Monday- 4/13
On Saturday they were nice Cornish Rocks- yellow & fluffy & tiny. But they only had enough for me to get 6. So today the new Rhode Island Reds came in & I got 6 more. The first chicks attached the new little ones like a mob. The poor little reds are half their size, half their age (1 day old) & getting beaten up. So Mark & I built a wall/screen between them in the box. I'm hoping they'll be friends in a couple of days, or at least be able to defend themselves- I'm hoping no one was blinded in the skirmish-
Tuesday- 4/14
The funniest thing about the chicks is their 'fainting goat syndrome'. They'll be running around & then one will just drop, legs hanging out, gone. Luckily, it's easy to spot him breathing & recognize it as a 'chick nap'.
I just took out the temporary wall that was protecting the little reds from the surprisingly large Cornish. There had been some wall-crossings so they were able to get acquainted without the gang mentality of their first meeting (the reason we built a wall). So far every seems to be getting along...
Wednesday- 4/15
The chicks are doing well, living in the den until it gets warmer out. Mark is making a coop off the back of the tractor shed. I have no problem with eating the boys & keeping the girls. Let's hope it's about half & half-
There's a place down in Edmeston that will slaughter, but we're going to ask some Amish neighbors if they could do it. Sorry Kerry- but I'm sure I can't- Gavin & Tom brought the chicks home with me. Gavin asked if he could name them- sure honey- he named her/him Debbie. -Love- Laur
Wednesday- 4/22
The week went so well. Cleaning/replacing the food morning & night. Dumping/cleaning the water at the same time. Tried a couple of half-ass attempts at cleaning the bedding, then finally just moved them all into a smaller box & cleaned out the whole thing. Everyone was getting along fine. On Wednesdays I get my ‘Chicken Keeping Secrets’ email from my new friend, Duncan Carver, in New Zealand. The emails have covered food & water for the chicks, cleaning the box, everything I’ve needed so far. So today’s article on pecking to death maybe should have concerned me. I got home after work, cleaned up their food & water, scolded them for being such slobs & headed outside to do chores. When I came back in there’s a little fuss in the chicken box & one of the Cornish Rocks (one of the big yellows) has bloody tail feathers. The email had warned, once chickens draw blood, they’ll continue to peck the poor thing to death. So the wounded chick, we’ll call her Debbie, goes into the living room with Mark to watch the Bruins (maybe she was the lucky chicken that made them win?). I start scrambling for supplies to create a recovery room for Debbie that can still share the same heat lamp & waterer. Another box, chicken wire, one puncture wound, damn wire (lots of blood), & duck tape (God bless it), & Debbie was safe. Of course she really wants to be back with her ‘friends’ & they are desperate to get to her, but for now everything’s okay…….
Thursday- 4/23
Okay- so I suck-
apparently this morning as I was rushing around, showered & dressed in work clothes, changing the water for the chicks, heat light blinding me, chickens aren't very bright, & several other excuses, I pulled a Dorothy & put the waterer smack on top of (God forbid) Debbie.
When I got home, Page & the kids are here, I do a chick count & we're 1 short. Looking all over, asking the cats, but there are no feathers around...then I look again in the box & see a few feathers sticking out from under the waterer. Shit. So we had a burial, introducing the kids to farm life & death. Gavin wanted to write a sign, Debbie's Dead. But after some consideration, we decided it was Dante & Debbie is fine.
Small miracles. I'm drinking my dinner-
Friday- 4/24
I couldn't sleep last night- around 3:30am had another bleeder, built another apartment for him, maybe I could just build little boxes around all the chicks...
