I HEAR IT!

Sometime soon, hopefully by next spring, I intend to build myself a nice and spacey chicken coop and order me some nice dual purpose chicks from a hatchery.

Dual purpose fowl are those that are ideal for egg-laying and roasting. For example, like the Rhode Island Red breed. Those are nice chickens to have in the yard. Aside of being prolific brown-egg layers, they also make a nice roasted chicken for the dinner table.

I will probably order three different breeds of this type of chickens to have around. They will be sent as day old chicks and come real healthy and lively. They are just so full of energy.

There are some nice hatcheries out there, but I like to order my baby chicks from Murray McMurray Hatchery. You will always have a good experience with them. They offer a complete catalog of all the breeds and supplies they carry. You can also visit them on their website online.

Before you order yours, make sure that you make all the pre-preparations first, like having a brooder, feeding and water supplies. And of course, a nice safe place where they will be kept until they are moved to their permanent chicken housing or chicken coop.

Baby chicks grow really fast. In about their third week or so, they can actually be moved to their permanent housing providing that they will be safe from any varmints or birds of prey.

Aside from the Rhode Island Reds, I would like to get me some Delawares and Buff Orpingtons. Maybe even a few Partridge Rocks and White Rocks.

These chicken breeds are all layers of large-sized brown eggs. Like the ones Grandma would go fetch and then fry in those early mornings of yesteryears.

Murray McMurray Hatchery also guarantees that your baby chicks will arrive alive and in good health. I’ve had no problems with them in the past so there’s no reason to change now. Of course, there’s also other very dependable Chick Hatcheries out there that are just as good.

Raising your own backyard chickens will not only offer hours of viewing pleasure but will also provide some nice family dinners aside from the tasty fresh eggs.

You should consider ordering baby chicks sometime down the line, provided that you will have the proper space for them once they fully develop.

During the early Spring of this year, I set out a hummingbird feeder and placed it on a tree near my dining room window. And for the most part I’d kept it full since then.

But for the last month or so, I’d neglected to fill it up and from time-to-time, I’d see the hummingbirds come and check in on it only to find that it was empty.  They did that for a while and then, aside from one every so often, they practically stopped coming.

Well, now that winter is just around the corner, I’ve started maintaining it once again. I filled up my hummingbird feeder with an already prepared hummingbird feed solution and in no time it was rediscovered.

I love to see them come around. They are so beautiful. Hummingbirds can get a little territorial and possessive when it comes to that sweet hummingbird nectar. There’s usually one that rules the roost. He is always hanging around the hummingbird feeder. He is quick to chase the others away.

Sometimes I feel that those others gang up and find away to outsmart the dominant one. Many times one of them gets near it and the dominant hummingbird chases it away. But as soon as it chases the other away, it appears that one was waiting in hiding and immediately comes out of nowhere to get a portion of that much sought after sweet hummingbird nectar. There will only be a precious few seconds for it to take advantage of the situation before the king of the feeder makes it’s hasty return.

I can sit there for hours sipping on a cup of hot chocolate, just watching the hummingbirds feed. They are such a joy to watch.

I wanted to restart with their feeding again since winter is just around the corner. In this way they will get used to there being sweet hummingbird nectar in this location throughout the cold winter months.

Anyone can attract hummingbirds to their yards, even if you think there aren’t any in your area. All you need to do is place a hummingbird feeder in a desired location and fill it up with hummingbird nectar and within a day or two, they will find it. You won’t regret it.

Good luck.