Feathers feathers everywhere.

Yes, I am still alive! I have been spending a lot of my time away from the farm at craft shows this fall. Finances have dictated that I redouble my efforts to boost income this year, so nearly every weekend from now into December is booked solid. I will be in Ottumwa, Iowa this Sunday. This is a new venue for me so it will be fun to see some new faces. The 14th of November, I will be in Dubuque, Iowa. The 22nd takes me to Iowa City. Thanksgiving weekend I will be in Rock Island, Il. Lastly, I will be back in Des Moines on the 4th, 5th, and 6th of December.
Last weekend I was In Cedar Falls, Iowa, along with 350 other vendors at the UNI dome. This is a huge show that I do every year and it is always a lot of fun. Exhausting, but fun.

Enough about me, lets talk chicken.
I wanted to show you how big the Easter-Egger chicks have gotten since I last posted about them. OK, this photo is not exactly painterly, but I just wanted to point out one of the things that I love about the Easter-Eggers...the wide array of colors and patterns in their plumage. Since they are bred for the blue-green egg color and not for conformity to any breed standard, it is always a surprise to see what color combinations you end up with.
As of yet unnamed chicken.
'Black Beard'........yeah, when you have 60 chickens we'll see how good you are at coming up with names!
?
'Robin'....'cause she looks like...ummm, a Robin...only blue.
And while we are at it, here are some other girls that you may remember. They arrived here earlier this summer and I sneakily used some broody hens as foster moms to raise them. Incidentally, there is a huge difference (in my flock anyway) between the chicks that were raised by foster moms, and the chicks that we 'hand-raise'.....or as we like to say, 'raise in the swimming pool'. Let me rephrase that-raised in a wading pool filled with wood shavings...that is a much better visual. I digress. The chicks that we raise in the pool every year are so much more friendly that my experimental foster babies. So friendly, in fact, that they fly onto my head every time I walk into the coop and want to ride on my shoulders as I do chores. It's not always a good thing, especially if I am not dressed in poop-proof clothing. I'm just sayin', it's what happens. Also it is not nearly as cute when they are full grown and want to go for shoulder rides.

Here is one of the Barred Rocks from the summer batch.

My Blue Cochin pullet.

As I mentioned earlier, I have about 60 hens right now, so one might think, 'hey that's a lot of eggs'. Unfortunately, that is not the case, my hens are moulting. When chickens moult ( lose their feathers and grow new ones), they stop laying eggs temporarily until the new feathers are all grown in. Moulting, in combination with the shortening daylight hours, has really taken a toll on egg production. I have been gathering about 8 eggs a day. Eight. 8. E.I.G.H.T. 60 hens. Eight eggs. Many egg producers put artificial lighting in the coops to keep the hens laying throughout the fall and winter, I don't bother with that, I just allow them to have a little rest and do what their bodies are telling them to do naturally...but, seriously girls, this is how you reward me? EIGHT?

I neglected to get any full-body pictures of the hens with their tattered, moulting feathers, but Charles Bronson is moulting as well, and although he looked much worse at one time, he will demonstrate the improved version of the look. Really there aren't many things uglier than a moulting chicken.....maybe a wet cat.

Here Charles models his Rastafarian beaded dreadlock look.

And a close-up of new pin feathers poking through.

Sorry....too much?

By the way, I have a friend who desperately "needs" a Mottled Houdan rooster (standard size). REALLY, it's not for me. If anyone has one........