Monday, June 6, 2011

THE "TO DO" LIST...

Summertime and the living is easy.... for Winslow Homer that is...our summertime to do list here at Dog Trot Farm is quite lengthy...there is a chimney to clean and wood to stack...carpets to steam...a pine floor to be laid... and a new kitchen window to install... there is trim to paint and a porch too...let alone vegetable and flower gardens to tend...sometimes the days just don't seem long enough... and now there are issues with my girls. Since the death of Pip the hierarchy in the coop has changed... changed for the worse that is...this lovely lady...


and her twin sister....who were once meek and mild...

have become down right evil...


the target of this behavior is Iris...my sweet... lovable buff...whether it be in the coop or in the yard it makes no difference Iris is their target. I removed Iris from the coop thinking she could possibly be ill...but after two weeks of living apart... there is no evidence of illness... she is accepted by the other hens...her appetite is fine as is her laying...so with reluctance...I have no choice but to give Fern and Phoebe away. It is either a new home or off with their heads and into the stew pot!
Below is my treasure... an old zinc tub. My husband was my walking campion on the day I happened to spy it...well off the trail and in the bushes..."I suppose you want me to go get it" "why yes" I said. DH pulled it out and I said "oh... look it has drainage holes...I already had a vision for it's purpose..."no...those are not drainage holes...those are bullet holes." Needless to say my husband carried the old zinc tub two miles back to the car... with no complaints... and by evening I had found the perfect location...... one person's trash is another person's treasure...



and to show my thanks...I made his favorite summertime cake...Martha Stewart's Strawberry Sugar Cake.

topped off with a "dopple" of whipped cream....thanks honey, you're the best...!

24 comments:

Leontien said...

Ohh that is soo sad! Chicks can be so mean!

But half way true your post i only saw pictures, no words... I didn't think that was normal...?

Thanks
Leontien

Rugs and Pugs said...

Is that some kind of old washtub? It looks so cool as a planter!
Those darned girls! That really is amazing that sister chickens would stick together like that.
Hugs :)
Lauren

Julia said...

I think that the two hens with attitude are choosing the pecking order as they say. I would have never have thought of nailing that old tub on a tree to use it as a plant holder.

That strawberry sugar cake looks very good, No wonder he carried that tub for you. The strawberries are huge. Are they from your garden? JB

Debi said...

Boy do you have a lot to do! It is endless these days. That was the neatest find you found on your walk and a neat idea you did with it. The pie looks delicious. The only thing I did with berries this season is eat them with cherrios. I like that cutie dog too. Debi

Lisa said...

Why not separate out one of the evil twin sisters out of the flock for awhile? The pecking order may change again for the better. Another option may be to bring in another bird. I had a bird who was picked on and when I brought in another/new bird, the pecking order changed and the one formerly picked on, got some relief.

I hope it works out for you and your girls!
Lisa

From Beyond My Kitchen Window said...

Drama in the hen house is never a good thing. I follow lots of chicken blogs and I seems like that happens a lot. The tub on the tree looks lovely. Good luck with all your projects.

acorn hollow said...

sounds busy, to bad you have to get rid to the evil girls. your cake looks yummy
Cathy

Cathy G. said...

Julie,
I certainly hear you on the "to do" list! It's been the same here!
I'm sorry to hear of the struggle in your hen house! My goodness I'm sure they would be better behaved if they knew a stew pot could have their name on it!
I absolutely LOVE what you did with the old tub! It's as charming as could be! And I hope hubby enjoyed that STrawberry Cake as it looks heavenly!!!
Be sure and take some iced tea breaks as you go about those summer tasks! It's been unseasonably hot here..... 90 degrees and humid. So iced tea breaks and AC have been keeping me goin'!
I so enjoyed taking a break and reading your lovely post!
Cathy G

Jacque. said...

ohhhhh, those hens are hen-picking, hey? Sad. Love the zinc tub...and the pie!

Pondside said...

What a sweetheart! That tub is the perfect planter. I hope he was suitably thrilled with the cake!

The Barn Door said...

Love the old tub!! And wow does that cake/pie look absolutely sinful!!

moosecraft said...

Wowie! Those flowers look great in the tub! That's some good team work right there! The strawberry cake looks divine... might have to try that one!

doglady said...

For some reason, Buff Orpingtons are often the target of other chickens pecking. You would think that once the order is established it would end but I had to rehome three red sex links who almost killed my sweet BO. They came back to me last fall and entered a much bigger flock and behaved themselves.
I would love Fern and Phoebe but I think you are way too far from me for it to make sense. I know in my flock of 23 they would behave and there are two Silver Laced Wyandottes too.

Ginny said...

Sorry to hear about the evil twins, sometimes you can never figure out what makes them turn bad, I have had it happen with ducks, both male & female. Love your new flower pot!! Pie looks wonderful.

Denise said...

Sorry to hear that you are having to give two hens away.....makes me nervous to get more hens when we finish the new yard and coop area. Nice treasure you found and I think your hubby made out pretty good in the deal!

Enjoy today!

Rowan said...

My life is one long 'to do list and I never have enough hours in the day. I'm busy cleaning out all the birdfeeders at the moment ready for autumn. It's a job I hate but come September I shall be really glad it's been done:)
That strawberry sugar cake looks heavenly, I'm going to google it!

Rowan said...

I am not finding the sugar cake on Google - I don't suppose you'd be willing to post the recipe (or e-mail it if copyright is involved) would you?

A New England Life said...

What a great idea! Why don't I ever think of things like that??

Send me a piece of that cake, will you? I have a whole bag of rhubarb my mom gave me last night so I need to go pick up some strawberries for pie.

Girls can be so mean, can't they?

Here comes the heat!

missthesea said...

That cake looks delicious! Maybe it's in my Martha baking book!

Larkrise garden girl said...

Chickens have pecking order.What I would do is if your were a bully chicken you went to the coop in the backyard. Good Chickens got the nice coop and bullys had time out.

Emily said...

So sorry to hear about your hens. We've going through this same thing. It's so hard to watch.

I love your "planter" and your cake looks delish!!

Flat Creek Farm said...

Your planter is perfect, and that strawberry cake appears to be pure perfection also (after all, it's Martha's!). Oh, how I feel your pain with the hens. I am so disappointed in my flock. Always the peacemaker, I have tried every which way to keep the peace. I still may remove the two roosters to their own man-cave. However, the hens seem to be more vicious to each other about pecking (and eating-ugh) feathers. And so it goes. My sweet chickens turned evil also :-/ I enjoyed catching up here, as always! And I see you found relief for your migraines also - wow, I think my issues are probably the same! Enjoy those walks - your neighborhood is lovely! -Tammy

Genny said...

What beautiful flower, especially the columbine. And I love how you used the old tub as a planter. That's so clever. The strawberry pies looks wonderful! Do you have a recipe?

Eve said...

Oh boy do I have some catching up to do!!! LOVE your treasure Julie!!!! Perfect!!! I'm going to do some "hiking" then when I'm settled will read your posts! Missed you much!!!