Give me a couple of weeks to polish these guys off & then I'll go back to looking for sheep-
Friday- evening
I love the little debbies! I was almost afraid to look tonight- but we still have 11. The two in solitary have no space- I'm hoping tomorrow we can get them outside. With any (lots of) luck, the buffet should be in a month & a half. I think all the big yellows are going. I've lost my bond (they're the ones pecking each other). The reds are still cute (although I have an inclining they are starting it all & then just looking all cute & innocent). I finally got my 'Raising Chickens' book yesterday. & a book called 'Nudge'. Check it out Kristin- you can read it first if you want- I'll be busy reading the chicken book-
Saturday- 4/25
What a day!! Hot like 'hole in the ozone' hot, but what a treat. Worked outside, got a sunburn, made a little area for the chicks & they had a day outside. I sat with them & read my raising chickens book. Very tired chicks tonight or maybe they've caught some disease- I'm not at that chapter yet. Apparently I should be turning off their light every night for a half hour so they aren't afraid of the dark (just got up & did it). They do sound concerned- great, could I have mentally damaged them too?????
Sunday- Mark
As an observer of chicken behavior I have noticed that they are an interesting if not completely stupid species. Laura goes out of town for three days so I will be in the pressure cooker to maintain survival of the flock. Yesterday we put them outdoors to enjoy the beautiful day. Laura spent a good amount of time bird sitting to assure they survive the day. Happily they all did so we are holding at 11, May Dante rest in peace. Today is another day in the life of the flock, I find it hard to believe people have 100 of these things under their care, the mortality rate must increase exponentially with that many stupid birds. The goat has shown herself to be much smarter than the two legged, beaked, birdbrains. I have seen firsthand how the terms pecking order and survival of the fittest came to our vernacular. Yes the chicken is entertaining in it's own right but I look forward to the day when I have one sitting at the dinner table to truly enjoy. Old MacDonald
Dad’s poem-
The lady thought she did need'em
But she wasn't so sure how to treat'em.
The chickens are nice,
But some friendly advice....
Just kill'em, pluck'em and eat'em!
Response-
Okay, but the trick is to get them to 4 pounds- apparently it's fairly easy to kill them before that-
Wednesday- 4/29/09
I'm back from a conference in Albany & all is well. The Costello dozen (11) are growing like weeds. They're in the new digs in the cistern, with a heater & heat lamp. As they are getting feathers, I hardly recognize them. They are a bit skittery- it's like they know me-
Thursday- 4/30/09
Today’s chicken newsletter is about diseases. You need to observe the chickens & isolate any that may look ‘off’. What the hell is ‘off’? I’m watching & they all look off to me….
Wednesday- 5/6/09
SOOooooo-
Mark wants more chicks. TSC has bunches (aka flocks?) but I would like to pick out some different breeds myself- so this morning I ordered 4 Black Star (F),
6 Araucanas (F), & 15 Cornish Rock (M for meat). Of the 6 reds we have, I don't know how many are boys or girls, so this will be interesting. The 11 we have (& Linda- they say to only expect a 75-80% survival, so I am still 1.4 chicks ahead-) will have to be outside by Monday, because that's when the new ones arrive- I guess 2 weeks without
casualties & we're feeling pretty cocky............
Thursday- 5/7/09
To be honest- I’ve been a wreck about the chickens every day since ‘the episode’. I’m afraid to see them in the morning until I ask Mark how they are. I’m scared to look when I get home at night. I count them, 2 or 3 times at a viewing to make sure everyone’s okay.
But then Mark kept saying we should get more & Kerry said we should pick our own breeds & the mail-order place kept running out of what I wanted. Then Mark announced to everyone that we’re getting more, so I went & found what I wanted & ordered them. 25 was the minimum order, but that’s going to be hard to count- yes I can count that high, but have you ever tried to count moving birds? I am worried, & seem to be intentionally adding stress. But what’s done is done- & this could be a good thing---- really, they say anyone can do this---- am I really just anyone?
