Last week, I wrote about applying Vaseline to the combs of Lucy, Ethel and Rapunzel to protect them from the bitter sub-zero temperatures we were having. I got enough responses that I thought I should share this experience with everyone. To recap: We had sub-zero night temperatures for a week, combined with mostly single digits during the day. (For those of you who live in Alaska, I say to … [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.
Sub-Zero Thoughts
December 5, 2013 by
There's some things I know for sure. I would not have been a good pioneer. It was -11 degrees when I got up today. I am a certified wuss when it comes to this kind of adversity. And by this kind of adversity, I mostly mean worrying about the animals. The animals who have heated water containers, heat sources in both the coop and the shed, and masses of fresh straw and clean blankets for … [Read more...]
A Barnyard Out of Balance
November 7, 2013 by
Is it the change of seasons? Or the ongoing molting of the hens? Or Brandy's diet crankiness? I haven't been able to put my finger on it exactly, but it feels like there's an imbalance in the barnyard now. Nothing dramatic or anything, just a slight dissonance in the overall tone of the place. Oh, and an almost total lack of eggs. Come on ladies - you can do better that that! The sleeping … [Read more...]
Congratulations, Ethel!
October 9, 2013 by
Yesterday just before I took off for work I looked out back and saw Ethel in the yard again. Deep sigh. They have such a nice barnyard. The grass is NOT greener on the other side, damn it! I usually always go out and put them back over the fence when I see them in the yard, but I was running late and skipped it. When I got back she had returned her bad self back over the fence. "Thank you, … [Read more...]
Chicken Zombie Apocolypse
September 29, 2013 by
Fall is here. Fall is NOT my favorite season. I think of myself as mostly an optimist. However, the fall season, with all the leaves dropping off trees (let's be honest, those leaves are dying) gets me down. Not to mention the whole fall temperature whiplash thing. I need a sweatshirt and jeans in the morning, by 2pm I've shucked all that for a t-shirt and shorts, and by evening feeding at … [Read more...]
Houston, We Have A Problem
September 22, 2013 by
My oh my. Things have gotten out of control in the barnyard. The teenagers, Lucy and Ethel, are rebelling. They're acting out. They're getting into trouble. They need to to know that their behavior is NOT OK. I'm thinking about grounding them. Literally. First it was Lucy roosting on the treehouse. And I thought, you know, that's ok. Marching to the beat of a different drummer and all. I … [Read more...]
Rain, Rain, Go Away
September 12, 2013 by
Oh, the rain. The drenching rain for the past three days. Last night it turned very serious - national news kind of serious. We've got major flooding. My thoughts go out to everyone in harm's way. Here at Happy Mama Acre, we now have lakefront property. Nothing horrible. Nothing life changing. Nonetheless, we've got a LOT of water flowing through the … [Read more...]
Sofia’s “Animalality”
August 28, 2013 by
I find the behavior of my animals endlessly interesting. I could, and sometimes do, watch them for hours. As I was sitting out back a few days ago, observing, I came up with the word "animalality". Like personality, only in animals instead of persons. Doesn't roll off the tongue, but I still like the concept. Each animal in my barnyard has a distinct animalality. And just like humans, some … [Read more...]
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