Cassie Bustamante

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The Chickens (and Maryland Poultry Swap)

June 27, 2016 by Cassie 30 Comments

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It’s Monday and I have SOOOOOOO much to tell you!!!!  Some weeks I feel like I have nothing to say, and then other weeks I have ALL THE THINGS to say.  This is one of the latter.  I’ve got the Dollhouse Therapy finale coming at you tomorrow, the final reveal of the new fans in the kids’ spaces coming Wednesday, and I even want to tell you about an opportunity that I did not get… I tried but I did not get it.  Sometimes we don’t win or achieve our goals and those experiences are just as important if not more so than the ones where we do get what we want.  I’ll be sharing that on Friday.  And to top it off, I just got home from a week away at the beach and want to fill you in on that, but it will have to wait.  I ended my vacation a little early so that I could make it home in time to attend the Maryland Poultry Swap with my family Saturday morning.  We were finally ready to turn our coop for 8 into a home, and a friend had told me this was the place to go find all varieties.  We took home 4, plus bought 2 more from a friend, and are now the proud owners of 6 chickens.  Today I am inviting you to come meet the chickens.

I thought I would start with Vader, who is quickly becoming our pet.  Sawyer selected this chicken at the swap because she was red (a Rhode Island Red) his favorite color.  And, of course, if you didn’t already guess, he chose her name.Vader - Rhode Island RedVader is a special chicken… she’s the smallest of the 6 and is the only one who can fit through the wire fencing on our split rail.  After owning her for all of two hours on Saturday, I was sure we had already lost her to a hawk.  I searched the entire yard and she was nowhere to be found.  We finally broke the news to Sawyer and it was received with tears and devastation.  I felt terrible.  Chris headed off to our friend’s to pick up the last two chickens, and when he returned he found her hanging out on the porch.  We were so happy to have found her again, and since then she’s redeemed herself by being quite the little lover, winning over all of our hearts.

Now let me show you my pick from the swap.  I really wanted a silkie, because they’re just so soft and pretty.  We found this girl with beautiful gray downy feathers, and I named her Aunt Bee.  A friend told me that silkies can’t see that well and aren’t the brightest.  That seems to be holding true.  Sunday morning I went for a run with friends at 6 am, and before I headed out I opened the coop.  When I returned, all but Aunt Bee were out of the coop.  I had to get her out myself!  So she may not be bright, but she sure is lovely.Silkie Chicken- Aunt BeeThese are the last two we bought at the swap: Donut (the olive egger, or gray one) and Sunny, the white Americauna. Donut seems to be a bit bossy and when Vader tries to escape, Donut (along with one other I will introduce next) is right on her, pecking her back in.  Sunny seems to be smart and cautious and has a pretty calm temperament. White Americauna Chicken- Sunny; Gray Olive Egger- DonutThe next two we purchased from our friends at Harmony Hill Farm.  One of my very best friends owns this farm.  Our two largest girls came from them, as they’re about two weeks older than the others.  The one below is the largest, a Buff Orphington… Sawyer named her Clucky.  She’s large and in charge, and also stops Vader from escaping and tends to antagonize poor Vader a bit. Fortunately for Vader, Emmy is out there often giving her love.Clucky- Buff Orphington ChickenOur last chicken is one that had a name pre-selected by me… I had to have one named Nugget, so this lucky girl gets that title.She’s a cross between a Rhode Island Red and a Leghorn. Nugget tends to just keep to herself and stay out of trouble.  I’m waiting for her personality to emerge.  IMG_0059She doesn’t mind being held.IMG_0049 (1)And she’s happily free ranging while some of the others stay closer to the coop for now.IMG_0014Sunny and Aunt Bee tend to stay near or under the coop.IMG_0096Speaking of the coop, I’ll have a real post coming as soon as we finish all of the details (give me a few weeks!), but here’s a little peek, with Sunny grazing nearby.Blue & Brown Chicken CoopWe’ve got about 8 more weeks to go before we can expect any eggs, but I am excited to begin raising chickens.  It’s going to be a great experience for all of us!

The swap itself was an awesome event and something unique for our family to attend.  I’d recommend going even if you aren’t in the market for poultry or farm animals of any type, simply because it’s a great learning experience.  There are also a lot of artisan vendors, local veggies and honey, as well as plants.  I snapped some photos so I could share this unique adventure with you.