Saturday- 5/9/09
While Mark is outside at night, in gale-force winds working on the chicken coop- I'm updating the journal--
Yesterday afternoon we (Page, Ann & I) were going to Brockport to see Max’s play. Just as I’m closing down at work to meet up with Page at my house, she calls & says those dreaded words- we have a bleeder. When I get home Page has boxed, we’ll call her Patty, into solitary confinement. Mark is there & takes everyone but Patty outside so she can have some space. The outdoor excursions also involve finding all the cats & putting them inside. Plus our little helpers, Gavin & Cameron. We rush off to meet Ann at the thruway exit, ½ hour later than I had hoped, leaving Mark with chicks & kids. When we get to Syracuse we hit torrential rain & I have Page calling Mark (6 times?) hoping he & the kids didn’t go somewhere leaving the chicks outside. No answer. I’m thinking if we had only put Patty out we’d only be sacrificing one instead of 10-
Turns out Mark is a better parent than me & when I got home at 12:30am all chicks were fine in the cistern & Patty was isolated in a much bigger box.
Oh right- the play was great- Max is a terrific performer- he played one of four men with mental disabilities living in an apartment together, while their social worker struggles with his own capabilities. Max’s character was touching.
At intermission Kristin noticed some shredded paper stuck to my shoe & tried to pull it off. But it was stuck on with chicken shit. Which would make excellent glue if anyone is looking for a marketing opportunity. Sorry Max- but this is the Chicken Chronicles---
Monday- 5/11/09
I couldn’t sleep last night- just a wreck about the mail-order chicks. Would they all be alive, how could you put day old chicks in the mail, what if no one is home & it’s still so cold outside? But this morning I get a call from the PO at 7:oo- they have a very noisy box for me & can I come get it asap? Everyone survived & we have 27 new worries (someone can’t count at the hatchery). While I picked up the chicks, Mark moved the big trunk on the front porch into the basement & make a lovely abode. Patty’s still in solitary- so I flipped a water filled drinking glass on a small pie-plate for her, sterilized the plastic waterer for the new batch (flock), moved the feeder- the big guys have a fancy new hanging feeder, & now we have 38 chickens living in our basement. I really need a third party to come into our house & tell me how it smells………..
Tuesday- 5/12/2009
Farm life is full of curveballs; we have a strawberry patch with 106 plants, given to me by someone I am working for. Last night we had a frost warning, after a call to the former "Strawberry Queen" about the frost effects on strawberries (I was told to set up a sprinkler system to water them all night to keep them from freezing) I also saw a news account of a local farmer that does the same thing. However since I don't have that capability and I don't have acres of strawberries I decided to cover them with plastic. Of course I didn't have enough plastic to do the job. My next idea was to cover the plants with the fresh pile of grass clippings from our lawn, unbelieveable how fast the grass has grown, anyway we did get a frost, I am about to go out and see if we are okay, I hope so because I missed the overtime goal by Washington Capitols to send their series with Pittsburgh to game seven...ps the taj ma chicken coup is complete except for a few minor items, if it ever gets warm we will get the elder chickens outdoors so they can romp outdoors. Chicken/Strawberry Man
Wednesday- 5/13/2009
Moved Patty out of solitaire. She was going insane (for a chicken)-
Thursday- 5/14/2009
The first batch of chickens has moved into their new digs (Taj Ma Chicken Coup) That should drop the chicken shit smell in the house by about 29%, however as the newest batch matures it will be 200% worse than before, thank God for incense. Pictures to follow (when Laura sends them, I am not capable of that technology)
Yours, The Chicken Man
The coop looks great- happy birds.
Saturday- 5/16/2009
I remember- We did kill the Rathbun Rd chickens. I don't remember the actual act- but there was a chicken claw that you could pull the tendons to make it move & dad put it in a nice box & as I recall, sent it to Aunt Janie-
Sorry Kristin-
Watching Freak die-
When you mail-order chickens, you can check a box for a free ‘exotic’- we’ll call her Freak. She’s a yellow chick with a big poof on the top of her head. She’s been a runt compared to her fast-growing Cornish mates & is usually found smothered under the gang. She’s been looking weak & tipsy for the past 2 days. The Chicken book says to ‘cull’ the weak, damaged birds. What the Hell is cull?! Today I moved her into a box, but she’s too weak & maybe broken. Now she’s on her side- looking dead but still breathing. I guess she’s almost culled.
