Got rid of my first chicken :(

Warning* disturbing news* ......
My silkie I bought at auction turned out to be a rooster  I asked everyone I know with chickens if they wanted him, called local chicken farms, posted an ad in Craigslist and other chicken forums with no luck so .....
So I got rid of the rooster and by 'got rid of' I mean killed 😢
I had suggestions from non chicken folks to just dump him in a chicken yard. This was not an option because 1) I wouldn't want it done to me and 2) it's my problem not someone else who didn't ask for it. I asked for it by buying him at an auction. And letting it loose in the country as my mom suggested is just as cruel because it could be killed by something else and suffer ....I wanted to do it bloodlessly so I snapped it's neck and let's just say next time I'll probably go the axe method seems to be the quickest. 😢 there aren't words for how I feel. And I knew sharing here would help me get it out. Not to add that before she became a he, it was a very popular bird with friends & family. And my second favorite. But I did pet him beforehand and told him why and said a prayer.

This has not been a good week :(

Kacy Catanzaro at the 2014 Dallas Finals | American Ninja Warrior

Buzzfeed Before and after dog rescues

25 Awesome before and after Rescue photos
Click above link.

Iron Will's Whistle

Best surprises in life in one video :)

A Puppy AND a Ring?!?

Chicken and dumplings

Bonding with Mary Kate

So yesterday I came home to find Mary Kate (one of buff Orpington hens) in the lay box. First thought was sweet she's laying in egg for me. An hour and a half later went outside to check on my egg to still find her in the box. I was thinking wow she sure is working hard for that egg hope she's not egg binded. Then after nightfall when she was still in the box and don't roost for the night like she always does I knew she was Broody and then I thought...shit! 

Why this thought? Because I don't have a rooster since I don't have a setup for chicks and just have hens for eggs for myself. For non chicken folks broody means she is nesting on the eggs for them to hatch. And once hens go broody they stay that why until they hatch their eggs and will work themselves to death if the egg(s) don't hatch. 

So to snap her out of it someone online suggested I cool her belly. Since I like immediate action I decided at 9pm I'd go grab her and try putting a bag of frozen peas under her belly. After a couple minutes of standing outside holding her I decided I was bored so I did something I thought I would never do...brought her inside the house and sat on my couch with her & we watched tv. (while holding the peas to her belly) Mary Kate just sat there and watched tv and enjoying the strange looks the dogs were giving both of her and me. After about 20 minutes I removed the peas and I took her back outside. Sat her on the roost & to bed she went. 

I was happy this morning when she woke up that she didn't immediately return to the laying box to nest and joined the flock to free range. Came home from work to find her still free ranging with the flock :) 

Problem solved (for now until one goes broody again). So at least now I know what to do to snap my hens out of wanting to be momma's.  But now I have a new problem today...Mary Kate is hanging out by the back door waiting to come back into the house to hang out.