There was so much more to buy and see, aside from several breeds of chickens.  There were beautiful peacocks, ready for their new homes.  Look at those gorgeous colors catching the sunlight.peacock at poultry swapThis goose was not happy to be penned and was letting all passer-bys know his feelings.goose at poultry swapHe wasn’t the only goose around, just the noisiest.Geese at Poultry SwapAside from geese, peacocks, hens, roosters, chicks, and ducks, there were several mammals as well including bunnies, goats, pigs, and even some adorable beagle pups that reminded us all of Charlie.

Emmy enjoyed petting this sweet baby goat named Patches.goat at poultry swapAnd I don’t know what it is about pigs, but I sure find them adorable.pig at poultry swap

Once we selected our chickens (you have to do that first thing or you risk losing the chance as they go fast) and made a lap to visit all of the animals, we made a final lap to see all of the local flowers, produce, and handmade products.flowers at swapI purchased some of these… YUM! I haven’t yet had the chance to go blueberry picking, but plan to go this week.blueberries at swapThis gentleman was working with metal and leather and created some awesome sculptures as well as jewelry.leather and metal artisan at poultry swapOne vendor had all sorts of feather art like this wreath.  I am not much of a wreath girl, but I loved this one.IMG_0053He also had several pairs of feather earrings for just $5 a pair… I took a pair of black an white spotted ones home.IMG_0058Rocky Bottom Farm, the farm that had the baby goat with them had goat’s milk bath & body products like lotions and soaps.  Emmy and I selected one of each. IMG_0028The hand spun pottery was beautiful and the colors caught my eye.  I’ve always wished I had this skill.IMG_0008Once we finished making the last lap, Sawyer was ready to go. Unbeknownst to us, he walked over to where we purchased his chicken, picked her up, and surprised us all by showing up ready to go with Vader in his hands.  These two…IMG_0060So far, my experience with chickens has been nothing but enjoyable. I’ve loved seeing my kids excited about them, involved in the handling and selecting, and I look forward to more good times as well as fried eggs, frittatas, and omelettes! 🙂  I’ll be sure to share the shenanigans as we travel along this chicken raising adventure.

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Filed Under: Chickens, making our home, My House, Summer

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Comments

  1. [email protected] says

    June 27, 2016 at 8:24 am

    Oh my, you have almost convinced me to get some chickens! I have never seen one like Aunt Bee and I want one just like her! Hope you guys love the process! ps. I can’t believe you didn’t scoop that feather wreath up! It’s so fab!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      June 28, 2016 at 9:15 am

      YES! do it! it’s going to be so awesome!!!!!

      Reply
  2. Shelley | Crazy Wonderful says

    June 27, 2016 at 8:53 am

    They are so cute!!! My Father-in-Law recently put up a coop with chickens and I can’t wait to get back out to his farm so the kids can experience them.

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      June 28, 2016 at 9:14 am

      they are so much fun!

      Reply
  3. Arielle | Scotch and Nonsense says

    June 27, 2016 at 9:05 am

    I’m so excited for you! We’ve been thinking about getting chickens, but I’m nervous about it with our two dogs, neighborhood cats, and being in a city. Can’t wait to read along with your chicken adventures!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      June 28, 2016 at 9:13 am

      it’s so far so good! i think you need some city chickens.

      Reply
  4. Bliss says

    June 27, 2016 at 9:34 am

    I’m wondering if we have a poultry swap around here, our crapping quacker Clementine needs a friend. Our first chicken was named Nugget. That name was given by our oldest who had designs on raising chickens to ….. *gulp*…. eat. Little Nugget turned out to be a Rooster and son #3 was devastated when a renegade raccoon nabbed him early one evening. A hard lesson for kids who have other pets who seem to live forever.

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      June 28, 2016 at 9:13 am

      oh no!!!!! yes it is! we are hopeful ours will be survivors!

      Reply
  5. Emy says

    June 27, 2016 at 9:48 am

    They are so beautiful! How did you leave that gorgeous goat behind? 😉

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      June 28, 2016 at 9:11 am

      haha! trust me i was begging my hubby for bunnies, goats…. i was wishing i had a pond for ducks…

      Reply
  6. Jamie says

    June 27, 2016 at 10:36 am

    Keep an eye on Vader as your ladies establish their pecking order to make sure she doesn’t get injured. They will often pick on and peck the smallest, weakest or bottom of the order sometimes to death (literally – sorry). Enjoy your girls!
    I’m not sure I would have been able to pass on those beautiful peacocks!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      June 28, 2016 at 9:08 am

      yes, we have been- i totally understand. it seems they have stopped picking on her… i think they know we will protect her as we have been loving on her. 🙂 she just loves people!

