second annual HEN HOUSE HOP ~ coming soon!

I'm so excited to invite you all to the second annual Hen House Hop starting Tuesday April 17th!

Here's where you chicken keepers get to share your stories, recipes, and wisdom about keeping backyard chickens.


This is a tell all Hen Party girls and there are a few
" Party Guidelines "  just to get your story tellin' juices going!


Show off lots and lots of pictures of your Hen House and ladies. Tell us all about your unique coops and runs, what breeds of chickens you keep and why. We'll get hungry on the hop so bring your favorite egg dishes along.  Oh, and don't forget to tell us who " rules the roost" in your backyard flock.


  Be sure to tell all your friends about the Hen House Hop! Grab the Hen House Button and put it on your sidebar to promote the hop! 
Last year we had 20 amazing entries!  Lets' see if we can beat that number this year. The more entries we have the more fun and inspiration there is to share!

 Mother hens, you've got two weeks to get your posts ready then come back here on April 17th to link up!

Mysterious Mini- Eggs

 In the seven years we have been keeping backyard chickens I've never seen an egg as small as the two pictured above. Not in our nesting boxes anyway. Our daughter did a Google search for tiny eggs and here is what we learned about these mysterious mini-eggs!
 One of your hens may be very young. For the first few weeks pullets are beginning to adjust their internal " egg factory". They can produce thumb sized eggs called peewee Eggs. They are perfectly good to eat, but usually have no yoke and sometimes these small " practice eggs " are  are empty. It's possible a bantam breed of pullet will also lay pee wee eggs.

Naturally we had to crack them open and see for ourselves. They were yoke-less but not empty. Each egg did have egg whites. One thing we are sure of is that it is most likely one chicken laying the peewee eggs. They are both the same color and Easter Egger's lay the same color egg all the time. Peewee eggs can also be used for pickling. Typically a peewee egg weighs around 42 grams. Peewee eggs are generally not sold in groceries or supermarkets but are often given to bakeries and other establishments involved in food processing.

 For more backyard chicken info go to here to read up on Chick Days at your local TSC ( Tractor Supply Company )

I'm linking this post to a darling blog I just discovered!  Little Farm in the Big City

Chicken Spa Day

Do you think I'm kidding? Chickens are just like us girls! They LOVE a good spa day after a long winter. They don't go for deluxe mud wraps, massages, or paraffin wax treatments. They know how to keep it simple. All they need for a proper spa day is warm, dry soil and a bit of sunshine!

 At first glance ( if you didn't know chickens) you might think this gal was in serious trouble if not dead! If I was a mean blog friend I would try and " fool "  ( being April fools day and all )  you with this image by making up a horrible story about how this sweet girl met her maker. But, I draw the line at jokes like that when it comes to my girls ( and yours ) !!! What you are looking at is one happy chicken deep in her first dust bath of the year! Chickens take dust baths in dry dirt to rid themselves of mites, parasites and to clean their plumage.

 Another thing we have in common with our chickens is that they like to go to the spa with a friend or two.

 Spa day is always more fun with friends! Don't you agree?

 If for some reason you don't have a place where your girls can have a regular dust bath, you can provide one for them. Simply fill a large rubber-made bin with fresh dirt and place it away from their food and water. Place your chicken/s in the bin and let them go to town fluffing, dusting and pecking away!


Happy Dusting!
Deborah Jean