Monday- 5/18/2009
I buried Freak on Sunday. It’s getting a little scary digging in the animal cemetery these days between dogs, cats, Zoey & chicks. The big guys out in the coop got an outside door this evening. They were very excited & helpful. I wonder why we got the new chicks- this first batch at 5 weeks seems to be ‘over the hump’ (except for Hawks & Raccoons & Cats & Diseases), while the little ones (1 week) are so vulnerable & so many & so in the house.
Shouldn’t there be a rule? Never let a lady get bored in the Spring.
May 21, 2009
One of the little Araucanas (they lay the bluish eggs) has a very crooked beak. The top & bottom don’t line up at all. She seems to be eating & drinking okay, but I called McMurray’s Hatchery. We are supposed to keep an eye on her & if she ‘culls’ we get a refund. (Although Kerry said cull is not a natural occurrence, but requires my involvement.)
The little ones moved into the cistern this morning. 26 is way more than 11, one might say over twice as much. They eat, drink & poop a lot! So they really needed a bigger space. Mark gave them the whole cistern – no boxing- yet-
And the big guys are loving their outside yard. They go tearing out when Mark opens the door in the morning. He sprinkles some feed & we’re real chicken farmers.
May 22, 2009
So when I get home after work, I first go to check on the big guys. They come running out to me like I’m their best friend- hi mom, how was you’re day? This may be harder than I thought. Then I check on the little ones. They aren’t so excited to see me- still very skittery. I bought them a new feeder today because they’re cleaning theirs out before we can refill it. I bought them the nice sterling silver model & they’re all scared of it. Except crooked beak. We’ll call her Gloria. She may be my favorite. Like Kristin’s favorite TV shows, the kiss of death-
Alaskan is fascinated by the chickens- but tonight we decided it may be he wants the grain we’re feeding them.
Sunday- May 24, 2009
Mark & Tom built an outside roost for the coop- nicely artistic & functional- pics included.
Monday- May 25, 2009
I am very worried about the little ones. The yellow Cornish are lethargic & showing red skin under their light coating of fluff & small feathers. I’m reading ‘Chick Problems’ & believe they have Pasting, Coccidiosis, Crooked Toes & Stress. Although I’m pretty sure we had them vaccinated for ‘cocci’ (as us chicken farmers like to call it). The diarrhea issue (pasting) is hard to describe & I haven’t quite come up with the wine intake ratio to be able to deal with it. Maybe tomorrow- wish us all luck-
Tuesday- May 26, 2009
I get home from work today to see this sympathy note in the kitchen-
“One of the meat birds croaked today.”
I cleaned some butts, don’t know if he was one of them.
Mark witnessed the passing & could give you a report if you’re interested, but it may be hard to appreciate without the sound effects. The good news is we have 24 clean butts & are still at 90% (although Gloria is not looking promising).
Ooopps- 25 clean butts. See, I've already mentally let another go-
Wednesday- May 27,2009
"In this issue of "Chicken Keeping Secrets" we're looking at a pretty
common chicken health problem of crooked beak. This has no cure so
we discuss options to deal with keeping a hen who has this aliment."
It’s like these guys are in my head!
"Anyway, crooked beak usually shows up between 2 and 10 weeks. It
cannot be detected at hatch.
Typically the lower beak stays straight and just the upper is
crooked. It can be as simple as a minor misalignment or as
drastic as a complete cross of the upper portion. It can progress
rapidly and be alarming. There is no cure."
