A Fowl Gift from Georgia

 

A couple weeks ago I won a contest over at Life on a Southern Farm. I’ve been following along on their blog now for over a year and have watched all of the wonderful goings-on and huge changes taking place seemingly on a daily basis as these two farmers grow and harvest veggies, raise cows, goats, chickens and a wonderful donkey named Jack. I’ve sat mesmerized reading about the fascinating history they’ve shared together and enjoyed all their wonderful walks down memory lane.

And I’ve been amazed at how many impressive projects they’ve taken on together, like building a chicken barn, re-roofing the home they built themselves, building a gorgeous and useful rock bridge, and even constructing a huge, beautiful water wheel beside their pond. These folks are true farmers with a whole lot of ingenuity, skill, talent, and can-do spirit.

(Jenna in the barn with the critters)

 They are also entrepreneurs, too. Not long ago they started up a successful business selling handmade, sturdy, quality-made metal nest boxes. They sell them directly from their farm, as well as through an online retailer. I’ve been eyeing them for a while because the nest boxes we built from recycled materials don’t seem to be as hen friendly.

Only one hen choose to lay eggs in one nest box on the bottom. All the other three nest boxes are used by the roosters and other hens as roosts….and as potties. (ewww!) And the other hens have been laying their eggs either in a wooden basket in the hen house or anywhere they please. I’ve since denied access to the upstairs roosts (potties) by stapling on some bird netting.

 

So, I decided to enter Life on a Southern Farm's generous nest box give-a-way and see if I’d be one of the lucky ones.

And I was!!!!!!!! I won!!!!! Whoooohooo!

The nestbox arrived last week and I got it temporarily installed inside the hen house. When Ranchman John returns from CDL Truck Training in Utah, I want him to help me dismantle the old nest boxes and remodel that area for the new nestboxes, so I can access the eggs from the outside of the coop.. There’s always a project to do around a farm or ranch, isn’t there? lol!

On a sad note, one of our Rhode Island Red hens, Rhoda, was found dead inside the hen house last week. We aren’t sure what killed her, but I suspect that a peach might have ended her life (don’t laugh!). I was tossing windfall peaches into their coop for the chickens to eat, and one of them landed squarely on the RIR’s back.

I don’t know why she didn’t die immediately. She may have had internal injuries. (Remember how Billy Mays died hours later after being hit in the head from a suitcase, even though the autopsy said cause of death was hypertension?)

(That’s Rhoda on the right)

About an hour later I found a weak-shelled egg on the ground not far from where she was hit by the peach, and then when I went in to refill water and she was inside the hen house, already dead.

I don’t believe it was caused by a snake as we’ve never seen one in or around our coop, and I found no blood on her so it doesn’t appear as if any of the other chickens hurt her. She was missing a lot of feathers on her backside and tail, but that’s because she and our other RIR, Rita are the favorites of our two roosters.

It still made me sad, but I was surprised that I didn’t cry (maybe I’m all cried out after what happened to Rojo?). I felt guilty, though, that I may have caused her death. But it’s also kind of funny, in a sick sort of way. “Cause of Death: Pummeled by a Peach”

I am going to miss her large brown eggs, though. She was one of my more reliable egg layers, too. Does this mean I can go out and bring home another chicken? lol!

Well, the new nestbox has settled in well, and the hens all seem to like laying their eggs in it. It’s easy to collect from, is simple to clean, and I love that I can close up the boxes every night to prevent the chickens from roosting (pooping) in there. Very nice design and well made, too. So if you’re building a hen house and coop, or are wanting to remodel or add a new nestbox, please mozy on over to Life on a Southern Farm to get yourself one, or two, or four or more. And check out their wonderful blog, too.    

From the Tower of,