Hedin Hens

01/24/2026

Princess Cookie desires a taste from her Broody throne.

01/09/2026

The more you know!

🐓 Ever wondered how chickens actually reproduce?

Here’s a quick and simple breakdown!
Unlike mammals, roosters and hens don’t mate the way you might think. Both have a special opening called a cloaca.

👉 During mating, the rooster briefly mounts the hen and their cloacas touch in what’s called the “cloacal kiss.”
👉 This quick contact transfers s***m, which the hen can store for days.
👉 That means one mating can fertilize several eggs over time!

Fun fact: 🥚 Hens lay eggs even without a rooster—but only eggs from a mated hen can become chicks.

Nature is efficient… and pretty fascinating! 🌱🐣

12/09/2025

It is with both relief and sadness to share how my little Nakey has reached The End. He's been in the house for months, having no feathers on the back of his head or back. I frequently found him flipped on his back. Most recently, he'd lost his ability to walk for some reason which resulted in a broken wing. He never lost his appetite and I did my best to make sure he had food and water close by. He even got a bath yesterday.

He was a feisty little guy and I will certainly miss him. 😢😢😢

12/04/2025

What a whopper of an egg! I have one duck who has decided it is time to lay eggs. 🙄. I'm still using the eggs laid from April! So, if you're looking to try duck eggs, give me a shout!

09/01/2025

Cookie emerged from her broodiness last night, paced around until I got her ramp (wedge pillow) set back up so she could return to her roosting spot on the back of the couch.

Tonight, she eyeballs my dinner like she gets to help herself.

She waists no time.

08/24/2025

As my quail get older, there are bound to be more issues and a lack of decision over what to do. I call the white one Spot and she has some fire energy. But, she's got a bum leg.

The brown one I brought in today and I call her Lumpy. She's got a serious growth in her abdomen which I figure to be either a tumor or salpingitis. She still shows a fair amount of energy, but I caught her on her back unable to flip over.

Without question, I want to give these animals their best life. I just don't always know what that is...

06/29/2025

I think I'd learned that a coturnix quail has a life span of about 3 years. This lady reached her finale today, at just over 3 years. I'd unofficially called her Sandy, and thus it will be how she will be remembered. Thanks for sharing a journey with me.

I don't know if the heat played a part in things, but keeping the birds cool is always a challenge.

06/24/2025

Unaware of just how flippin' hot it is outside. *Gimme my pool!*

06/24/2025

Broody house chickens deserve personal fans, even if they aren't sitting on anything.

05/28/2025

In winter, my birds get treated with scratch grains, which the ducks only think they want (but then barely touch when they get some). When it's warm, the birds get dried black fly larvae. Now these guys are just as excited as the chickens when they see me walk by!

05/10/2025

This is why I sit in this corner.

05/05/2025

Today, Dahlia got a visit to the vet as Michelle Hedin noticed she had a squishy bump at her rear. Most likely, this lady has an early stage hernia! She also has a slight heart murmur! She's been a part of our flock since early 2020, and I'm not 100% sure how old she was when Lyle Rudloff transferred her to our care. Regardless, she's considered geriatric!

The fact that she's still giving me eggs makes me very grateful. I currently have no plans to put her thru surgery or anything, and she's still living strong. But why not give her some love anyway?. ☺️