SO much going on in the barnyard right now. I wish I had the time to photograph and write about all of it! Here's a sampling of the past couple of days... To begin, there was ice in the water bowls the chickens couldn't peck through at feeding time yesterday. For better or worse, I guess that means winter is sneaking up on us. On a happier note, we've got NEW EGGS! One of the three olive … [Read more...]
Chickens
When my kids were young, if you told me that after they went away to college I'd get some chickens to fill up my empty nest, I'd have said you were crazy. Yeah, look who's crazy now. That's me - crazy, with chickens.
Death. I’m Still Learning.
October 21, 2014 by
I'm just gonna launch into this one.... My oldest hens are three and a half years old. Those ten sweet little chicks who arrived in the mail in May of 2011 started me on this entire journey. Making the decision to get those original chickens changed my life. I am happier because of them. I smile more. I have become more curious. I seek answers to questions - albeit weird, specific … [Read more...]
Unwelcome Visitor
October 9, 2014 by
I heard a ruckus out in the barnyard recently. At exactly the same time Keela started barking like crazy in the house. We went out to see what the fuss was all about. The goats and Doink were munching on grass and acted like nothing was happening. But Middle Man, (one of the new babies who turned into a very vocal rooster) was running back and forth between the sheds like, well, a chicken … [Read more...]
Renegade Chickens
October 2, 2014 by
I always sigh when I see a photo somewhere on the Internet of a picture-perfect chicken coop inhabited by well-behaved chickens. Those chickens are usually right in front of the coop, pecking gently in the beautiful green grass. Then there's a photo of the inside of the coop - and it looks cleaner than the inside of my house. The color-coordinated flowers overflowing the window boxes on the … [Read more...]
Life Goes On. Feathers Are Flying.
September 19, 2014 by
And we soldier on. Since Pumpkin died on Monday, I have been discombobulated, to say the least. I am looking for the good in life and of course I find it because good is everywhere. But there is a little hole in my heart in the shape of a small white goat. The barnyard is definitely...different. Sambuca is especially confused. He wanders around, looking behind the lean-to, sticking his head … [Read more...]
Hello? Chicks? Where Are You?
September 1, 2014 by
Last weekend I spent time getting the new chicken shed (I call it the shed so as not to confuse it with the old coop) all ready for the new generation of chickens. I love the shed. It's just the right size and with five huge windows it's open and airy. However, the more I look at it, I think it's oddly out of proportion. It looks a little weird. Therefore, it fits right in. It's … [Read more...]
More Baby Chicks Grow Up
August 18, 2014 by
Well, hello! I've been away for a while. My beach vacation was fun - full of family and sun and fried food and beer and toes in the water and long walks. I am a simple girl. It made me happy and I came back refreshed. Oh, but I came home to another chicken motherhood transition in full drama mode. As you might recall, a couple of weeks ago Mama Rapunzel did the thing chicken mamas do and … [Read more...]
The End Of Motherhood
July 24, 2014 by
I knew this time would come soon. I've been taking photos every night. I've been looking for signs every day. Earlier this week, Mama Rapunzel laid an egg, a sure sign her motherhood was coming to an end. The next evening she went into the coop with the other hens, not the new chicken shed where she has been nesting with her four babies for the past six weeks. She hopped into one of … [Read more...]
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