEWARE!  Any bird too young should not be introduced to a mature group of chickens - that could be a cause of many a life lost!
  Are there other Roos picking on him as well?  One Roo to a flock of 10 Girls, please!  Otherwise fights may ensue for breeding rights!  And one parting note:  Ms. Lizzy will offer that there could be a chance your Roo may never be able to be turned loose with the rest of the gang for long periods of time without strict supervision.  For his own safety, he may have to be kept in a Bachelor Pad away from the Girls, unless you desire baby chicks, then allow him access to only the most docile of the Group for courtship!
Hoping this Helps -
Ms. Lizzy 

Its HIGH TIME for HIGH STYLE!

Last weekend Lizzy flew the Coop! - she went to check out some pink foot fashions at Country Wings in Phoenix!  She couldn't quite make up her mind which pair she liked the best so she was going to order them online later this week.  Come to find out, once Lizzy returned home she discovered Miss Mamie was wearing one of Lizzy's FAVORITES!  as you can see from her eggspression as she focuses on Miss Mamie's feet, Lizzy is NOT HAPPY!

Wrangling a HORSE, of Course!

This morning I thought I'd enjoy a cuppa coffee after doing chores wearing my pj's in this warm November weather - Indian Summer, they call it.  Nice to run outdoors in pj's to do chores - and pretty soon I'll have to be bundled up with a heavy winter coat and boots for doing quick and easy things outside.  I shudder to think of it!

All the creatures were fed, including the old gentle mare who stays in the yard even after eating her grain outside of the horse pen.  I went in the house and phoned mom, sipping my steaming coffee, laughing with her about some stupid things that happened the day before.  It's the way I love to spend my first waking hours, talking with her....when suddenly the dogs began barking.  I ignored them at first.  But then....I looked out the window, and I saw brown and white spots disappearing behind the neighbor's garage deep in the woods.  With leaves fallen, it's easier to see that far away, and I realized Candy had decided to forage for grass somewhere else besides our yard.  Good grief!
    No choices, I had to hurry out the door, grabbing a coffee can of grain to rattle, hoping to get her attention and call her back to the house quickly.  The woods goes back a long way, and I sure didn't want to have to hunt for hours trying to find her before I had to head off for work at 11am!  Thankfully, I was able to "wrangle" her and get her back to the horse pen, but not before the neighbor's curtains parted...and I'm sure they got a view of me in my Agility Dog Mom tee shirt with leopard print bottoms!  What a sight to behold, with leaves, burs, and stick-tights all over me, brambles grabbing at my pant legs, and hair sticking up all over my head!
   Whew!  Chickens are easier to wrangle!!!  Coffee, anyone? 
signed -
the ChickenWrangler

Techno-Chicken!

This YOU-TUBE link was sent to me by a fan - I SOOOOOooooOOOOO Loved it and now wish to share it with you!  Enjoy!

November - a Month to Remember...

"Chick-a-Treating" is finished - the girls went out in their frightful best, and each came home with a crop filled with cracked corn!  No candy corn for them - it's a bit too sticky.  We didn't want to run the risk of 'sour crop' on such a night as that!  Many of you loved Lizzy's costume for Chick-a-treating - she may have scared her suitor, "Roo-Roo", away for good!  I heard no report from her yet!

Yesterday evening while the girls were enjoying their booty of cracked corn, Hubby finished up the last of our kitchen renovation.  New paint, cabinet doors, and hardware were put in place this past spring.  The sink/faucet arrived in summer.  And finally Autumn - tile work, window ledge, and above the sink lighting, and nick-nack shelves!  I was so delighted - last night I kept sneaking a peak from the living room while watching warewolf shows!  I'll be enjoying our new kitchen this November - and so THANKFUL for a Hubby who truly shines in every aspect of husband-hood in each task he undertakes!

the ChickenWrangler