Happily our new farm came with 11 hens and a chicken house.  | | Never did we guess what would follow... |  | | Bekah, our half cocker, half lhaso apso dog, loves to play in the water and roll in the mud. She could really care less about chickens, though. |  | | As is true in life, is true in the chicken yard; You can't judge a book (or rooster) by it's cover. Despite his stern look, Mr.Mahogany, a Golden Crested Polish, or Top Hat, has been one of our most nurturing roosters. |  | Over the years, we've learned friendship comes in many forms, and trust is slowly and gradually earned and carefully maintained. |  | | Life is precious, regardless of its size, shape and age. |  | | and, if you look closely, you can always find something wonderful to crow about! |
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|  And His Name is Roger…
The Story of My Chicken Diaries Since childhood, I’ve enjoyed chickens. I would spend summer vacations on my aunt and uncle’s farm in Kansas, rocking chickens until they fell asleep in my lap.
In 2001, I decided to act on my long time dream of living on an acreage, to be in a more open space where I could stretch my wings, so to speak. We looked at dozens of places. One was a perfect match for our dreams, with an added bonus: chickens. With our new acreage we inherited our first 11 hens and farm fresh eggs. But, as you will learn, it has grown well beyond fresh eggs.
Spring 2002, we took our grandson, Alex, on a trip to Ideal hatchery to select a few baby chicks. We wanted to experience the excitement and magic of baby chicks and share it with him, too. To our surprise, we were not allowed to see any chicks: as we might bring germs into the hatchery. So we contemplated the dozens of breeds shown on the wall posters. Alex, 4, pointed at a Rose Combed Leghorn Rooster and said, “One of those Grandma, and his name is Roger!”
That was the beginning of My Chicken Diaries. Roger and his dozen siblings arrived a week later at 6:30 am by US Postal Service overnight delivery. As the adorable baby chicks grew and we learned about caring for them, I shared my experiences and stories with others. Soon we had more eggs than we could eat. We started sharing them. Gradually, the two started going together - chicken stories and chicken eggs.
2003 Christmas neared. We wanted something different to give for gifts. We had taken a few pictures of our interesting collection of chickens and animals. We made 2004 Chicken Calendars featuring some of them. The calendars and stories that went with the featured 'celebrities' were a hit.
“You should write a book, share your stories, share your experiences and photos,” we were told. It was then, that we realize this was more than a hobby. It was a passion, a new purpose for our changing world. Creativity lead to calendars, note cards, and a collection of chicken stories. And as they say, the rest is history...
Now, our My Chicken Diaries home has become an unofficial animal sanctuary. All 'family members' live their full, natural lives, how ever long that may be. We are now on our third or maybe fourth Roger. This one is lucky and survived to adulthood.
Through the years, many people have made My Chicken Diaries possible. We thank them very much. Blessings to all,
Suzanne and Ron  |  | Suzanne and Kiva, an Ameraucana rooster
spend a friendly moment chatting about chicken yard happenings. | Dr. Ron gives Hank, who has an injured foot, a shot of antibiotics. When it comes to medication, we treat just the affected chicken, not the whole flock. |  |  | Layla, an Egyptian Fayoumi hen, is perky & energetic!
We enjoy raising a variety of breeds! | Amber, our Greyhound made friends with
Mama hens and their chicks living near the house | 
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| I love starting my mornings in the chicken yard.
It is a very spiritual time being in nature and
checking in with all the animals. | The goslings, Razor, an African Gray, and
Lizzie, a Chinese White, are 3 weeks old.
Hard work also means an occasional nap
- this one lasted about 3 minutes. |
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| Something for Everyone | |
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| SAVE on Love Poultry Style
A dozen sweet Valentines for $10! | |
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Who are Rooster Ron
and Chickadoo Suz? Suzanne King, formerly an accountant and business skills trainer, discovered the fascinating world of chickens when her life took an unexpected turn. Wellness challenges prevented her from returning to the professional life she once knew and she finds spiritual grace and solace in the daily life of chickens. She finds chickens to have a much more complex and interesting social structure than she ever imagined. Chickens, as you'll read in My Chicken Diaries, are a lot like people: they have different personalities. Some are adventurers and explorers who fly together, traveling to the far corners of the farm. And there are others, the passive and shy, who huddle around the hen house and everything in between. Ron Doak, a man of many talents and interests, adds chicken husbandry to his long list of life accomplishments. A father, teacher, coach, inventor, business owner, author, sports official and 'Man-Friday', he has seemingly endless energy and boundless dreams. You have to put in a ninety hour week to keep up with Ron. When there's a fence to fix, feed to carry, penicillin shots to administer, or coop to be cleaned, Ron is always on the job. He loves finding newly hatched chicks and takes special care and attention to give every baby the best chance at surviving chickhood. Clearly chicken-hearted and fowl-minded, Suzanne and Ron are an uniquely eggcentric match hatched in chicken heaven. Sitting on the porch of their small southeastern Texas farm, they often start off Sunday mornings by enjoying their growing farm family and talking about their many feathered children. They find many lessons about life just by watching their chickens, goats, turkeys, guineas, ducks, dog and one very persnickity calico cat. And, they like it that way..
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