Sunbathing

I have come to understand that life is comprised of learning moments, how you react has a ripple affect. That being said, my chickens have taken up residence under the tree I just refilled with the dirt kindly farmed by the moles. I could run around the tree waving my arms claiming it as my property, but this is where the sun hits on the rare occasion it comes out. They were sunbathing. Sometimes in life you have to weigh your own inconvenience against another's joy, except their happiness as payment, what goes around comes around even in the simple moments in my opinion.

Fighter Pilots

Jack and I made the same observation this evening while comparing notes about the chickens flying from their roost! They kind of have the skill of fighter pilots! We have both seen them fly with their minimal skills, make a midway turn and make it out of the hatch! The landing needs a little work but it's quite impressive!

Preparing For The Royal Wedding

Excitement builds as the Royal wedding approaches! Still feeling that their invitation has just been delayed, they began to prepare.

Medicine For the Old Dog's Soul

The old girl is a guardian by nature. Although frail she takes her duty seriously, she has value to those she serves. So the old girl gingerly negotiates the two stairs to take her place and receive the gratitude that soothes in a way medication cannot.

Trust

Found myself in a cluster of chickens during a demo project today. Work was a delicate process. When you earn trust it makes you a better person even if its to the critters you invite into your life. At the end of the work day I shouted “Lets roost girls” and ran down the hill with nine chickens all knowing I had their best interest at heart. We tend to focus on our glory moments, but perhaps it's the simple moments that count

The Roundup

I was concerned about the early chicken roundup, but by being a good student of chicken logic I have learned and it has served me well! Chickens are slaves to their routine, so I have abandon my random ways and have started one! I burst from the doors of milk and honey at 5:30pm bearing carbohydrates! They cluster at my feet like nails to a magnet and we travel cautiously in a clump right into their secured area, works like a charm! I deliver, they they cackle out a hymn or two as I collect their eggs! Gone is the need for a chicken net! On an added note, never try this with bare feet, nail polish looks a lot like strawberries as I discovered on the one nice day we had last week!

Pearls

Desperate to improve her image, Marjorie dawns pearls.

The Truth Hurts

Dorothy: See Marjorie I told you look just as ridiculous as the rest of us!

Marjorie: Holy Mother of God!!!!!

Slip & Slide

Worked on a demolition project today and found myself with a bit of vapor barrier, basically black plastic. Whoop! I say, I can use it to throw weeds on and drag it to the area I compost. I carefully laid it out on a hill to clean. Interested in literally everything I do the chickens ran to see what I had going on! Chickens have pretty slick feet, when they hit that plastic it was like a slip and slide! Visualize! Wish I had a video!

Changing of the Guards

Grateful to have a fresh bail of straw and relatively nice day, I went down to clean the coop. I would have never guessed at the onset of this chicken experience that I would find this relaxing, but for whatever reason I do, plus I am collecting great fertilizer for my garden.

I realized after I got there that I had caught them during a heavy laying period. Not wanting to be too disruptive, I knelt down on some fresh straw to observe the changing of the guards. I call this chicken meditation and it really does calm the soul, it's not fancy, but it works for me.

It seems that the lower left nesting box is getting some action, but for whatever reason they line up for the corner where I had placed a stack of straw. Because they fell in love with the spot, I put up an old cupboard door to keep the hay in. It's ugly, they think it's beautiful, it's all about perspective.

All the girls want is the best spot to lay their egg, acknowledgment for their efforts and hope not to end up at the bottom of the pecking order. Not so unlike us really.