      Reply
  7. Wendy says

    June 27, 2016 at 8:58 pm

    We just got chickens too! We have seven… Some the same kind you have, and my daughter pre selected the name nugget too…

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      June 28, 2016 at 9:06 am

      i think that is a popular name! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Kirby says

    June 28, 2016 at 6:51 am

    I saw your posts the day I saw Shelley’s…couldn’t believe you were both in the same place! I would love chickens, but we have owls.

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      June 28, 2016 at 9:06 am

      owls are cool, too. wizards have owls. i am no wizard with my chickens.

      Reply
  9. [email protected] says

    June 28, 2016 at 5:49 pm

    Awesome! I miss our chickens! And I’ve never been a poultry swap; we always ordered ours through the mail. Now I want to go to one, but I’m not sure I could come home without chickens 😉

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      July 2, 2016 at 7:48 am

      looks like we have to start all over. what a week. 🙁

      Reply
  10. Lisa | Shine Your Light says

    June 29, 2016 at 9:51 am

    Cassie how fun for your family!!! One of my fondest childhood memories is collecting eggs in the morning on my family’s farms in Ireland. The chickens are so cute too. Enjoy this new adventure!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      July 2, 2016 at 7:45 am

      we have to start over… something was able to creep under the eaves of the roof and we had two terrible mornings this week of waking to dead chickens and now we have none left. i am so heartbroken! we need to secure the ventilation gap better.

      Reply
  11. Jessica | Petal + Ply says

    June 29, 2016 at 11:44 am

    looks like so much fun! can’t wait to see the eggs they lay. 🙂

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      July 2, 2016 at 7:44 am

      we have had a tragic week and we have none left. 🙁 there is a small gap for ventilation under the eaves of the roof and it seems something is getting in there.

      Reply
  12. Haley says

    July 7, 2016 at 11:23 am

    This is so fun! We’ve talked about getting chickens when we get a house, but we don’t even know where to start. Can’t wait to hear more about this experience. I’ve also never heard of a poultry swap… so interesting.

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      July 7, 2016 at 12:51 pm

      oh haley we have had quite a week. 🙁 a raccoon got in and ate one and killed 2 one night… we thought it came in through the nesting boxes so we latched it securely with a lock and everything. the next night it was fine. then we woke saturday to the last of them dead… again ate one and killed two. we figured out that it came in through the ventilation gap of the roof so at least now we know. we are going to be covering with steel mesh and starting over.

      Reply
      • Haley says

        July 7, 2016 at 1:08 pm

        omg, that is so sad. I’m so sorry!

        Reply
  13. [email protected] says

    July 21, 2016 at 2:56 pm

    OMG I love all these chickens so much. I think Aunt Bee is my favorite, because you can’t help but love the ones who have to be helped out of the coop. 😉

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      July 22, 2016 at 10:22 am

      well, then you may want to read today’s post. these chickens are no more.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Welcome to My New Blog! - Cassie Bustamante says:
    September 2, 2016 at 5:00 am

    […] headed into a three day weekend…. So much to celebrate!  Our family is headed back to the poultry swap, and I have grand plans to replace my silkie.  I sure do miss my beautiful Aunt Bee; and we all […]

    Reply
  2. We Doubled Our Brood - Cassie Bustamante says:
    September 6, 2016 at 5:00 am

    […] Leia, Ray, and Chewy.  We bought five hens, all the same type, from a friend of a friend after our original flock were killed by raccoons. We had no idea what type these were but were just happy to have some […]

    Reply
  3. Around the House Lately (and Yard Sale time!) - Cassie Bustamante says:
    May 22, 2017 at 3:26 pm

    […] a week and a half we’ll be heading back to the poultry swap to vamp up our crew… We started with 10 last Summer and are down to 6 after losing one to a […]

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Cassie!

I believe that you don't have to spend a lot of money to live a beautiful life and be your best self.  Here you will find budget friendly ideas to live happily, healthily, sustainably, and most importantly authentically.  We all get one chance at this life, and this ordinary girl plans to make hers extraordinary. How about you? Read more...
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Hi! I'm Cassie.

Mother, wife, shop owner, blogger, writer, incurable diy-er, furniture painter, coffee and wine drinker, friend. Seeking happiness and passing it on. Read More…

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