Chicken Wranger Sara Archives - Page 4 of 6

2 06, 2017

Multipurpose Net

By judythemorgan|2017-05-21T21:25:25-05:00June 2nd, 2017|Miller Farm Friday|1 Comment

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Retrieving eggs from the bantam coops has always presented a bit of a challenge. For a while, I had to scoop them forward and then grab them before they rolled back into the coop. Then in the new coops, I could move them forward with a stick and they stayed put until I picked them up.

However, one day I discovered the perfect egg grabbing tool at the 99 Cent Store. It was marketed as a butterfly net. In fact, the cashier asked if I was going to catch butterflies. Now mind you she was wearing bunny ears so I knew whatever I said would be accepted without judgment.

“Actually,” I said, “I am going to gather eggs from our chicken coops.”

She suggested I wear bunny ears while doing so. I assured her I already had some and would consider it.

This is the multi-purpose net

And a close up of the egg to be grabbed.

Since acquiring this magical net, we have discovered other uses. It is perfect for scooping up chickens that are between the chain link and privacy fences. The chickens are not thrilled with this process but they really don’t like being trapped either.

The net is also good for catching escapee chicks. We can get to them from a distance, contain them, and then put them back where they belong.

We have already had to replace one egg-getting, chicken-scooping, chick-catching net. I have an extra one as a BUN – Back-up-net.

Last time I was at the 99 Cent store there was a stunning lack of what they call butterfly nets. I guess we’ll have to be careful with ours until they can get more in stock.

12 05, 2017

New Business Venture

By judythemorgan|2017-05-10T21:21:00-05:00May 12th, 2017|Miller Farm Friday|2 Comments

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Recently our local feed store was running a sale – on chickens. Buff orpington hens to be exact. Beekeeper Brian and Rachel figured that if we raise them until they lay eggs then we could sell them at a nice profit.

So after just hatching 42 eggs, we bought 14 chicks. After all, who can resist a sale, right? We put them in the grow-out pen with the other chicks.

They are the four lighter colored ones.

I must confess they are kind of cute. Not that I am getting attached. They are a business venture.

They will be sold, they will be sold. I have to keep reminding myself.

One of them is different from the others. She managed to get herself into the live trap that Rachel had set for the baby possums that like to eat the chick feed at night.

At first, I took it as a sign that this chick wanted to stay with us. Then I remembered –

they will be sold.

31 03, 2017

Too Many Boys

By judythemorgan|2017-03-30T11:23:03-05:00March 31st, 2017|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A guest blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

We recently discovered that the number of males determines the maximum number of birds we can have at Miller Farm. We have experienced the crowing contests among the roosters but this situation was a little more serious.

Our two resident roosters, Buffy and Kaboodle, managed to work out their place in the chicken yard. Buffy is the largest and Kaboodle respects that.

Then along came Tom, the turkey. Tom and his mate, Tina, have provided much entertainment, and pain in our lives as humans – Chicken Wrangler Sara’s fractured ankle, nightly hide and seek for Tom, cleaning and bandaging Tina’s wound. However, we had to draw the line when Tom attacked Buffy. Apparently, Tom needed to prove that he is the strongest even though he is clearly the largest. The injured Buffy became an easy target for Kaboodle causing much ruckus in the chicken yard.

Buffy was moved to “intensive care” where he could recover in peace.

We then began the search for a new home for Tom and Tina. Clearly, Miller farm was not big enough for Buffy, Kaboodle, and Tom.

Fortunately, a fellow bird lover was willing to adopt Tom and Tina.

Now Buffy is back with the hens and Kaboodle is undergoing an attitude adjustment in isolation.

Things are much quieter on Miller farm – for the moment. There are 72 eggs in the incubator in Rachel’s closet…

24 03, 2017

Chicken Connection

By judythemorgan|2017-03-22T21:59:24-05:00March 24th, 2017|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

I spent the week of Spring Break in Nicaragua. I went to work with Word of Life, Nicaragua. We went into the mountains near Honduras and walked house to house telling people about Jesus. It was quite an experience.

I was nervous about leaving my family (and my chickens.) As is true of all worrying, this was wasted energy. Everywhere we went in Nicaragua there were chickens. In fact, I started taking more pictures of chickens than of people. I had to remind myself why I was there.

The chickens were a part of what I did, though. I was able to talk to the people about their chickens and show them pictures of mine. It gave me a connection the other team members didn’t have. I imagine long after I’m gone, they will remember the Chicken Wrangler who came to tell them about Jesus.

This handsome couple was in a pottery shop in Managua.

Here’s a mother and her chicks in La Camaira.More chickens in La Camaira including a Frizzle rooster.