So it goes on- "many people cull this bird immediately…chances of survival…If you
suspect that the chicken is not thriving, the kindest thing you
can do is to put her down…"
Pray for Gloria-
Thursday- May 28,2009
The little ones moved out today. They are still so small & vulnerable, I’m very worried. But 6 weeks (total) is way too long to have chickens in you’re house & Mark would like to invite some guests over this weekend. Even for the sensory impaired- the chickens were becoming evident. The chicks are 2 ½ weeks old & the Cornish-x are putting all their intake into body mass & not so much feathers. So their covering is spotty with a lot of pink skin. The Araucanas & Black Star look better, but they are still fairly small. Mark built a wall down the middle of the coop, so they have an enclosed area with wire mesh to become familiar with the big guys. When I got home I visited with everyone & cleaned a poopy butt. Not as bad as I thought- he may have enjoyed it. At this point it’s survival of the fittest & nice to have the house back-
Sunday - May 31, 2009
Mark discovered another dead chick last evening. Another one of the meat birds. I had checked on them several times during the day & everyone seemed fine. These Cornish may be eating themselves to death. Or as they’re binging, they may be ingesting non-food items. I don’t know & once again we are forgoing an autopsy.
So, for those of you playing the odds- we are starting with the 27 chicks (the first batch does not count) & now there are 24. That puts us at 89%. So were still ahead of the game. Hang in there Gloria- although I've already calculated her death bringing us to 85%. If you look at it this way the deaths don't hurt so much-
On a brighter note- one of the older Cornish chickens got in with the chicks last night (the big guys like to roost on the top of the divider in the coop) & no one was harmed. Just a big chicken sprawled out in the middle of the room with a bunch of stressed-out chicks huddled in the corner-
Monday – June 1, 2009
Two dozen chicks is really too many to get close with. For the first weeks they are just a mass of bodies that you hope will keep breathing. As they grow the first few stand out, due to deformities more than character. There’s Gloria of course, still okay, noisy, busy, berserk. Now we have Igor, a hunchbacked Cornish. The Cornish are absolute softballs- round, solid, the poster chick for ‘don’t get attached to your food’. There is nothing appealing in their sparsely feathered pink bodies & endless gluttony. But then there’s Igor, hunched & lopsided, paranoid & jerky. I’ve always had a soft spot for the asymmetrical…..
Saturday- June 6, 2009
Big day on the chicken farm. I took the chicks outside. The enclosure is off the side of the cottage. It’s 5 to 6 trips boxing the chicks & carrying them 20 yards to the pen. I decide to weed the secret garden so I can keep an eye on them.
You can waste half the day watching chickens. Or at least George & I can. & then there's chicken photography- harder than you might think.
It’s time to start naming the girls. The first is Rachel- because in every Barrett flock there seems to be one. She is beautiful, a little bossy & doesn’t take crap from anyone. Then there’s Lilly- the only white Araucana. Pretty & independent. That’s it for naming today. If you want to name someone in the pictures- let me know (keep in mind Cornish whites will all be eaten).
Then it’s the trip back to the coop- much harder to catch the birds outside & several have found out they can fly. Haven’t read the clipping wings chapter yet. So everyone is in & tired out.
Tonight Mark built 3 nesting boxes & put them in for the big reds. I should name them (the female red chickens) but we really can't tell who's who- maybe tomorrow-
Thursday- June 11, 2009
The ‘little’ Cornish have gotten huge & have out-grown their enclosure. So we took out the divider & put everyone together in with the big guys. What a bad idea. Poor Gloria was the first to run out into the pen, squawking like a bangee. The big guys attacked and she ran around like bait. We ended up leaving the coop open, but closing the door so the big guys stayed outside. Put the divider back in for bedtime.
Saturday- June 13, 2009
Field day for the little ones. Takes 20 minutes to carry everyone out to the cottage enclosure & 30 to catch them & bring them back to the coop. But they had a full ‘free range’ day. We all got some exercise.
We started turning off the light in the coop at night & everyone has survived the stress.
