CLUCK, CLUCK, CLUCK!!!
Once again, I've gone too long in not posting. A few things have happened since the last time I posted...Flock 3 is starting to produce now, so I usually have a few dozen eggs in my fridge. We sent cad-Buddy and Orp down the road to become Amish chickens, so the Shawhan farm is much quieter now with only 2 roosters...though Fumm is mighty enough for several roosters! Sadly, we lost a hen...an Orpington...not sure why. Dan found her dead one evening with no signs of a struggle, so I'm not sure what happened. We also still have escapees everyday, but over the past couple of years I've learned that trying to contain chickens is like trying to contain water in your hand.
I used to be able to throw myself into the dramas that unfold daily outside in the barn, but I feel so out of the loop right now. Mustering the energy to create amusing stories just doesn't seem to happen anymore. Half the time I only log on the computer once a week, if even that, so maybe it's time to stop the Chronicles. I don't want to post crap for the sake on making a post...I feel like it cheats my readers and myself.
Perhaps my priorities have changed? I didn't want the birth of my child to affect this, but I feel like it has, and I'm sorry.
Sorry, sorry, sorry! I guess I haven't completely made up my mind, but I'm sure my absence has spoken for itself.
Maybe I'll keep posting...maybe not.
Thanks so much for all the reads!!!!!!!
Love to all,
The Chicken Lady
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Two's Company...Four's a Crowd
CLUCK, CLUCK, CLUCK!!!
So I think we have finally reached our breaking point here on the Shawhan farm with all these roosters! Dan and I have made the decision to get rid of at least two of them. Don't worry, they won't end up on the dinner table! In fact, Eli (the Amish chicken farmer down the road who took Foghorn and Chaz) has offered to take two off our hands.
Sadly, I have to report that both Foghorn and Chaz are now deceased. I didn't much details other than the fact that Eli reported one dead one morning and the other soon followed suit. He has about 200 hens and his only rooster right now is a Bantam like Fumm....which isn't saying much! HA! Although how do we know it wasn't the little guy who knocked out the two big dogs???
Hopefully one day this week we can load two of ours up to become Amish roosters. I think we've decided Cad-Buddy, for his lack of beauty...sorry dude...and Orp, who is the new guy in town but has been giving Dan attitude already! I don't know if he had to adapt a bad 'tude because of Cad-Buddy and Chicken Hawk, or if that is just his nature, but it is what made us choose to boot him out of the tribe.
I'll be glad to be down to one and a half roosters...poor girls don't need that much punishment! I think Dan is glad we won't be having home-grown chicken dinner and neither am I. Despite the poor attitudes, I feel better knowing they are still alive.
Again, poor behavior gets rewarded with 200 new ladies!
Oh the live of a chickie!
...cluck... cluck... cluck...
So I think we have finally reached our breaking point here on the Shawhan farm with all these roosters! Dan and I have made the decision to get rid of at least two of them. Don't worry, they won't end up on the dinner table! In fact, Eli (the Amish chicken farmer down the road who took Foghorn and Chaz) has offered to take two off our hands.
Sadly, I have to report that both Foghorn and Chaz are now deceased. I didn't much details other than the fact that Eli reported one dead one morning and the other soon followed suit. He has about 200 hens and his only rooster right now is a Bantam like Fumm....which isn't saying much! HA! Although how do we know it wasn't the little guy who knocked out the two big dogs???
Hopefully one day this week we can load two of ours up to become Amish roosters. I think we've decided Cad-Buddy, for his lack of beauty...sorry dude...and Orp, who is the new guy in town but has been giving Dan attitude already! I don't know if he had to adapt a bad 'tude because of Cad-Buddy and Chicken Hawk, or if that is just his nature, but it is what made us choose to boot him out of the tribe.
I'll be glad to be down to one and a half roosters...poor girls don't need that much punishment! I think Dan is glad we won't be having home-grown chicken dinner and neither am I. Despite the poor attitudes, I feel better knowing they are still alive.
Again, poor behavior gets rewarded with 200 new ladies!
Oh the live of a chickie!
...cluck... cluck... cluck...
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Good Eats Chicken Treats
CLUCK, CLUCK, CLUCK!!!
