Rawrla

Making brunch quiche! Since it's Easter, I thought I'd use all my colorful eggs in a dish. Thank you Cheery, Lucy, Penny, Marsha, and Dot!

#AllMyRaptors #eggs #chickens #backyardchickens

My Easter basket from today. A full half dozen! The Raptors are workin' hard in all this lovely sunshine.

#AllMyRaptors #chickens #backyardchickens

Lap contents on this sunny Spring afternoon. No one was particularly cuddly, so these are just brief snapshots. 🥰

#AllMyRaptors #chickens #backyardchickens

Here's what a soon-to-be Gray Wolf looks like when flat! This will be a "spectacle" pattern - I like to start with big chunks of color rather than paint large patches. It means a more durable finished product that won't lose as much color through the rigors of LARPing!

#wolf #larp #mask

Bliss:

Standing and reveling in the late afternoon Spring sunshine, cuddling a chicken in my arms until they fall asleep. Dany, Marsha, and Lucy all got turns. ❤️

#AllMyRaptors #chickens #backyardchickens

Sleepy Marsha baby. She would have stayed there all afternoon.

#AllMyRaptors #chickens #backyardchickens

A sunny, early spring day means I get to try out my new lounge chair in the yard with the girls. Lap time!

#AllMyRaptors #chickens #backyardchickens

I... did not pack a "hands busy" bag 😭

I am bored in a hotel room far from home with NO HANDICRAFTS

Because sometimes you just need chicken hugs. They all hang around waiting for their turn (and treats 😂).

#AllMyRaptors #chickens #backyardchickens

There were only charts for breeds and their attributes, and a few for considering dimensions of enclosures. What was very nice in this edition that was useful to refer to was it has actual build plans for some things. Audiobooks are great for driving, yes! Not sure much reference will be audiobook.

Here's the one I started with :) Unfortunately I don't know if it's an audio book or not, but this is in a friendly layout and format and isn't too difficult to get through. There are also lots of good guides on mypetchicken.com!

I do love having an Easter basket every day when my Ladies are laying. 🥰

#AlllMyRaptors #chickens #backyardchickens #eggs

I feel... watched. 👀

#AllMyRaptors #chickens #backyardchickens

When you raise your baby chicks by hand and interact with them regularly, you can get this kind of social, curious pet that follows you everywhere. Meet my Chicken Noodles! Marsha, Dany, Ruth, Cheery, Lucy, Penny, and Dot. 🥰

#AllMyRaptors #chickens #backyardchickens

BEHOLD! Marsha, the Golden Nugget, in the sunshine. ✨️

Dot: "HEY, I MADE THAT!

#AllMyRaptors #chickens #backyardchickens

It's a beautiful, sunny day to let the ladies out into the yard!

#AllMyRaptors #chickens #backyardchickens

I think one of the best messages/viewpoints I took away from this was not to hate on the people whose conservative viewpoints SOMEONE ELSE weaponized for their agendas. It's a good step back to pause and consider before immediately launching into counter-weaponization/hate.

YouTube video by Cliff Cash Comedy Out-Dumbing Ignorant Bigots, and My Sister's Coming Out Story

This showed up randomly in my suggested YT videos, and I'm glad I clicked on it. A giggle, a cry, and a grin.

youtu.be/cygv52I0XIM?...

The stages of Cat Grout.

#cats #tabby #orangecats

Here. Have a Lorcan blep. 🧡

#cats #tabby #orangecats

Also, I *was* going to go out and see the girls, but I'm not about to interrupt FIVE of them dust bathing! 😆

#AllMyRaptors #chickens #backyardchickens

I love that he lets us wrap him up. 😍

#cats #orangecats

Penny and Cheery helped with brunch today. And hey, this time there's photographic evidence! Check the *gold* color on that yoke!

#brunch #chickens #backyardchickens #eggs

11) ALL THINGS CONSIDERED I LOVE CHICKENS
I never thought I'd become a Silly Chicken Lady, but here I am, and I absolutely adore my Chicken Noodles (and their eggs). I hope you will, too, after considering all these factors and becoming an ethical poultry keeper!
12/12

10) NO EGGS IN WINTER
Chickens egg laying process is triggered by LIGHT. Less light in winter means NO EGGS unless you put a light in the coop. But that means no break for your birds, which can shorten their lifespan as well as the number of years they lay.
11/12

9) YOU WILL NOT GET EGGS EVERY DAY FROM EACH BIRD
Some breeds are raised specifically to lay more eggs more often, but not all. Even a very good egg layer will not give you an egg a day every single day - they need time to recover, too!
10/12

8) YOU WILL NOT GET EGGS FOR SEVERAL MONTHS
Hens mature at different rates depending on their breed. Most need several months to begin laying. Chickens in Spring means you might start getting eggs in Summer; he later you get chicks, the later you will get eggs.
9/12

7) CONSIDER END-OF-LIFE
If you don't want to keep your birds when they age out of their laying prime, what then? Are you OK with culling (killing) unproductive animals? Are you willing to feed and house "retired" non-egg layers? DO NOT ABANDON YOUR BIRDS. Don't be that animal abusing asshole.
8/12

6) YOU ARE MAKING A LONG-TERM COMMITMENT

Little chicks you can brood in your bathtub become CHICKENS. Chickens typically live 5 to 10 YEARS, though they lay most prolifically in their first 3. Even if you keep them strictly as livestock, you might be signing up for a decade of animal care.
7/12