theurbanchickens-blog

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Slow motion bees with some great flybys !!! ☀️🐝🐝✨#backyard #backyardfarm #backyardbeekeeping #beehivesociety #beehive #beehives #urbanfarm #bee #bees #honeybee #honeybees #buzzbuzz #beekeepinglife #savethebees #newbeekeeper #Seattle #SeattleBees #pnw #urbanbeekeeping #beesweet #theurbanchickens (at Kirkland, Washington)

[theurbanchickens-blog]

Mother Clucker (affectionately known as Bird-bird or MC--so our neighbors don't think we are swearing at our chickens), is currently on #bedrest in her chicken vacation B&B.🏝🏡🏖 Somehow she injured her leg and has been hopping to get around. I think that "somehow" is from her making a B-line to the duck's coop each morning to sneak the duck's food, or maybe she accidentally tripped on the way out when surprised by a duck! Unsure but we have her resting and today she sat and dug for bugs in the garden and had a great time enjoying the sun! #MotherClucker #MC #birdbird #Ameraucana #stealingfood #bedandbreakfast #b&b #backyard #backyardfarm #backyardchickens #seattlechickens #urbanfarm #urbanchickens #theurbanchickens

[theurbanchickens-blog]

Lots of bees and soon to be baby bees!💕🐝 still very new to beekeeping!!! #backyard #backyard-farm #backyardbeekeeping #beehivesociety #beehive #beehives #urbanfarm #bee #bees #honeybee #honeybees #buzzbuzz #beekeepinglife #savethebees #newbeekeeper #Seattle #SeattleBees #pnw #urbanbeekeeping #beesweet #theurbanchickens (at Kirkland, Washington)

[theurbanchickens-blog]

Just love this #ChineseWisteria and #Aurora, our #PekinDuck is in there too! She's so friendly, she had to come visit and see what I was doing. Last year this was just starting to bloom when #Prince died so it will always remind me of him and my youth💜☔️ #FunnyStory about this #wisteria that us #chickenpeople will appreciate :) I got it when we first bought our house. My neighbor, who is a professional gardener, told me to put chicken manure on the Wisteria to help it grow faster and have bigger blooms. At the time, thought, 😳Ew, gross!! Chicken manure?!!!? *You* put chicken manure on it! 😂😂😂 20 years later, this plant is huge and healthy and we share chicken manure with local neighbors and we compost everything we can. My Mom has always been a gardener and it definitely rubbed off but we had never used manure in the garden, only compost so this whole manure thing was a foreign concept. Just another healthy and enlightening benefit of raising #backyardchickens and #ducks! And opening the mind just a little bit more other possibilities :) 💕🐓🦆🌱💜 #backyard #urbanfarm #urbanchickens #seattlechickens #theurbanchickens

[theurbanchickens-blog]

We are officially #beekeepers !!!✨💕🐝💕✨ This is what 15,000 bees looks like! #backyard #backyardfarm #backyardbeekeeping #beehivesociety #beehive #beehives #urbanfarm #bee #bees #honeybee #honeybees #beekeepinglife #savethebees #newbeekeeper #Seattle #SeattleBees #pnw #urbanbeekeeping #theurbanchickens

[theurbanchickens-blog]

Marshmallow and I think Red & White are the new Black :) She's definitely getting her "R". Thanks for the kool hat!! @snapbacklabs #Marshmallow #WhiteLeghorn #naptime #R&R #R #Rainier #RainierBeer #backyard #backyardfarm #backyardchickens #seattlechickens #urbanfarm #urbanchickens #theurbanchickens @baxter_barn

[theurbanchickens-blog]

😍Loving😍 this farmhouse-style bar stool created by an artist in our local community. @cami_neidigh On Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/474634392/cock-a-doodle-doo In what ways have you incorporated your love of chickens into your own art? We would love to see!! Please tag us!!💕🐓🎨💕 #chickenart #rooster #farmhouse #barstool #backyardchickens #backyardfarm #seattlechickens #urbanfarm #urbanchickens #theurbanchickens

[theurbanchickens-blog]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H63Be45_3oY)

[theurbanchickens-blog]

Flashback to the girls hanging out on the fence with Apricot when the yard was in full bloom. Sure miss our girl! Happy Friday from our Fluffy Butts to yours! Hope your weekend is filled with some relax time :) #FlashbackFriday #Apricot #FluffyButtFriday #fluffybutts #fluffy #fbf #TGIF #Friday #weekend #backyard #backyardfarm #backyardchickens #seattlechickens #urbanfarm #urbanchickens #theurbanchickens

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Post 2 of 2: In her memory, reposting this video of Apricot doing what she absolutely LOVED! Honestly, chickens look like they're doing the "hokey pokey" more than the "chicken dance!" "Put your right foot in, put your right foot out..." 💃🏻🐓💃🏻😂 Apricot loved to help dig in the garden and she’d be right there anytime I had a shovel in my hands. If she wasn’t right there, I’d call her name and she'd come visit knowing I had a worm for her. She was always so independent and not so interested in the scratch when it was time to head back into the coop. I think maybe she knew or felt how long she had and lived every moment as she wished. Such a free spirit and on the outskirts scratching and pecking for bugs and worms—which were more interesting than scratch. She loved her scratch, but she much rathered to be out exploring and scratching! She loved with being outside and running free. Apricot lived her life with a great sense of adventure and focus on what she loved. An inspiration indeed. She was the protector of our flock and chased away the crows or other birds and was fearless, except for when something new was introduced into the yard, then she would make this funny face and lean her whole body backwards away from the new thing—it was hilarious to see and she always made us laugh! Her comb and wattles always flopped around and wiggled, too, in the most hilarious way—she way very expressive!She tolerated being pet by doing the limbo to slink away and onto what she wanted to do and was also super friendly and would eat out of our hands—or jump into our laps, too! She loved being held. Always on her terms. We miss you, and you sweetnees, Apricot! Your life was way too short and you went through a lot during that time. We are happy you always went after your joy and made the most of the time you had. We will think of you often, especially after the rain and when the sun comes out and creates a rainbow as it often does here. We know you'll be scratching up all the worms and doing your chicken scratch dance and always keeping a protective eye over your flock. Love you, Apricot!🌈💕🐓💕☀️