We have just begun "harvest time" here on the Shawhan farm! The Chicken Lady has been busy canning green beans, freezing corn and making green bean and carrot baby food. Plus I have made several loaves of zucchini bread. I still have tomatoes and peppers to look forward to, plus 3 loaded down apple trees to make things out of and winter squash to make into baby food. I try to do these things in the couple of hour breaks I get while a certain someone is napping, all the while trying to stay awake myself!
Anyhoo, as I and my sometime helpers toil away in the hot kitchen, the chickens are out celebrating because they know I love them (though I don't get to spend as much time out in the barn anymore) and will bring them all the yummy throw-aways...for lack of a better term.
For example, Dan and I tossed countless bowls over into Kennel Bar of green bean ends. I'm not 100% sure if chickens like green beans, but the next time we dumped over our snapping scraps the tips and other throw-aways were gone. (I figure even if they don't like what I throw them they will enjoy pecking and scratching through them.) One day mom and dad brought up a melon and after cutting off the rhine I tossed that over the fence and the cluckies enjoyed what melon was left. According to all the reading I've done, chickens LOVE melons! However, I think potato skins are poisonous.
Last week we showed the love by sharing with them their ultimate favorite...sweet corn!
Dan and I planted 8 rows of a bi-colored sweet corn called Ambrosia (what we get free from the Pioneer sales rep!) Mom and I froze 30-something bags of corn and on Sunday I went out and pulled a few dozen more...I hate anything I grow to go to waste. I got 12 more bags out that. Dan and I will soon turn into ears of corn since I've been trying to incorporate corn into a meal almost everyday.
Anyway, of course one must shuck all this corn in order to use it, so of course the chickens get to peck and scratch through the shucks and if they are lucky, they will find a random ear of corn that didn't look too good to me.
(Please don't report me...my birds are STILL molting and look terrible! The fact that we have 4 roosters doesn't help either...more on that later. We are working to fix that problem!)
Not to be forgotten, the steers and Jimmy and Charlie enjoy the spoils as well...
Chickens are cool to have because you can throw them many a table scrap. I even save cut off strawberry stems, old bread and corn I've cooked that we don't eat out to them. (I'm a sick person, I know!)
This must be what it's like to have pigs and throw them slop!
Though I will know for sure because I will never own pigs...no offense to those who do.
If anyone needs me in the coming weeks, I will be in the kitchen or spending time with my favorite person in the world!
...cluck... cluck... cluck...
We have just begun "harvest time" here on the Shawhan farm! The Chicken Lady has been busy canning green beans, freezing corn and making green bean and carrot baby food. Plus I have made several loaves of zucchini bread. I still have tomatoes and peppers to look forward to, plus 3 loaded down apple trees to make things out of and winter squash to make into baby food. I try to do these things in the couple of hour breaks I get while a certain someone is napping, all the while trying to stay awake myself!
Anyhoo, as I and my sometime helpers toil away in the hot kitchen, the chickens are out celebrating because they know I love them (though I don't get to spend as much time out in the barn anymore) and will bring them all the yummy throw-aways...for lack of a better term.
For example, Dan and I tossed countless bowls over into Kennel Bar of green bean ends. I'm not 100% sure if chickens like green beans, but the next time we dumped over our snapping scraps the tips and other throw-aways were gone. (I figure even if they don't like what I throw them they will enjoy pecking and scratching through them.) One day mom and dad brought up a melon and after cutting off the rhine I tossed that over the fence and the cluckies enjoyed what melon was left. According to all the reading I've done, chickens LOVE melons! However, I think potato skins are poisonous.
Last week we showed the love by sharing with them their ultimate favorite...sweet corn!
Dan and I planted 8 rows of a bi-colored sweet corn called Ambrosia (what we get free from the Pioneer sales rep!) Mom and I froze 30-something bags of corn and on Sunday I went out and pulled a few dozen more...I hate anything I grow to go to waste. I got 12 more bags out that. Dan and I will soon turn into ears of corn since I've been trying to incorporate corn into a meal almost everyday.
Anyway, of course one must shuck all this corn in order to use it, so of course the chickens get to peck and scratch through the shucks and if they are lucky, they will find a random ear of corn that didn't look too good to me.
(Please don't report me...my birds are STILL molting and look terrible! The fact that we have 4 roosters doesn't help either...more on that later. We are working to fix that problem!)
