Free Range or Pasture Raised and Which Rooster?

I love seeing the hens becoming real free range foragers…

They are just so happy digging down into all those leaves, and we have plenty for them to scrounge up whatever bugs they can find beneath them. We finally had a good rain, so maybe they will even find a few earthworms here and  there.

One interesting note… It is no longer good to call your hens free-range, the word now is pasture raised. You might enjoy reading this article, “Decoding the Terms: Cage Free,  Free Range and Pasture Raised Eggs” at Living Homegrown

I’m loving the bright  red crowns, now that the hens are laying…They just look stunning.

Attila the Hen

Mara

Hendrika

My next project is to sell 3 roosters of the 5 that I have. I’ve tried to give the roosters away several times to no avail, so my next option is to try and sell them.

This is one that is a keeper…

 From everything I’ve read he has the marks of a great Black Copper Marans…maybe I should name him Copper. Here’s a head shot…

This next one is an example of one that I am not going to keep…

I may be wrong, but  I think from what I’ve read, he shouldn’t have the copper feathers going down his chest and his comb seems a little small for a rooster. The other rooster that I think is a keeper is all black, which I think is very rare, especially with the feathers on the legs. Anyway, I hope I’m making the right choice.

I also took a picture of  the heater in the chicks’ coop. I got the idea from another blog and it works great…

That’s what is happening here now…Yesterday it was 70 degrees…tonight we are expecting snow. Tomorrow morning I will probably have to break up the ice on the waterers. I haven’t figured out what to do about that yet.

One more blurry picture that I think is cool …

I think I like these blurry pics, because this is what things look like to me without my glasses.  : )     No, not really…my eyes aren’t quite this bad. ; )

The Barred Rock is looking out over the creek that is about 6 feet down from where she is perched. She is definitely an adventuress.