Tiny Heart Feather

I found this little feather this morning.

Sweet Peppers and Eggs

Our local temps have cooled way off and now we are getting much needed rain. This is a nice relief to all of us, chickens included.  The chickens are laying more eggs now, with the exception of the hens that are well into their molt. The three Welsummers have laid 10 eggs total in 10 days, so that's a good start.  We have now added oyster shell to their pen to help with shell production.  The shells are pretty thin at this point.  I accidentally stuck my thumb through one of the eggs while trying to pick it up. 

One of the Welsummer layers is producing a lighter brown egg that has some funky looking discoloration on one side. There's suggestion that two eggs are developing side by side, causing the lopsided and "circle" band on one side. We will need to keep an eye on her since this is not a good thing. These photos show the discolored side and the back side. But, the insides looked good. The yolks are well formed, deep yellow and the whites were of the right consistency. So I'm thinking she will just need some time to get her laying process more established. 

The other two Welsummers are producing small, thin shelled dark brown eggs. I placed them around one of eggs that our older Orloff laid (top of page). The little brown eggs are so cute! The mix of light brown and dark brown in the carton has a cute effect too. A checker board of eggs.

All in all, we're now getting an average of four eggs per day. That will likely taper off over the next couple of weeks. 

Our bell peppers that we planted in five-gallon buckets are just about done. We have a nice mix of green, red, yellow and orange. So sweet and delicious. Delicious in an omelette, salad or just dipped in sauce.  Well worth the extra work and wait! Planting in buckets like this keeps the sluggos out and we can move them into the shade when it gets too hot outside.

Doing the Mouse Stomp

I can't say that I'm a chicken behaviorist. I don't profess to understand what goes through the mind of a chicken. But I think the Welsummers are territorial! 

We live on several acres of untended pasture land. The stray cats, snakes, hawks, owls and coyotes feast on the mice that live in the pasture. Our backyard is not a coiffed parcel, but more pasture where the chickens can graze in peace, until a mouse tries to invade their space.  In the past month, the Welsummers have stomped, killed and played chase with little mice that get into their pen. Sure, I can totally understand why mice want to get into the pens, because the chickens routinely drop food on the ground.  But, obviously, if it mouse dallies at all, these gals are gonna turn that poor little mouse into an object of fun or revenge.

No, I did not take photos of the little squished mouse carcass that I found today. I pulled it out of the pen and threw it into field. 

By the way, all three Welsummers are laying eggs now.  We have received five cute little chocolate colored eggs.  Despite the Orloffs going into molt, we are still getting a few eggs from them, from time to time.