Not to be forgotten, the steers and Jimmy and Charlie enjoy the spoils as well...
Chickens are cool to have because you can throw them many a table scrap. I even save cut off strawberry stems, old bread and corn I've cooked that we don't eat out to them. (I'm a sick person, I know!)
This must be what it's like to have pigs and throw them slop!
Though I will know for sure because I will never own pigs...no offense to those who do.
If anyone needs me in the coming weeks, I will be in the kitchen or spending time with my favorite person in the world!
...cluck... cluck... cluck...
Friday, August 2, 2013
The Quartet
CLUCK, CLUCK, CLUCK!!!
WOW!!! I can't believe I let myself go almost a month without posting! I'm so, so sorry...there really isn't an excuse for this, BUT everything has been happening all at once here on Shawhan farm, particularly green beans. And probably corn next week! Plus I like to try and make my posts good. I don't want to slap something on here only for the sake of "posting".
Anyhoo, I wanted to talk about "The Quartet". It is a "boy band" composed of my four rosters...who I can hear right now. (It's like they know I am talking about them!)
My four roosters now are: Cad-Buddy:
Chicken Hawk:
Orp:
And Fumm... if you want to even count poor little Fumm in the classification of "rooster":
These four fellas have bounded together and formed a band, which they call "The Quartet". Now I know that sounds nice and sweet, just like what you are thinking of, like four little old men who can really harmonize.
WRONG!!!!!
This quartet likes to cock-a-doodle-doo ALL. THE. TIME. And harmonize they do not.
They told me that during my maternity leave they have all bonded and decided to try for a recording deal. (Chicken Hawk even mailed out a demo tape to Capital Records.) I'm glad they've become close...at one time I was scared Cad-Buddy and Chicken Hawk would hurt the younger two, but not anymore. Now it's all about "bros" and "dawg", a very annoying bromance actually. They said they were so excited for their friendship that they decided they all wanted to be famous together, tour the world and they showed the most excitement when they talked about groupies.
They should sound a lot better than what they actually do for all the practicing they do. They like to perform when anyone steps out the back door, when one enters the barn, all morning and I think their favorite practice time is 5:00 A.M.
I don't have the heart to tell them that I don't think they have what it takes to make it big. It would be mean to disappoint them.
They did what to give a shout out to One Direction and the Beibs...they wanted to tell them to watch out! The Quartet is coming!
Maybe next summer they will be on Good Morning America's Summer Concert Series???
...cluck... cluck... cluck...
WOW!!! I can't believe I let myself go almost a month without posting! I'm so, so sorry...there really isn't an excuse for this, BUT everything has been happening all at once here on Shawhan farm, particularly green beans. And probably corn next week! Plus I like to try and make my posts good. I don't want to slap something on here only for the sake of "posting".
Anyhoo, I wanted to talk about "The Quartet". It is a "boy band" composed of my four rosters...who I can hear right now. (It's like they know I am talking about them!)
My four roosters now are: Cad-Buddy:
Chicken Hawk:
Orp:
And Fumm... if you want to even count poor little Fumm in the classification of "rooster":
These four fellas have bounded together and formed a band, which they call "The Quartet". Now I know that sounds nice and sweet, just like what you are thinking of, like four little old men who can really harmonize.
WRONG!!!!!
This quartet likes to cock-a-doodle-doo ALL. THE. TIME. And harmonize they do not.
They told me that during my maternity leave they have all bonded and decided to try for a recording deal. (Chicken Hawk even mailed out a demo tape to Capital Records.) I'm glad they've become close...at one time I was scared Cad-Buddy and Chicken Hawk would hurt the younger two, but not anymore. Now it's all about "bros" and "dawg", a very annoying bromance actually. They said they were so excited for their friendship that they decided they all wanted to be famous together, tour the world and they showed the most excitement when they talked about groupies.
They should sound a lot better than what they actually do for all the practicing they do. They like to perform when anyone steps out the back door, when one enters the barn, all morning and I think their favorite practice time is 5:00 A.M.
I don't have the heart to tell them that I don't think they have what it takes to make it big. It would be mean to disappoint them.
They did what to give a shout out to One Direction and the Beibs...they wanted to tell them to watch out! The Quartet is coming!
Maybe next summer they will be on Good Morning America's Summer Concert Series???