No crowing yet- also, no nesting & eggs-
Monday- June 15, 2009
I got home from work & the little chick’s water & food were empty. Mark said it had been emptied by the morning too. They are so packed in now, I’m looking for PETA to show up. The Cornish are huge, but still immature & terrified of the big chickens (rightfully so). But I pick them all up & put them in with the big guys anyway. Buck-up. Except for Igor & a runt & the Araucanas & Black Stars. We need some back-up if this goes all wrong & the girls are still small. The poor Cornish spent most the evening huddled in a corner under the roost while the big guys came in & out to eat & terrorize. At dark I put all the young Cornish back with the young ladies & closed in the big guys.
Tuesday- June 16, 2009
Mark finds a young Cornish in the pen that had spent the whole night outside alone.
My bad. So today- little ones in their side, young Cornish in the other side, Big guys out. I get home at 10pm & Mark had the older chickens out for the night. I made a waterer for them with a pie plate & water jug. I do believe it’s time to kill something-
Wednesday- June 17, 2009
Mark has the same situation today- but arriving home from work I put Igor & the runt back in with the little ones & open the door so the young Cornish & big guys can get re-acquainted. I actually should go check on them now. It’s a blustery evening & everyone should be able to be inside tonight. Okay- I’ve put them in- all in their proper place. Food, water full. Did I mention- 50 pounds of feed a week? Kerry was home last week, hoping for a killing. But the big guys are not putting on the weight, just looking like chickens, while the young Cornish weigh more but are only 5 weeks old.
I’ll start calling the slaughter houses tomorrow- I’m not even sure I like fresh eggs & chicken that’s not Perdue boneless, skinless chicken breasts…
Thursday- June 18, 2009
I don’t know why, but I spend a lot of time thinking how I can make the chicken’s life more interesting. So tonight I get home from work & decide to make a temporary enclosure in the grass for the big guys. They have eaten down any greenery in their outside pen (the kennel). I put in some posts & chicken wire outside their pen so I can just open the kennel door & give them a grassy area. Open the gate, chickens come out, all is good. Did I mention this is in the pasture? Stupid Goat comes running over & barrels through the chicken wire. She’s in the kennel, eating the chicken feed. I pull the fencing back up & go in to wrangle her. I can’t wrangle a goat, even though I give it a good effort, but the chickens are in danger of being trampled. So I run into the shed, grab some rope, collar the goat, drag her out trampling the fence again. Let her go so I can pull up the fence, then have to catch her again before she makes another lunge for the fence. She’s feisty now, but all this stress & she has to pee, so I catch her & drag her down to the barn. Unfortunately, the barn door is broken so there’s rigging up an enclosure to keep her in. Back to the chickens & I think they’re enjoying their little outing. Free Range! I have to watch them because the fencing took a beating & I worry that they could get out or the horses will take interest. But all is well & after they’ve had a couple hours I corral them in, take down the fence, & let Stupid Goat out. Oh yeah, & it’s been raining all evening- nothing heavy but enough that we’re all wet. I hope they appreciate these attempts to entertain them….
Hi, this is the chicken man, Laura is out making sure the chickens are happy and healthy so I figured I would say Hi. Well, now that I have said Hi I’ll say Bye, Bye! I have to say I am entertained even if the Chickens aren’t.