[theurbanchickens-blog]

Post 1 of 2: We have some sad news. We lost one of our original The Urban Chickens yesterday, we believe to reproductive issues. Our dear gold sex link, Apricot, passed away in the early morning. Sex link chickens are not considered a true breed, but a hybrid, and they are typically bred to lay huge, extra-large eggs and lots of them. This causes horrendous problems for the chicken and usually results in a very short life. We adopted her unknowing of the issues this hybrid has and while she brought us so much joy, it is hard to justify how uncomfortable she was at times due to what she was bred to be. She started having problems being egg bound last July at just over a year old and it had continued since. She lived to be exactly two years and one month old and laid 448 eggs, which is quite a lot since most chickens begin laying their first egg between 16-20 weeks. We tried reducing her light exposure as this is what influences egg production and that did seem to help slow her down a little bit and decrease egg size when she was really laying the whoppers, but it was not enough. Her egg size would often times be bigger than a Pekin duck egg—and that is HUGE. We always more feared she would have vent prolapse and be attacked by the other girls’ curiosity and always kept an eye out for her. And I always knew after I did the research that she would only live to be 2-3 years old, but it is really quite a shock that it was so much closer to 2 years old. I would seriously discourage having this chicken hybrid. Even though their temperment and demeanor is just awesome and she rocked her huge red comb with style, the hybrid traits are really hard on the chicken and will be future heartbreak. Two years is much too short of a life. It is truly heartbreaking. We are planting an apricot tree in her loving memory.☀️🌳🐓💕 #Apricot #GoldSexLink #hybrid #hybridchicken #InMemory #InLovingMemory #😢 #eggbound #fiesty #haironfire #backyard #backyardfarm #backyardchickens #seattlechickens #urbanfarm #urbanchickens #theurbanchickens

[theurbanchickens-blog]

Fun eggs this morning!💕🐓💐 Queue and Sweetie are decorating Easter eggs :) #blueeggs #browneggs #Ameraucana #CuckooMarans #Welsummer #decorateeggs #paintedeggs #Eastereggs #backyardfarm #backyardchickens #urbanfarm #urbanchickens #theurbanchickens

[theurbanchickens-blog]

The sun is making appearances more and more !! ☀️☀️☀️:) Happy Friday to you and fluffy butts everywhere!!! Have an awesome weekend!!💕🐓💕 #sunnydaysarehereagain #backyard #backyardfarm #backyardchickens #seattlechickens #urbanfarm #urbanchickens #theurbanchickens

[theurbanchickens-blog]

Apricot waiting patiently in her leprechaun trap✨☘️🌈 Today, may you find what you are looking for at the end of your rainbow!✨💕🌈Happy St. Paddy's day!!🍀 Enjoy all those fluffy butts! and warmest wishes for an amazing weekend!!!✨💕😘 #stpaddysday #march17 #🌈#leprechaun #backyard #backyardchickens #seattlechickens #FluffyButtFriday #fluffybutts #fluffy #weekend #Friday #urbanfarm #urbanchickens #theurbanchickens #Apricot #GoldSexLink #potofgold #leprechauntrap

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All the girls enjoying sun's warmth and getting their vitamin D on today! Vanilla, our blue Indian Runner duck is voicing her wake up call in the background :) Seattle has had less than 40 hours of sunshine since October 😳 We enjoyed the sunny day immensely and are looking forward to many more soon!! #sunbathing #sunbathingchickens #backyard #backyardchickens #seattlechickens #urbanfarm #urbanchickens #theurbanchickens

[theurbanchickens-blog]

Our #CuckooMarans, Charlie and Cosmo enjoying the forecasted "possibility" of sunshine today! So happy it was possible :) Are these two joined at the hip or what? #☀️ #sunnytoday #possibilityofsunshine #sunbathing #backyard #backyardchickens #seattlechickens #urbanfarm #urbanchickens #theurbanchickens

[theurbanchickens-blog]

🎉🎂The completed birthday cheesecake! Oh my goodness it was delicious!! Thanks again, Ducks! I only had a teeny tiny piece due to my dairy allergy but had to try it, and guess what? No reaction to the dairy! (Double thank goodness). I wonder if duck eggs have protective super powers?!!💫💥⚡️:) On a baking note, I used the same number of duck eggs as the recipe called for for chicken eggs. It made so much that we also had a mini cheesecake on the side! And both baked up with perfect texture, (actually, I think the duck eggs made an even better cheesecake than normal). My neighbor, who buys our duck eggs specifically to make cheesecake, told me later that he measures the volume of chicken eggs the recipe calls for and then does that same volume in duck eggs. So, sounds like both ways work--just need to decide if you would like one cheesecake or two :) #DuckEggs #PekinDuck #indianrunnerduck #backyardducks #seattleducks #backyard #backyardfarm #urbanfarm #theurbanchickens