...cluck... cluck... cluck...
Thursday, July 11, 2013
The Chicken Dictionary
CLUCK, CLUCK, CLUCK!!!
I gathered this chickie information from yet another article in Chickens Magazine (Sept./Oct. 2012). I thought I’d share it with
you since there are terms and “situations” (for lack of a better word) I never
knew about until reading this!
Brought to you alphabetical order…
“Alektorophobia”— A fear of chickens. It has a name
and is a legitimate phobia. My bestie
Ashlie may suffer from this. She can be around my birds, though she’s expressed
a fear of them. In extreme cases, some people are even uncomfortable around
feathers and eggs! Imagine…not being able to eat egg because you are so afraid…
“Concave Sweep”— Some breeds have “a back that
curves continuously from the shoulders to partway up the tail.” (Damerow, 64)
Some breeds with a definitive sweep include Langshans and Anconas.
“Knock-Knee”— This happens when the hocks “are
closer together than the feet.” (Damerow, 64) Basically it’s a leg deformity.
“Roosting Call”— Roosters do this to call in all the
ladies so everyone can safely roost together at night. It’s a call that’s
rapid, low-pitched and repeated over and over.
“Uropygium”— Located at the end of a chicken’s
spinal column. This is where the tail feathers are grown. It’s spongy and a
“triangular bump.” (Damerow, 65)
“Zoonosis”— A disease that can travel from chickens
or other animals and also to humans. The organisms that cause these diseases
are common in our environment, even if chickens are not a part of that
environment. Humans with repressed immune systems are most likely to obtain
this disease. Most of the time the pathogens are not a problem. Common sense in
handling chickens and their waste can help prevent the disease. However, an
infected chicken can show no signs of having the disease.
I’m sure there are many more chicken terms and
need-to-know information out there. If I ever come across any more, I’ll let
you know!
…cluck… cluck… cluck…
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Naked and Scratching
CLUCK, CLUCK, CLUCK!!!
I am happy to report that all of here on the Shawhan farm are so far surviving the monsoon season. We have received almost 3 inches of rain in the past 4 days, but I know of others who have gotten more than that. Annoying as it is now, in the long run we will be very thankful for a good crop this year. And even though I can't get out to the garden to hoe it, because it's so wet, all my crops are coming up quite nicely. Carl will have several veggies to enjoy once he gets older, as I have planted things I plan to turn into baby food.
Anyhoo, I'm getting off topic. Now that I've got a baby to take care of, I'm home more and inside the house more. (That is the one thing I miss about the time B.C. (Before Carl), is being outside more and working up a sweat.) Some days I don't even get to see my horses or the chickens; it just depends on the weather and other demands. Even though I've adopted the hermit's lifestyle, it hasn't kept me from noticing a certain scraggly chickie getting braver and braver out in the yard...
This particular lady made it a habit to fly the coop or squeeze under the coop, daily. Many a night Dan and I would work together to corral her once golden butt back inside and to safety for the night. Other mornings Dan would report her already outside even though the rest of the flock was still penned inside the coop!
How she's managed to survive this long, I don't know. Maybe no predators find her appealing enough. I usually don't like to take and post photos of my birds who are in molt because they look pretty darn bad, but I couldn't help it with this one. She really does fit the picture of the topic of today's post. So PLEASE, don't call PETA or some other animal rights group on me, or the cops, because I swear she'll re-grow her feathers this fall... well maybe. I was privy to some pretty disturbing information about her the other day.
First of all, because I rarely leave my home I've been watching more T.V. I remember seeing the previews for this show and finally got to see a few episodes...seriously, who has been watching Naked and Afraid???????? I forget the channel it's on, but they dump two strangers out in the wilderness together and they have to survive there for 21 days....COMPLETELY NAKED!!!!!! Who on earth does this!!!!???? Those dreams where you are naked in public are bad enough! Why spend 21 days in the wild butt-naked?! Survivor would be bad enough and at least on that show you might win a million bucks and get to wear a bathing suit...
So I think this particular girl has found out about Naked and Afraid because, lets face it, she's running around the barn and the yard basically naked. She must also be an extreme survivalist spending that much time outside the safety of the coop and roosters. I've seen her far out in the yard in the fence line that separates our property and the neighbors, scratching and foraging around.
