Wednesday, November 9, 2011

CHICKEN MUSINGS

~ Musings on chicken keeping~

1. If you are searching for some good old fashioned wholesome entertainment... where language or adult content is of no concern...pop a bag of popcorn...grab your favorite lawn chair...and watch the shenanigans unfold...believe me when I say there is a "Lucy and Ethel" in every flock.

2. Chickens love the gift of gab...no girlfriends around...pull up a chicken...she's happy to lend an ear...

3. Need a patch of lawn mowed or maybe a flower garden weeded...chickens delight in this activity...just remember to purchase replacement plants as chickens do get carried away...a bath is usually involved...and let me just say you have not lived until you watch a chicken bathe...dirt flies...chickens roll while purring with delight...yes, you read that correctly chickens do in deed purr...

4. Now there is chicken keeping and keeping chickens...there is a difference...my friend keeps chickens...she is a true farmer...her chickens remain nameless...they are given adequate feed and water and if one dies...oh well...her chickens remain quite healthy and are fine egg layers...
Mine on the other hand have been pampered...okay spoiled... fed organically...treats of blueberries and other delights keep my grocery bill on the high side...I admit one of the draws to keeping chickens is naming them...chickens are the ideal candidate for using "old" names...I just know there is an Auntie Em or maybe a Delores or a Blanche in my future...Yes, there is heartache...chickens do die...but the delights far out way the sadness... This day Charlotte is still with us but grieving, I fear for the worst...and my Josephine has gone broody...This is my first experience with a broody hen...I kept removing her from the nest box, however, her persistence won me over...four tiny eggs remain underneath her warm body...I do believe a little joy and excitement is needed in this hen house...and Josephine just may be the girl to do it...