Friday- June 19, 2009
This evening when I get home I have brain-storm on how to mess with the chickens. I’ll put the 11 older birds in the enclosure by the cottage so they have some fresh grass & let the rest of the birds into the main coop with access to the outdoor pen. I carried the flock of 11 one at a time over to the cottage. They seemed pleased. Then moved the younger batch over to the other side of the coop & outdoors. This is good, until I realize every bird is in the wrong place & I’ll be catching them all before dark. As darkness approaches I turn on the light inside the coop. This will hopefully attract the young birds inside & then I can move them before bringing the dirty dozen (11) back. But no, I go back out & 5 of the older birds have flown their coop & are outside the kennel, waiting to get in. This isn’t bad- I corral them in & go to catch the remaining 6. 4 are easy, the last 2 impossible so I leave to let them calm down. Go back to the kennel to catch the 24 young birds & put them in. Another of the cottage group shows up in the pasture- looking for the light. I still have the coop light on, but I’ve closed the outside door until I can get everyone separated. The older birds are flinging themselves into the window to get in. Get the loose bird in, catch the last cottage bird, & Mark comes out asking if I need some help. No- we’re almost there. Moved the young batch to their side, Let the big guys in. I held 35 chickens tonight, twice.
Saturday- June 20, 2009
I don’t care if it is Saturday, I go outside determined not to play musical chickens today. I have a garden to weed & the lawn needs mowing. When I go out to check on them, the older birds are all outside leaving half the coop empty. I consider rearranging, but no, we could all use a break from each other for a day. I’m working in the garden- someone has eaten the chard, beets & worst of all the soybeans. I blame the muskrat. Mark comes out & builds a movable chicken house & fences in area around it in the lawn. The little ones are brought out- Black Stars & Araucanas. The rain picks up & it’s been pouring ever since. But Mark closed them into their mobile home & they are comfortable- sheltered & in the grass. I’m heading for the chicken book to find out if chickens are smart enough to come in out of the rain-
June 23
There is an end in sight- I made the young Cornish a 'reservation' at KnK's poultry processing for Wednesday, July 1st at 8am. we'll probably take all 14 there, the whole batch. that will leave us with the 6 older boys, who are putting on weight much slower & will probably not be ready for another month. In exchange for some hens (I really don't need the 13 1/2 (Gloria) that I'll be left with) our Amish friend Margaret will slaughter the roosters. She's very excited about teaching me how- And I will give her 5 hens- 2 reds, 2 black star, & a Araucana. That should leave us with a manageable flock of 8 1/2 (Gloria) hens for the winter.
Tuesday- June 30, 2009
Tonight we moved the mobile coop into the back of the truck & packed in the 14 young Cornish for their big day tomorrow.
It’s been another busy week, moving birds into the yard, moving the enclosure- we are looking like the hillbilly farmers. There’s been a few escaped birds episodes, one cat in the coop when a freaked-out Araucana flew away & Mark had to do a major weeding before he found her huddled under a burdock leaf. But everyone is still alive. Until tomorrow.
It’s a little melancholy. Not that we’re keeping them, but I do think of those fluffy little chicks & how hard it’s been to keep them alive. And the smaller hens that have been living with them are huddled in a corner tonight- they’ve lost their safety in masses. Although they’ll probably get a lot bigger, a lot fast without them. So tomorrow at 8am the boys need to be in Edmeston, an hour trip in the truck, then we pick them up in the afternoon. Chicken for dinner tomorrow night-
Thursday- July 2, 2009
Yesterday we brought home 7 chicken roasts & 7 cut-up fryers & a bag of extra parts that I didn’t really look at, just wrapped it for the freezer & labeled it ‘Parts’. Cooked up a fryer for our first & freshest chicken dinner. It was very good. Taste like chicken is supposed to taste-
I thought the story might end here, at least until we could report an egg-
but-------
I got home from work tonight & the young hens are in the outside pen with the mobile coop. We had quite a rain storm this afternoon, but there’s a roof on the coop for shelter. I do a count (10 is easy), one Penny is out so I get her in (we need to figure out clipping wings this weekend), but I don’t see Gloria. I find her in the corner of the coop, dead. Well, she had a good life, was very entertaining, but she had hardly grown at all & there was little hope of her making it. I go dig the hole- head over to get Gloria & she has moved. Shit- she’s only mostly dead. The rain is still coming so I move everyone inside, except Gloria. She’s gone before dark. I bury her in the rainy evening, give her a nice stone, thinking of carving her name on it.