Some of the other members of the flock finally told me that she wants to get on this show. (What is it about my birds and reality shows??) She loves trying to survive on her own every day and says there is more to life than just laying eggs. They told me she ignores their pleas for her to return to the flock, and in fact, she doesn't even speak to them anymore. I guess she goes around clucking and begocking in Morris Code now. (Another one of her survival skills.)
Another rumor is that she tried to bribe my husband and the neighbor boy into filming her so she can send in a tape to apply for Naked and Afraid.
Plus, she is always running around the Shawhan farm -
NAKED...
...cluck... cluck... cluck...
I am happy to report that all of here on the Shawhan farm are so far surviving the monsoon season. We have received almost 3 inches of rain in the past 4 days, but I know of others who have gotten more than that. Annoying as it is now, in the long run we will be very thankful for a good crop this year. And even though I can't get out to the garden to hoe it, because it's so wet, all my crops are coming up quite nicely. Carl will have several veggies to enjoy once he gets older, as I have planted things I plan to turn into baby food.
Anyhoo, I'm getting off topic. Now that I've got a baby to take care of, I'm home more and inside the house more. (That is the one thing I miss about the time B.C. (Before Carl), is being outside more and working up a sweat.) Some days I don't even get to see my horses or the chickens; it just depends on the weather and other demands. Even though I've adopted the hermit's lifestyle, it hasn't kept me from noticing a certain scraggly chickie getting braver and braver out in the yard...
This particular lady made it a habit to fly the coop or squeeze under the coop, daily. Many a night Dan and I would work together to corral her once golden butt back inside and to safety for the night. Other mornings Dan would report her already outside even though the rest of the flock was still penned inside the coop!
How she's managed to survive this long, I don't know. Maybe no predators find her appealing enough. I usually don't like to take and post photos of my birds who are in molt because they look pretty darn bad, but I couldn't help it with this one. She really does fit the picture of the topic of today's post. So PLEASE, don't call PETA or some other animal rights group on me, or the cops, because I swear she'll re-grow her feathers this fall... well maybe. I was privy to some pretty disturbing information about her the other day.
First of all, because I rarely leave my home I've been watching more T.V. I remember seeing the previews for this show and finally got to see a few episodes...seriously, who has been watching Naked and Afraid???????? I forget the channel it's on, but they dump two strangers out in the wilderness together and they have to survive there for 21 days....COMPLETELY NAKED!!!!!! Who on earth does this!!!!???? Those dreams where you are naked in public are bad enough! Why spend 21 days in the wild butt-naked?! Survivor would be bad enough and at least on that show you might win a million bucks and get to wear a bathing suit...
So I think this particular girl has found out about Naked and Afraid because, lets face it, she's running around the barn and the yard basically naked. She must also be an extreme survivalist spending that much time outside the safety of the coop and roosters. I've seen her far out in the yard in the fence line that separates our property and the neighbors, scratching and foraging around.
Some of the other members of the flock finally told me that she wants to get on this show. (What is it about my birds and reality shows??) She loves trying to survive on her own every day and says there is more to life than just laying eggs. They told me she ignores their pleas for her to return to the flock, and in fact, she doesn't even speak to them anymore. I guess she goes around clucking and begocking in Morris Code now. (Another one of her survival skills.)
Another rumor is that she tried to bribe my husband and the neighbor boy into filming her so she can send in a tape to apply for Naked and Afraid.
Plus, she is always running around the Shawhan farm -
NAKED...
...cluck... cluck... cluck...
Thursday, July 4, 2013
It's Independence Day!!
CLUCK, CLUCK, CLUCK!!!
Happy 4th of July everyone!!!
Doesn't today just want to make you burst out singing Martina McBride's song, "Independence Day"? It makes me want to, but I won't offend all the passing Amish peeps with my terrible singing. I'll let Carl be all festive and cute instead.
So I'm sorry this post isn't about chickens and it's really short. However, I thought of some new post ideas at 1:00 A.M. this morning, so I'm hoping the creative juices are back flowing now postpartum. My blog and my chickens are still really important to me, though I don't spend as much time with the chickes as I used to. That will change soon enough, as Carl will one day be old enough to help me with barn chores.
Ok, so I have to go...someone woke up from this above blissful nap!
...cluck... cluck... cluck...
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