The Fan

I went to put the chickens up last night and discovered Eeny was still on her nest trying to mother the darn egg that I swiped from under her earlier! After a counseling session I slipped my hands under her wings and lifted her towards her favorite roosting spot. She began to flap like hell within inches of my face, it was like being in a wind tunnel! I'm using her as a fan this summer!

Warmth

warmth when spoken can mean a couple of different things, it can it can be felt internally, externally or both. For the girls it means the sun warms the place where they lay and their family is there to share it with them. We sat on the hill in the evening the other day and sipped a glass of wine and listened to the sounds of content hens, nesting birds, the soft panting of the old dog and in the distance the creek. To me this is warmth

Watermelon

First watermelon of the season has been enjoyed! Marjorie was drunk with bliss as Dorthy found herself gasping at her own image in the reflecting pool of watermelon juice; she had always imagined herself to be more beautiful....... 

Stuffed to the brim with watermelon they happily roosted, it was a good day!

Clockwork

Not much in this life runs like clockwork but roosting does. If I have endured a day that has chaos as it's theme I can find pease at the roost. So glad we built the coop with enough room for me to stand in the corner and watch them settle in. I just noticed that their tails are turned down as they negotiate placement in the rafters, maybe they need a rest after all that egg laying....

MAD!

This my friends is what mad looks like! When you set yourself up as the chicken messiah and things go awry you are doomed! I've been multitasking all day and noticed there were only a couple of hens within my view and thought I better check on them. Marjorie, Sylvia, Virginia and Dorothy ran up the hill to greet me and Marjorie was mad as a hatter! I reach down to pet them and she pecks me!!! I say REALLY Marjorie! I pick her to let her know who's boss and she madly cackles in my ear, I put her down and she runs to the (CLOSED) coop door!

Truth is, it's been a little windy today and the stick bracing the door open fell and the door slammed shut with poor Lucy trapped inside. Sadly Lucy is at the bottom of the pecking order and does not get first pick of the nesting boxes according to Marjorie! Lucy was the only one with full access to all boxes and Marjorie had a couple of eggs in the exit ramp!!!

After intense negotiations, deliberations were handed down: Virginia would get the upper right box where she would make two nests, Dorothy would get the lower left and Marjorie, the coveted straw stack by the door where she would continue her rant! Soon I will check the mood and egg count.....