3 03, 2017

Miller Farm Color Project Update

By judythemorgan|2017-03-02T21:13:43-06:00March 3rd, 2017|Miller Farm Friday|2 Comments

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Rachel’s Bantam Color Project is going quite splendidly. Her latest flock of bantam chicks is very interesting and most were sold almost immediately.

Richard and Isabella

She has a couple of partridge frizzles from Richard and Isabella.

Right now they are in the ugly stage but eventually, they will have feathers that stick out all over like their father.

We plan to keep these two. If she gets more, Rachel has several people who would buy them.

I was having a hard time remembering the names of the breeds and colors of bantams so Rachel labeled the runs for me.She even laminated the labels so they will hold up in the rain. We found out this week that the light from the neighbor’s house reflects off the label and looks like there is a fire. That was an interesting discovery.

It may seem like a lot of trouble for chickens but it is really fun to see the different chicks when they hatch.

Right now Rachel has duck eggs in the incubator. We cannot keep the ducks. She just wants to see what it is like to hatch them. We already have a new home for them. I just have to keep from getting too attached.

10 02, 2017

Lost and Found

By judythemorgan|2017-02-07T20:58:14-06:00February 10th, 2017|Miller Farm Friday|1 Comment

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

We interrupt our regularly scheduled chicken blog to report a totally random “feel good” story.

Sunday morning I was playing keys on the Praise Team at church. That’s the new way of saying I was playing the piano. It was going to be a challenge because I was also singing into a microphone which I do not usually do.

Then I had to transpose one of the songs. For non-music people, this means I was not playing what was written on the page. This meant I had to concentrate extra hard.

To complicate things even more, as I sat down at the keyboard, I looked down and discovered my engagement ring was missing the stone.

Not only had the center diamond disappeared, but the whole setting was gone.

It took all my self-control not to scream.

I took a deep breath and concentrated on playing the right notes and singing the right words.

As soon as we were done, I began retracing my steps all the way back to my truck. I talked to the worship leader who announced at the end of the service that there may be a diamond lying around somewhere and if anyone found it to please give it to me.

I called Beekeeper Brian, who was on his way to a conference in Dallas. He was not too disturbed and suggested perhaps it had gotten caught on something.

This made more sense to me than thinking I had hit my hand hard enough to knock the setting off and not realized it.

I looked in the truck. There was no diamond.

I remembered getting a business card out of my purse right before I went up on stage so I decided to look in my purse and sure enough, there was my diamond!

I was thrilled.

Fortunately, I have a plain gold band I can wear until we can get the ring fixed. I’m just glad we are not replacing a diamond.

20 01, 2017

Tom Turkey 1, Chicken Wrangler Sara 1

By judythemorgan|2017-01-13T10:33:49-06:00January 20th, 2017|Miller Farm Friday|1 Comment

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

My love/hate relationship with the turkeys continues.

For a while, Tom was roosting in the chicken coop. Every night for several nights, I moved him to the turkey yard to be with Tina. One night he was particularly aggravated by this and kicked and screamed like a toddler. I wrangled him into the turkey yard with Tina and went inside.

An hour later Rachel looked at me and said, “Mom did you know you have a huge hole in your shirt?”

I looked down and there were actually several holes in my favorite denim shirt.

Fortunately, Tom’s obviously sharp claws had not made contact with my skin. My broken ankle remains the only injury sustained thus far.

Fortunately for him, Tom has become quite handsome so I extend him a great deal of grace – as long as he causes no bodily harm.

12 02, 2016

Day? Month? Year?

By judythemorgan|2016-02-10T21:31:05-06:00February 12th, 2016|Miller Farm Friday|2 Comments

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

I started using a planner a couple of years ago. It is a weekly planner with room to make lists on every day.

I confess, I am one of those people who writes things I have already done on the list just so I can cross them off.

This year I chose one with a boring cover. I never see the cover anyway. I always keep it open to the current week.

At least I thought I did.

This year I was a little late getting the planner. I didn’t really need to keep lists during the holidays so I forgot all about having a planner – until school started. Then I needed to write things down.

So I opened the planner and started writing things down. All was fine until we started discussing which day of the week was actually Valentine’s Day. I looked at my planner and then realized I was not only in the wrong month but was actually in the wrong year.

My planner is a 16^th month planner. It starts in August 2015 a fact I totally missed until nearly the middle of February.

Oh, well, at least I was making lists and crossing things off. Of course I could do that on notebook paper and ditch planners altogether.

15 01, 2016

Chew Toys

By judythemorgan|2016-01-14T10:14:57-06:00January 15th, 2016|Miller Farm Friday|4 Comments

Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

It has been 8 years since we have had a puppy on Miller Farm and now we have two.

One major issue I had forgotten was the chewing. They chew on everything. Rachel has provided them with multiple acceptable chew toys, but Max and Penny seem to prefer non-chew toys. These include but are not limited to: