December 30, 2012: Last Blog of the Year!



I cannot believe that what started as a suggestion from my friend Vickie turned into 90 pages of my musings and over 2433 readers.  I have learned many things while writing about the girls:

1.  I love to write about almost anything. ( or nothing like the Seinfeld show).
2.  Chickens are awesome and provide tons of fodder for my blog.
3.  I love my chickens.
4.  Chickens teach you about life.
5.  Thousands of people love chickens too.
6.  None of us know why.
7.  Sometimes I write about life instead of chickens, and stats show that people like to read those too.
8.  I love the comments back to me via FB or the blogspot.
9.  Chickens need lots of scratch in winter and a dry place to take their dust baths,

That's all I can think of now, and don;t want to bore you, so I'll just add HAPPY NEW YEAR DEAR READERS AND MAY NEXT YEAR BRING YOU MUCH HAPPINESS AND PEACE.
Love, The Chicken Wrangler ( Sharen).

 



December 28, 2012: Barbara Just Keeps Cranking Out Eggs

It's been a few days since I had time to post.  The Holidays you know.

Had a lovely Christmas, with family, both the human kind and the animal kind, though sometimes that line of demarcation gets a little blurry. 

The girls continue to entertain and have grown very fond of sitting on Cal's knees and eating raisins.  It is so cute.  Barbara remains the demanding one, and has trouble waiting her turn.

Since it has gotten colder, they are not as eager to get out of the coop early, and we get to sleep until 0800.  Correction..I get to sleep a bit later as I am the one who invariably hears them.  The trade off is I get up and let them out, Cal cleans the coop.  I believe I got the better deal on that one. 

Meanwhile, the yard remains a mess, but the rain has let up for the past few days. 
Plans for the extended chicken yard continue with all materials gathered.  Perhaps by next Spring we will have our lawn back. 

Found a neat idea for making a dust bath area as the chicken yard is concrete.  You get a big enough tub/container to hold at least 6 inches of diatomaecous earth and two live chickens.  It will be under the roof of the yard so will stay dry.   Those chicken websites are fantastic places to get ideas.

We're also going to install an automatic waterer.  We're going hi-tech here. 

We still spend time outside with them every day, and when they want us, they peck at the sliding glass door to see us.  When we go out, they both tell us about what has happened since we last were out there.  Very chatty little things. 

As per the title of this blog, Barbara continues to amaze us with her egg laying prowess.  One egg a day, every day.  Mabel, remains very cute and sweet.

Had a long day, heading for bed.  Me that is, not the chickens, they went to bed at 4:45pm.  Until we blog again, Adios.

December 22, 2012: Yard a muddy mess, Chickens are Thrilled!

You know the cartoons we used to watch when we were kids, I mean way back, where the early bird comes out and gets the worm?  Well no sooner did I open the coop this morning when Barbara came running full speed, ran to the  grass ( now mostly mud) and immediately grabbed up a worm right out of the ground.  How she saw that worm, still in the earth with maybe a tiny head poking up, I'll never know. 

We've had a few days of hard rain and wind.  The yard looks like a mud hole and any second I  expect pigs to come rounding the corner for a nice wallow.  The girls are unfazed.  They just want out of the coop.  We don't let them out if it is raining, so they get pretty pissed off, especially Barbara.
Even though we install their larger patio and cover it with a tarp to keep out the rain, they still want OUT!!

Here's our morning routine since the chickens came to live with us.  Wake up, listen for cocococoing, hearing none, hurry to feed Annie our dog.  Hear cocococoing, turn off alarm, open the sliding door, put on mud clogs, open the door and stand back!  Barbara runs out and immediately poops on the patio, Mabel prefers to poop on the lawn, bless her.  Feed them, give them some scratch with cracked corn mixed in, check their water, clean up poop on patio and any in the coop or nest.  By now Barbara has scrounged around looking for worms and what not, and comes running full speed up to me wanting raisins.  I forgot to get some on my way out so I re-enter the warm cozy house smelling delightfully of fresh coffee just barely edging out Barbara who is determined to get in, get the damn raisins from the frige.   Back out I go into the cold.  I pull out the patio chair, and by now Barbara is hopping up and down.  Mabel waits patiently.  I place a raisin on my knee and Barbara jumps up on my lap and I do the raisin distribution project.  That is I have to give Barbara her raisin, then surreptitiously feed one to Mabel who is next to me on the ground.  If I don't do that Barbara jumps down and almost always beats Mabel to the raisin.   Have I mentioned that Barbara is a pig? I do have to cut her some slack as she is the only one laying in the coop, but I still feel sorry for Mabel.

Went to a wonderful Breakfast at Tiffani's brunch yesterday morning.  Wore a faux mink stole, lots of sparkly jewelery and basic black of course.  Karen thought we looked like Holly Golightly's fat Grandmas while I opted for middle aged Hollys.  Anyway, my table mate Marian asked how Barbara and Mabel were?   That turned into a full on chicken conversation as the lovely gal next to me, Judy has four chickens.  What is it about these little feathered things?  I did note that either you are a chicken person, or you are only mildly interested for limited periods of time.  True chicken wranglers can talk chickens for hours.  Merry Christmas again my chicken loving friends.

December 20, 2012: Mabel the Christmas Chicken

Merry Christmas from Cal, Barbara, Mabel and me. 

May you be blessed with the the wonder of this season,and the Grace of

God be upon you.

God loves all living creatures, including our sweet chickens.

Happy New Year from the Chicken Wrangler. 

*Barbara refused to wear the Santa hat, but Mabel was delighted, especially to get into the house. 

December 14, 2012: My Chicken Family

As we draw nearer to Christmas (yes Christmas, not "the Holidays") thoughts turn towards family, memories, and what Christmas really means to me.

It is the birth of Christ celebrated every year to commemorate that blessed moment.  It is not "The Holidays", it is Christmas and I resent the efforts to impel me and my fellow Christians to  "de-Christ" this blessed day in favor of a more user friendly generic designation, designed to not only be more politically correct, but to get non-Christians to go out and spend!!  See my point.  If I were a non-Christian I would be insulted.  Nuff said.

Back to Christmas, and my 2 new family members.  Barbara and Mabel have become important members of our little family. They are our pets and like Annie we treat them as the little gifts from God we have agree to care for. 

We you look at You Tube you see thousands of videos people have posted of their pets ( and of course PSY).  We love our pets.  I have yet to post a video of the girls though my husband posted a video of me singing my Ode to Caffeine.  But I'm sure Iwill.  What is it about our pets that inspire us to talk about them, video tape them, dress them in outfits that match ours, etc? 

We all know the answer to that, don't we?  LOVE.  They love us unconditionally, without judgement.
It is easier to love a pet sometimes than to love our fellow human beings.  Do my chickens love me?
hard to say, but I think they know that I care for them, and look to me to do that.  Fact is I love them, even of they can't show me the way Annie does.  Are they helping me to learn to love unconditionally?  Hmmm

John Lennon was right you know, ultimately,  All You Need Is Love.  May the God of your Choosing Bless you today.

December 12, 2012: Barbara Learns Trick

Those of you who think chickens are dumb...you'll want to re-think that.  Over the last week or so, we have been giving the girls raisins.  They love them!  I mean Barbara is crazy for them.  So Cal decided to see if he could teach her a trick.  It took 1.5 seconds for her to jump onto his knee to get a raisin. 

Today she repeated that trick.  She has successfully trained Cal to sit in the lawn and feed her raisins.
She has already taught us to open the coop door and let her out ASAP in the morning, or she will cococo until she wakes the neighborhood.

She has taught us not to open up the coop upper door to air it out, until after she lays her morning egg. 

The first time I opened the door in the morning and went back into the house, she came to the door in the dining room and raised hell.  It only took me 1.5 seconds to see that she wanted me to close the door so she could go up into the nesting area and lay her egg in safety.  She promptly climbed up the ramp into the nest and laid her egg.  Now I never open the upper door of the coop until she has laid her egg. 

Who knows what she will teach us next.  She is one sharp cookie.  Now Mabel, well she just eats the raisins. 

December 10, 2010: Rethinking Chicken Clothes

 

When I first saw the websites for clothing for chickens, I thought "these people are nuts."  I am re-thinking this attitude as it gets colder outside.  I judged to quickly and now am thinking I'll start a project to make the girls each a Christmas sweater. 

Unfortunately I do not knit and have forgotten how to crochet.  I used to do a hellofa macrame'd plant holder back in my hippie days.  Does anyone remember macrame?  Anyway, perhaps I can buy a baby sweaters at Target or Walmart and adapt them to the girls. 

 If I do this, I will definitely take a picture so you can see how far I have gone down the chicken-crazy path.

Meanwhile I am laying on the couch by the fire with a blanket, and have just turned up the heater.  Woke up at 0430 this morning for no apparent reason.  Does this ever happen to you?  And I mean I am wide awake, not just sleepy awake.

I reminds me of my working days when I got up at 0430, walked the dog, showered, washed my hair, ate a quick breakfast and was out the door to drive 50 miles to be to work by 0730.

Sometime I had to catch a 0600 flight from the airport, also 50 miles away.  had to leave the house at 0330 to get there, check in etc.

How in God's name did I ever do that?

I'll keep you posted on the chicken sweaters.

 

December 7, 2012: Free the Chicken!

After several days of gloomy rainy, icky weather, today the sun rose in all it's glorious splendor..  Mabel and Barbara were up early and fairly dashed out of the coop when Cal let them out.  They could not get out of the coop fast enough and rush out onto what was the lawn.

They both had lots to say, chattering, cococoing, and occasional clucking.   It's s funny, only Mable clucks and when she does, it's a one note, loud and short. then she looks around to see "who did that".

They had visitors last night when David and Susan came over for dinner.  They were up  in their nesting area sleeping so cute all cozy together.  Then today when I my Mom came by for coffee and we went out to see them, they were in the back corner of the yard but came running, doing the poultry equivalent of the 50 yard dash.  Barbara was talking the whole time.  She loves to communicate.

So they got to spend all day out in the sun.  I think they wore themselves out, cause I went out at 4:30pm to check on them,  it was still very light out, but Mabel was climbing the ramp up to the nest already and Barbara, with the help of a yellow cherry tomato I coaxed her with, readily went into the coop.  I swear they must have played all day. 

We also picked them up and fuzzled them both today. One or both of us try to pick up , hold and pet and talk to the girls at least once a day.  Remember, Zahra calls this fuzzeling and that word fits perfectly.

When I was holding Mabel, I made the cocococo sound and her little ears perked up.  I have no idea what I was saying in chicken speak, but she clearly found it fascinating.  They probably get their little chicken heads together at night and talk about their crazy Mom.  Like the French, my pronunciation will never make the grade.  They laugh at my accent, I know it.  It's OK, they give me a lot of joy. Watching them and listening to them makes me laugh too.

December 4, 2012: Chicken Wrangler Whines

Today I'm gonna whine for a minute.  Why, cause I learned it from my Mom.  Mom is 85 years old and healthy as a horse.  She will probably outlive both twin sister and I.  We are stove up, as they say, from time to time. 

Last Thursday I twisted my back trying not to step on my dog who ran in front of me, and whammo, back killing me.  Tried to power through it, no go.  Gave in on Friday and went to bed with ice. Oh whaa whaa whaa.  In the greater scheme of things this was nothing.  So many are suffering real pain, sickness and trauma, my little back thing was nothing.

I complained a little bit, mostly laid quietly in bed, asked for help from time to time from Cal.  Prayed for healing for me and all those I know who are suffering. 

Two things come to mind:  As an RN, I learned that I was not really sick  unless I had a temp. over 101 degrees, or was bleeding from unexpected place.  I learned to ignore my own body. 

Second, I grew up with a Mom who complained a lot about every ache and pain, still does.  Unfortunately she complained so much and for so long, that it is hard to know when she really needs help. It's like the little boy who cried wolf.  At 85 she has the right to complain, but what for? 

I hope and pray that if and when I reach her age I have something other to talk about then what hurts, or what TV show I am watching. I love my Mom.  My sister and I are constantly trying to get her to get out of the house.  We have tried to make her feel better for 65 years.  Only she can accomplish that.

What a conundrum.  First, I learn to ignore my own bodies signals, and I hear my Mom complain about every ache and pain.  Think there's a psychological implication there?  Oh Yeah!

I think boredom leads to over concern with oneself.  It stunts conversation when one does not get out and interact with the universe.  But my Mom is living the life she wants.  She is healthy and strong, and locked into her habits like concrete.  So....whine whine whine.  And God bless her, and Karen and I.

Chickens never whine, they only complain when they want more scratch.  They are constantly busy and interested in their environment, and they know when to rest, when they need a dust bath and how to take care of themselves.   Chickens don't whine. 

December 3, 2012: HAPPY HENS!

The girls were so happy to see the sun today. ( me too)  Our yard is a muddy mess, but they still wanted out of the coop to slog around. After they got their scratch and cracked corn, they ran like the wind out onto what used to be the lawn, now mud.  Later they found a corner next to the house and have been nestling down, scratching around and dust bathing.  It is so funny to watch them jockeying for the best spot. Just like two little kids.  Mable has come into her own and doesn't take any crap from Barbara anymore.

Hurt my back a few days ago, and can't go out and play with them so...... they gather at the slider window in my bedroom waiting and watching for Mommy. 

My Mom came by today to check on me as Cal was volunteering at the Salvation Army.  He helps residents at The Depot, a residential treatment program for drug/alcohol abusers, every Monday, learn the computer, how to write resumes', etc.   She got to watch me throw grapes to the girls.  They are nuts about grapes.

I saw an interesting thing today while lying in bed.  Barbara and Mable have identified the plastic box where we keep their food.  First Barbara trotted up to it, looked long and hard ( you can see through it).  Then she stood on her tippy toes and examined more closely.  Mable came running over, as if summoned.  I am sure they were plotting how to get it down and open it up.  Their little chicken heads were together and it looked like they were hatching a plan. ( pardon the pun ).  They also kept watching over their shoulders to see if anyone was watching.  When I tapped on the window, they  scattered in different directions.  I'm telling ya, they are planning something.  I'm sure of it.

Looks like more rain coming, so Cal re -wrapped our charming little coop back in it's hillbilly wrapper,replaced the pumpkin, etc. to hold it down in case of big wind.  It looks awful, but does the trick.

I think tomorrow I'll be able to get up and about longer and finish the Christmas Decorating.  Cal did the front yard and porch today, under my watchful eye.  It looks so pretty. 



December 1, 2012: Christmas Gifts for Chicken Wranglers

Merry Christmas Everyone.  December 1st means several things to me:  1) get the decorations up and put up the tree; 2) start planning Christmas Brunch (my assignment for the family); 3) decide whether to send Christmas Cards; 4) try to stay calm. 

Christmas can be such a stressful time, but it does not have to be!  What's with all the gift giving mania.  My friends, there is no perfect gift.  Give that up.  Adopt a different plan.  Look for mediocre gifts, stuff you would like, or give money. 

Our family generally does not exchange gifts on Christmas, other than my sister who almost always breaks that agreement. We only have our grandchildren in London to buy gifts for and their Dad always asks us to send American children's books.  So that's easy enough. I don't need anything, but...... the Chicken Wrangler might. 

This year I am going to ask Santa for things for the chickens:  feed, scratch, cracked corn, etc.  Oh yeah and how about a bale of pine shavings?  Sexy, huh?

The girls tell me they want more grapes.  They go crazy over them.  So grapes it is for them.  They ask so little and give so much.  Example:  Yesterday my Sis and Brother in Law came over for  Cal's homemade biscuits and an omelet made from Barbara's eggs.  After breakfast, we sat in the living room in front of the fire.  The girls were at the dining room sliding glass door.  I watched John as he watched them, and he was smiling.  He calls them the girls too now and seems to like seeing them.
They are joyful little things.  Making their little joyful noises like cococococo, not coo coo, cocococo.  Or Brrrrrrrrrrrrr.  Chickens bring out the best is us.

Just now they were pecking at the dining room slider. It is still raining out so while free from the coop, they are staying under the patio roof, and are clearly bored.  Barbara is raising a fuss so she must have laid an egg.  She loves to announce her productions.  You Go Girl.  Here's Cal with her just laid egg.



I will turn on the dining room light so they can see in better.  Cal and I will do our version of  Reality TV:  walk around, read on the couch, watch TV, drink another cup of coffee.  They seem satisfied with watching us do that. 

Hey, you know what, I'm going to go hobble (hurt my back) into the dining room and sing Old MacDonald Had A Farm and see how they react.  Maybe a verse of I left My Heart In San Francisco.  I'll let you know later if they enjoy that.

November 30, 2012: Stormy Weather = Morning Egg

Awakened EARLY this morning by a phone call from my Mom.  She broke the early morning call rule to tell me that I did not need to come and get her at NOON today! Then she wanted to chat.

I had been sound asleep, heard the phone stumbled down the hall to answer it, only to have her hang up just as I got there.  Knew it was her, called her back thinking that it was some crisis.  NO it was not. ^%$#%$!  Late night and early morning calls all signal emergencies to me.  This was not an emergency.

You see we are having a series of storms over the next few days, lots of rain.  Ever since she and Dad had to evacuate in 1997, she gets panicky when we get a lot of rain.  So as Doppler Radar last night looked like the storm from hell was coming, I called her and told her we'd come pick her up today to spend the day with us.  Her response was, she had to get her hair done at 10:00am, then go to the store.  Guess she was not panicking this time. I said OK, I'll pick you  up at noon. 

She decided that she did not need to come to our house and felt that 0700 was a good time to call me and tell me that.  OK I know 0700 is not early for working folks, but remember I am retired.  I did my stint of waking up before 0500 to drive 50 miles to work, so I truly appreciate not having to get up early when it is not necessary.

What does this have to do with chickens?  Nothing. I just needed to vent.  I dearly love my 85 year old Mom, but she tries me, yes she does.

The girls got through the storm fine.  All the hatches stayed battened, on our hillbilly coop.  

Our Hillbilly Coop.

The back of our coop, all covered.  The front of the coop faces the sliding doors so the girls have something to watch....us. Like Reality TV.

The girls were eager to get outside this morning, even in the wind and drizzle.  They have perfected the technique of walking real close to the house, under the eaves to escape the rain.  Even got to their dust bathing spot, which is dry, and took their baths.  Barbara layed an egg early this morning, rare for her this early.  Her routine is disturbed by the storm I guess. 

So I am up, drinking Italian coffee ( thank you Kate) in the kitchen.  We have enough eggs to make an omelet for breakfast.  It is a great day to stay in my sweats and read.  Think I'll make a cheese omelet for Cal and I.

Stay warm and dry dear blog readers.

November 28, 2012: Chickens Feet

Got a new issue of "Chickens" magazine.  It is full of great tips and info. about backyard chickens.  There is even an article about how to train your dog to herd your flock.  It gives breeds that are best at this.  Poodles are not on the list!  I was shocked and dismayed.

Our poodle mix Annie must be an extraordinary puppy cause with a few sessions of behavioral training by yours truly, she now goes and " finds the girls" on command. 

She does not chase them, of course they no longer run from her either.  All three are very good at casually slowly moving away, or in Annie's case, towards the chickens.  She pretends she is very interested in sniffing some blade of grass, but I can see that her little brown eyes never really leave the chickens. 

I also learned that chickens can get frostbite on their feet, wattles and combs, but generally only in snowy wet climates.  Another thing to worry about.  Actually I am getting more laid back about them.

However, if you live in snow country, beware!  Lay in a supply of petroleum jelly to use on the exposed feet, wattle and comb regularly.  Of course you will have to catch the chickens first.

Meanwhile Cal and I are planning an expanded chicken pen. The girls need more room and a permanent place to have their coop, and the lawn needs a break.

Here is how we work on a project together:   I usually come up with an idea.  We talk about it, and go away and think.  I come back with easiest, simplest, most effective plan that can be accomplished quickly and cheaply.  Cal, my engineer husband, comes back with the Taj Mahal of chicken pens that will take weeks to complete.  He loves projects.  I see this kind of thing as a job to get DONE. Must be the nurse in me.   He enjoys the planning and process.

Together we are a great team.  I'm learning that not all projects are "jobs" and that the process can be as fulfilling as the end product.  I think Cal has learned that some projects, like the chicken pen for the girls, are time sensitive due to weather, chicken needs and me. We have learned to listen to each other. 

So instead of chain link fence and metal posts cemented into the ground, we're doing a  2X4 frame, with chicken wire, fully enclosed 5 X 12  foot pen, on the west side of the house that we can put the coop in, and walk into, with a slanted top that we can secure a tarp to to keep the girls dry in winter and shaded in summer.   We're work together well. 

November 27, 2012: Auntie Kate comes to visit.

A very lovely lady came today to meet the girls,  Auntie Kate.  She came bearing lovely hostess gifts, sparkling and interesting conversation and lots of laughter.  Three of my favorite things on earth are great conservation, laughing and sharing stories.( which when you get my age, you have plenty of.) 

The stories about Jerry the Genius, the Jack Russell Terrier who lives at Kate and Richard's were so funny and adorable.  That little guy should have his own Reality TV show.  That's the fourth thing I really love, people who truly love animals.  Auntie Kate is one of those wonderful people who see animals as God's loving gift to us. 

Our dog Annie immediately  ( after a treat, as she always barks when new people come to the door to alert us) felt comfortable around Kate and fell asleep on the kitchen love seat while we had our coffee and Cal's scones ( pronounced Scawns -  no clue why?).

Now the chickens:  Well they were a little shy and we had to get Cal and Annie to herd them towards the house. Cal had to do the Senior Citizen vs Chicken Race and finally cornered Barbara who then allowed herself to be petted and loved up.  But her usual 10:00am egg did not appear.  Wanted to proudly show Kate what our several hundred dollars in chicken accoutrement resulted in. NO luck.

Despite the fact that I had a good talk with Barbara and Mabel yesterday about behavior, they did their chicken thing, exactly what they wanted to do.  Again that is the way of the chicken.

Barbara did finally produce a lovely warm egg at 1:30pm.   Mabel was in the coop with her.  She does that when Barbara is laying, yet she does not catch on.  What does she think Barbara is doing in their?

Anyway, had a lovely visit, a great way to start the day with a delightful friend.  Thank you Kate.  We will have to do this again.

November 26, 2012: Sprucing up the coop.



It has started to get pretty cold at night here, which is not quite freezing, but close.  Everything I've read says that chickens are pretty adaptable and can even live in the snow. 

We have made the coop as warm as possible for them and they seem comfortable.  I also read that in the winter chickens need food that stimulates their metabolism to produce more internal heat.  So it's off to the feed store for cracked corn.  We have started feeding them scratch twice a day.  This helps too.

We are using chaise lounge pads on the roof of the coop to act as insulation, as well as closing off  one of the sides, and two of the others during the night.  The nesting box is well filled with pine shavings and I cover the outside of it at night too.  This all looks crappy, but if it keep the girls warm, I'm on it.

Using a heat or light source is highly debated in the articles I've read, especially since we rarely get below freeing and have no snow.  I know egg production is supposed to go down as hours of daylight decrease, and I think  Barbara deserves a rest, so will probably not add a light.  Still nothing from Mabel.  All she has going for her are her looks and personality.  No eggs.

Tomorrow morning the girls will get a visit from our friend Kate who is interested in meeting them.  I am going to ask them to behave.  They will do whatever they want.  That is the chicken way.  We will have home made scones and coffee and hope for the  best.

Perhaps Barbara will even produce an egg on cue.  She usually gets up, runs around and eats scratch, then heads back to the nest about 10:00am to lay her precious egg.  Such a gift.  Each time it is like a miracle.  We still get excited over each little cocoa brown egg.

Ciao Amici.

November 23, 2012: Chicken Visitors

Before Thanksgiving Dinner yesterday at my sisters, Jill, Ben, Laura and Judy all wanted to walk down to our house to meet the girls.  Karen and John only live 8 doors from us.  It was a truly beautiful late afternoon, with fall colors just bursting with vibrancy. 

When we got home the girls had already gone into the coop though it was not even close to dark yet.  It had gotten chilly so they may have cooped to be warmer.  Both girls performed beautifully by letting us pick them right up and making those sweet little chicken sounds.

Laura took some great pictures of the girls, then we headed back to Karen's house for a wonderful dinner, lots of laughing and sharing of stories.

We also talked to Cal's son Kevin in London.  He and his wife Katya host a dinner on Thanksgiving for all their American friends living there.  Kevin had baked the turkey and our granddaughters Lydia and Mila had performed Swan Lake for the guests.

Then we talked to Cal's daughter Kristine in New Mexico with he husband Rob and his family.  His nieces were playing with the 200 hundred chickens they have on their ranch. 

Then we called Carl, Cal's brother, who has a small farm in Michigan.  Guess what, he also has chickens, but he reports that his chickens do not climb up on his lap, or eat out of his hand like ours do.  We dazzled him with stories of our pet chickens.

It was a wonderful chicken -filled day.  We had ham.

 

 

November 22, 2012: Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is a day to reflect on the many blessings in our lives.  We know that God loves us, yet sometimes we may not even recognize our blessings until after the fact.  It may even feel like a punishment, or a painful experience.  The difference is how we discern the experience.  What is our perception of it; blessing or punishment?

Example:  Cal and I drove down to Vallejo and took the Ferry to San Francisco, checked in to a lovely hotel,  had a nice dinner,  and saw a wonderful play.  When we left the theater at 11:00 pm it was pouring down rain, I mean buckets.  All 2,000 of us were trying to get a cab.We had forgotten our umbrella, as it was not raining when we left the hotel.  There were no cabs. 

Cal dragged me down into the  subway, BART, where most of the 2K were heading.
We were soaked, dripping wet, I was scared, and really did not know how to even get a ticket.  When I get scared I get mad.  Seems a more functional defense then weeping. 

We came up out of the subway about a block from the hotel, still raining like hell.  I had a choice of how to respond.

I have to admit that usually when something bad happens I go right to punishment.  Why oh why is this happening, what did I do wrong?  Once I have racked myself over the coals so to speak, I start to step back and plan my response.  One thing I have never ever done is blame God.  I feel grateful for that.  After all, who cares whose to blame.  (However, I enjoy seeing someone held accountable for the bad things they do to others.  Instant Karma, that's the ticket!  Love it.)

Back to the rainy night in SF.  I decided to make this  a good experience.  I mean I was wet but warm.  I was not headed to sleep in a doorway as many of my brother and sisters. I was headed to a nice hotel.  I was not alone and scared, my husband was there and led the way.  I had not spent the evening trying to find food and shelter.  There was some threat as it was in the Tenderloin ( bad area of SF.), but no one was shooting at me.  And remember when I get scared I get mad, and I can be a formidable woman. 

I just started laughing.  Thank you God for all my blessings. 

Blessings come in very tiny whispers, and in huge ways.  I believe they are all around us every day, even in the most horrific experience, a blessing may be present.  My family, animals and friends are a source of endless blessings.

Today I count this blog as a blessing in that it has given me a way to express myself, my feelings, my experiences both boring and mildly exciting.  It is still about chickens.

When it rains they run for their coop, Usually with Barbara in the lead.  They eat anything,  They are excellent foragers.  They play with us, and seem to enjoy the simple things in life.  They don't seem to feel guilt.  They just live.

Mabel and Barbara are blessings in my life too.  They make me laugh and give us eggs. well Barbara does anyway.  Breakfast today is on Barbara, four of her lovely brown eggs.

May the God you worship bless you all today.

November 19, 2012: Friend Wtnesses Seniors vs Chicken Races

Mabel

Our friend Linda came for a visit from the Sacramento area. She wanted to meet the girls so out we went to the back yard.  Oh the girls were so cute pecking around in the leaves that have fallen from our multiple trees.  Mable is almost the color of the leaves. 

I wanted to show Linda how sweet they were, as she had a bad chicken experience in the past.    So Cal and I demonstrated how two Senior Citizens can bob and weave with the best of them, and run like the wind ( almost, if it's a small wind) trying to grab a chicken to hold so Linda could pet it and see how gentle they are. 

We told her it was our form of aerobic exercise, cause I'll tell ya those girls can move.  We started laughing so hard seeing through our friends eyes how ridiculous we looked, trying to chase down about 9 lbs. of chicken on the run.

As is usual brains won over swift and wily, and we cornered the girls in the usual corner and were able to pick them up.  Linda got to pet Mabel as I held the little feathered girl in my arms.  I was sweating from the exertion.

Why do they run from us?  They know by now that we aren't going to hurt them.  It was embarrassing.

So this morning I go to let them out into the yard.  Barbara comes out and lets me pick her right up.  NO chasing, no sweating!  I said to her " why couldn't you have done this when Auntie Linda was here?  You made us chase you all over the damn yard.  We looked like we don't know what we're doing?"  She said " put me down " and ran off. 

November 18, 2012: The Girls Survive 2 NIghts Alone

Actually they did better than survive, they thrived, and Barbara gave us two eggs. 

You see this was the first time we had left the girls in the coop, with the attached outdoor covered chicken patio Cal made, for more than one night, and there was a big storm expected. 

I am learning that chickens are hardy creatures, and already know how to weather a storm as long as they have a warm dry nesting area.  However, being the anxious, fairly new chicken wrangler that I am, I devised a nifty tarp cover for the entire coop and enclosed chicken patio. 

Under the plastic tarp were our 2 chaise lounge pads covering the roof, especially the nest area, a towel over the actual outside of the nest boxes which protrude from the end of the coop, to doubly ensure warmth and a towel over the window and door into the actual nest area which I feared might leak.  I used big rocks and other stone garden art to hold down the tarp in case of strong winds.

To make it even more ugly, I added huge gray plastic bags on top of the patio and hanging down the sides in case the rain came in sideways.  Turns out it did and the plastic bags were worthless, but the interior of the coop stayed dry.

It was not the way I imagined my darling coop to be, all charming and bucolic.  It looked more like Ma and Pa Kettle had moved in to our yard and were crouching under a tarp/towel/ plastic bag tent.

New plan:  Move coop under the patio when we go away for a day or two and rain is expected.  Face the coop door towards our house so the back of the coop takes the brunt of the rain.  It is almost all solid wood, and what is chicken wire can be covered with a piece of plywood sheet we have handy.

Still will need the chaise lounge pads, and the chickens will have a limited view of the sliding glass door into the dining room,.  But  I should not have to hang plastic bags or towels.  I'm thinking the big blue plastic tarp could go up to the cabin to cover the firewood.  Dang it's ugly.

Then we could by a smaller, more attractive water-proof tarp, camouflage patterned?  No.  Pink?  No
Something more charming.  I'll have to look at the local  feed and farm store.

P.S.  No eggs from Mabel yet. 

November 13 2012: No egg yet from Mabel.

Is it possible we have a rooster disguised as a hen?  She has not comb, has a vent, does not crow, and plays second fiddle to Barbara.  Or, as an Ameraucana do her eggs gradually turn to be blue, starting out light brown?  Or, is she younger than they told us, or do hens ever just not lay eggs? 

The are questions Ask Jeeves cannot answer.
They are both growing, but Barbara is twice as big as Mabel.   She also bullies Mabel, so I am keeping a close watch to make sure Mabel gets her share of scratch. treats and feed.  They both seem to be happy, not nervous or skittery.  They groom, take dust baths, jump up on us fro time to time for some petting, and  have a peaceful existence, as far as I can tell.

Last night we heard an owl in the up in the big redwood tree in the yard next door.  I was worried the girls would be scared, but checked on them and they were sleeping in their coop, snug as two bugs in a rug.  Boy that dates me, huh?

We are leaving the for 3 nights this weekend.  That will be a first.  I think I'm going to separate them so Mabel can grow some tail feathers back, and not have to deal with bully Barbara.  We have devised a plan for doing this that should work fine.  Meanwhile I am trying to teach Mable to not turn her back on Barbara.  So far my attempts have failed. 

On the success front, dog and chickens now pretty much ignore each other.  Annie tries to eat their feed, and scratch.  So I threatened to give them some of her food.  Quid pro quo.  Oh she did not like that.

A storm is coming, but today is warm and partly sunny so yard time has been great.  Annie is now sleeping on the chaise on my right and the girls are grooming them selves on my left right next to my chaise.  Ah farm life!

November 12, 2012: Keeping Chickens Warm

Even though we are in California, it still gets cold in the winter.  I've been worried about the girls keeping warm.  Cal keeps reminding me that chickens are hardier than we think, and intellectually I know this, but.....It's cold out there! 

They get back into the coop on their own now in the evening, and are up bright and early wanting to get out and get their scratch.  Me, I'd run right back into the nice warm coop with the think layer of pine shavings.  Like getting back under the covers.  They do not do this.

I can assume they are not feeling the cold like I am, their water is not frozen, they have plenty of feed, though they eschew this in favor of foraging and scratch.

BUT, I think if it gets really cold and rains, I am going to put newspaper and shavings in our big dog carrier and bring them into the kitchen.  Cal says that if I do this they will never want to go outside again.  Probably true.  It's so toasty, sunny and warm in there. 

Next step, Chicken Sweaters.

November 10, 2012: Chickens Love Coffee

My friend Sally sent this too me this morning. I love it.  Ya think it is photo shopped? 

Now I have the answer to why the girls constantly hang out by the back door,  They want coffee!!  Who doesn't!  I know this is a rooster, but everyone knows hens are smarter ( yes they are).  Any way, I also think they know there is food in the kitchen. 

When Annie chased Barbara into the house, she ran right into the kitchen, which is not a direct route from the dining room slider.  Barbara had to run around the dining table, the end of the sofa, into the entryway then hang a hard right to get into the kitchen.   That is where she headed. 

Thank goodness she chose the room with the hardwood floor .  She did not "leave a calling card", but as she seems to be a prodigious  pooper it could have happened.

It is pretty cold today, not freezing, but pretty near in the early morning.  The girls wanted out of the coop early today, but dashed out to peck and get scratch, then ran back up into the roosting area.  We just replaced the pine shavings and it is toasty in there.  Gotta watch heir water and make sure it doesn't freeze. 

As for the picture, I'm sure the girls could learn to do this, but that pot is way to small for the coffee drinking folks in out house, and I truly do not want either of them standing on the kitchen table.

Have a good weekend my fellow chicken wranglers.. And thanks again Sally.

Novmber 8, 2012: Chicken Wrangler Serious Moment

I feel compelled today to write about something that is on my mind and in my heart.  The girls are doing just fine, so I want to talk about something else. 

Our nation and the entire world is going through such a difficult time.  Here in America our economic crisis, political rhetoric and national disasters are played out before the world by a carnivorous Media that thrives on painting the worst picture of life it can. Honesty and integrity in the media has been lost to greed, hunger for power and political agendas.

I can do little about that except, cast my vote, and further withdraw support of any kind for entities and individuals who espouse the ideals that are contradicted by our Constitution.  I am not greedy, power hungry and have no political agenda other than to live my life as a good person.

What I really want to tell you about is my small community in Northern California. Like many small communities all over the world who reach out to those who truly need help every day..  Here is what we are like: 

During the cold winter months our churches participate the the REST Program ( Regional Emergency Shelter Team).  From December through March homeless people are cared for.

Through a local grass roots organization, we provide a warm safe place at each church in rotation, to sleep, give hot meals prepared by the church members, at their own cost, sleeping bags, transportation and other assistance for homeless women, children and families. 

My small Episcopal Church of 25 members made it our Mission to "Feed My Sheep"as God asked us to do, and put in a 11,000 square foot year round vegetable garden, which we plant, tend and harvest, and then deliver the produce free of charge to the local food banks, food closets, churches that provide meals, homeless shelters and the Salvation army.  Last year that totaled over 8,000 lbs. this year almost 6,000 lbs.  And we are not alone.

Our friend Jim, who is himself dealing with a health crisis, takes a small portable kitchen down where ever people are in need and cooks a hot meal for them, for free several times a week.  He often uses our vegetables to prepare these meals, sometimes the only nutritional meal they will have that day.

And just so you know the truth, there are not thousands of homeless people in our community, in fact there is enough housing available for every homeless person, there are enough food programs provided by non governmental agencies so that no one need go hungry.  For some, the choice is to live "rough" as they say.  Jim and others provide for those folks too.

We, just us, just the people, Me, Jim, Cal, Zelda, Rick, Pat, and hundreds of others reach out every day in some way to take care of our fellow man.

Local groups such as Rotary, Kiwanis, Soroptimist and Lions provide coats, blankets, eye glasses, rides to Dr's appts. help with utility bills, refurbish homes for the elderly, and do many other acts of kindness to numerous to mention. 

Everyday citizens, who are struggling them selves to deal with a depressed economy, reach out in hundreds of ways to extend caring hands, for nothing more than the privilege of helping others. 

My friend Fotine who owns a small local restaurant is doing a 'food drive to provide Thanksgiving meals for needy families.  And this is only one of the ways she reaches out, while struggling herself to deal with the economy.

What you may read or see sensationalized in the Media, where ever you may live, is not the truth of what goes on in my country.  Yes we have all the social ills of every other country in the world,  but we have something else. too.  In most people I see in my small community an inherent desire to help each other. not just write a check, really help. 

I think where ever you live, what ever country, that we all all more alike than different, when you get away from the politics and greed, out to the average person, we want to help each other however we can.

I am me, I live in a rural area, I love my country, I love my family, I have worked hard for every single thing I have, and have devoted my life to helping others first as an RN, and then as a Family Therapist.  I tell the truth and value my integrity more than anything.  I work for justice, yearn for peace in our world and pray every day to God the help me do the right thing.

I am your typical American citizen.  God bless you today and everyday.

Nov. 6, 2012: Mabel The Sweet

Here is our Mabel.  She is the sweetest little girl.  Her little voice is just a gentle little brrrrrrr, or coo with an occasional Cluck,  She still has not laid any eggs, so I'm not sure when that will happen.  She may be laying off in the bushes, so we are starting to hunt for little blue eggs.  She is barely 6 months old so hopefully she will bless us with blue eggs soon.

Frankly though, if she never laid an egg that would be OK too.  She is starting to stand up to Barbara, who tries to bully her.  Barbara has also started pulling out  Mabel's tail feathers.  I caught her in the act and picked her right up, told her NO, and put her in time out in the coop. 

Oh, she did not like that at all!  She paced and made a lot of noise, but I did not give in. Meanwhile Mabel blissfully cruised around, pecking at bugs.  Then yesterday, Barbara tried to bully Mabel, and Mabel rose up, spread her neck feathers and charged at Barbara. She did not peck at Barbara, just rose up on her tippy toes.  I was delighted to see her assert herself.

We are deciding whether to keep moving the coop around, or to just devote an area of the yard to the girls, and fence off a larger area for them for when we are not home.  They could still be out loose when we are home, but have more space than the "enclosed patio" Cal built for them,which is perhaps a bit too small. 

Overcrowding can cause chickens to get aggressive with each other , just like humans, so that may be why Barbara has been pulling Mabel's tail feathers.  I've been trying to tell Mabel to not turn her back on Barbara, but she forgets.  Or it is just the proverbial pecking order and Barbara is the Alpha, BUT she needs to be nice to her sister chicken.

I am going to spend part of the day, out on the chaise, just watching the girls.  And maybe hunting for the hidden blue egg somewhere in the yard.

God Bless.

November 3, 2012: Annie the Chicken Herder

It is a beautiful morning and the girls are up cruising around the yard.  They often go behind the hedges, but this morning, Annie went and found them and slowly herded them back towards the patio.  I did not know she was a herder.  Must have some Corgi in her somewhere along with the poodle and the unknown.

The girls now ignore her and she has stopped chasing them,  They seem to have made their peace and can now co-exist in the yard, though we still separate them when we leave home, mostly because we don't want the chickens to fall prey to any wandering predator. 

Annie is disgusted because they don't want to play with her.  She came back up on Cal's lap and showed her feelings quite well.  I can here her saying, " first they get those damn chickens and now those girls won't even play with me Mommy.  Why don't they like me? They make ME sick!"

I explained to her that she is the sweetest most precious baby to us, and that it is just the nature of chickens to be a little standoffish, and in fact they are probably just jealous of her beautiful blonde curly hair.  Then I gave her some of my peach yogurt and all was well.

Now the girls have wandered back up into the coop, and it may be egg laying time.  Lots of wiggling and brrrrrrrring going on in there.   Later, friends.
 

Nov. 2nd, 2012: The Chickens Survived The Storm.

We hit the road for a wine tasting overnighter and left the girls alone in their coop and extension.  We had a hella rain and wind storm, and really battened down the hatches for them before we left.  I worried about them getting wet and being cold.  

Got home this afternoon and they were warm and dry and so happy to see us, running right to us.  Yes it was largely for scratch, but, after they had their treat they hung out around me as I read the paper out on the chaise lounge.  Very chatty little girls, apparently a lot happened while we were gone and they did not want me to miss out on anything. 

They took turns coming up next to me, looking me in the eye and talking.  Heads bobbing up and down, nodding, cooing, chittering, no clucking though.  My original goal was to do the NYTimes Crossword Puzzle from today's paper, with my favorite pen.  But I tell you it was so much more fun to chat with the girls.  Barbara did peck at my pinkie ring once, I think it was for leaving them cooped for over 24 hours, or, because it is sparkly. I continued to watch them cruise the yard, and they kept an eye on me too, running at full speed back next to me several times. 

Oh I forgot that Barbara gave us another egg during the night. Found it when we got home.  No blue eggs.  Mabel is approaching 23 weeks old so we should see something soon.  And she has forgiven me for the digital exam and sitz bath. 

Life is good here at the Chicken Wranglers.  Ciao Bellas.

10/30/2012: Chickens as Hats

 

Just a brief post:  I'm taking a poll, which of us looks better in a chicken hat?  Tori Spelling or me?

 

       
  Tori and Coco
                                                                                   Sharen and Barbara

October 30, 2012: Mabel is Fine.

All that anxiety, for us and for her, and she is fine, no egg yet, but doing great, eating, running around etc.  She however is very wary of me, the one who did the digital exam and soaked her hiney in water to try to relax her muscles and help her lay that first egg, which apparently does not yet exist. 

She looks at me funny and runs away, who wouldn't after that ordeal.  Hopefully she will forget those events, or at least know that mommy was trying to help.  I got some good advice, as posted on FB, from my Cousin Judi, which was basically, "chill out", she'll lay when she's good and ready.

Perhaps I should not have read so much about chicken health threats.  But I'm Italian, and in my famiglia we worry in advance, and always expect and prepare for the worst, so naturally seeing her in what looked like first egg pain made me run to the resources and instigate the treatment.

For fellow chicken lovers, not just chicken raisers, but those of us who love these sweet, funny, goofy feathered little things, we understand that these are God's creatures, our pets with benefits.
Other than scratch in the lawn and poop alot, they do no harm.  Their sweet little voices greeting me in the morning as they run to me, knowing that Mommy is gonna feed them some scratch, it so delightful.  Sitting with them, Cal and I each holding a little girl and having them fall asleep in our arms, is a peaceful experience.  Even Annie is getting used to having them share her yard, and is intensely interested  in their every move, but has not chased them in two days.

And then presto, every day or so we get a delicious little brown egg, the best I've ever tasted.  Gave several to Karen and John and even John ( a tough crowd ) said how much better they were.

Everyone have a blessed day, and say a prayer for those in the path of Hurricane Sandy.
The Chicken Wrangler signing off.

October 28, 2012: Mabel's Unwell Tonight..

Another beautiful day in Northern California and spent a lot of time outside with the girls.  All was well with the girls until about 4:30pm when Mabel went back into the coop, squatted down and began to make a weird noise.  She looked like she was trying to poop....or lay an egg, but was having trouble.  This would be her first egg.  Barbara was staying near her, laying down next to her maybe playing mid-wife or delivery coach.

Went to our chicken wrangling resource books regarding a hen who may be egg bound, or with an egg stuck sideways, so to speak.  And yes folks, I had to glove up and explore her vent ( hiney region).  As an RN, I lost the toss.  Really did not know what ai was supposed to feel, but was afraid to pursue this too far, an perhaps beak the egg or hurt my girl, both unacceptable.

Decided on plan  B and brought her in and submerged her back end in semi-hot water in the sink, as per instructed in our chicken health book, for 20 minutes.  She actually fell asleep during the dunking,  in her Daddy's arms, with her little eyes closed while Mommy gently bathed her nether regions with hotish water. 

We then dried her off and placed her back in the nest area.  We will check her in two hours, then repeat.  If no luck she will have to to see The Country Vet in the morning.   BUT we are hopeful she will lay her first little blue egg tonight, and be OK.  She is such a precious little thing.  She was perfectly fine all day, eating, scratching around and chortling.  I'm worried.

October 27, 2012: Another egg this morning. These girls Rock!

I let the girls out into the yard about 8am into a beautiful sunny day with just a light breeze,  Threw out Scratch calling "chick chick," guess that's what your supposed to say, anyway they didn't need any coaxing.  They hit the Scratch hard.   Annie was allowed to join us, and did very well with "no chase/nice'.Cal and I sat outside with our coffee and watched them cruise around cooing and clucking and making a brrrrrrrr sound.

I heard a hawk calling somewhere in the tree about 2 houses from us.  Both girls alerted and headed for the coop.  Very smart.  They both went up into the nest/roost area and within 3 minutes Barbara had laid a nice little brown egg.  

We have so many trees and shrubs in out yard that a hawk would have a difficult time diving down to get the girls, but just in case, we put their outdoor patio in place that gives them extra room to hang our while still being able to go right into the coop, and stay safe.

Latter today we went back out and each held a little girl petting and talking to them for several minutes.  Annie tried to jump on our laps too, but we gently told her no, but leaned down to pet her.  However, her knickers were still in a twist.  She walked out into the yard, seemingly ignoring us.  However we found her sneaking a peek at us from behind the potted geranium.  It was so dang cute, those little brown eyes peeking through the leaves.  That was our cue to let the girls down and pick up Annie who wanted some cuddles too, as if we don't cuddle her constantly.  BUT-  it was progress as she did not chase or bug the chickens at all. 

This is part of my chicken wrangler dream, to be out in the yard with the girls and Annie, living in harmony. 

October 26, 2012: The Girls And The Cat

We had an intruder in the yard yesterday.  Fortunately the girls were in their enclosed coop patio area.  How did we know about this, you ask, cause the girls set up such a ruckus you could hear them up and down the street. 

I have been under the weather, but Cal ran outside and chased the damn cat away.  Frankly I think Barbara could take any cat, but don't want to test that hypothesis.We never leave them out in the yard when we are gone. 

Today they cruised all over the yard, clear over to the east side yard and found a hiding place in the bushes causing Cal to think he had somehow lost them.  He scoured the yard to no avail until finally hearing adorable coos from behind the bushes.  There they were hunkered down bathing in the dust, having a great time. Mable scurried out and made a break for the deck, hopping up on the hedge, running along is then jumping down and heading for the coop.

My Mom came by and went out with me to see them, she even threw some scratch for them,  See she is afraid of chickens, but is warming up to them.

I spent the day in bed and the girls frequently sat on the door mat outside the bedroom slider resting, lucking, and just peering in at me.  I did venture out to cuddle with Mabel, and Barbara laid another egg.  She is a mechanic in the egg laying department.

It was a basically quiet day, well except for the cat that is.  Damn cat! 
Hoping to feel better tomorrow friends.

October 24, 2012: Annie Goes Nuts!

As you can see in the photo above, Annie our sweet little rescue poodle/? mix, loves kitties.  Here she is with "her Kitty "Callie,  my sisters cat who recently passed away.  Annie loved to nuzzle with  Callie and they were so cute to watch as they walked side by side around the yard.

Enter Mabel and Barbara.  Annie has been so interested  in them, and probably a little jealous of the attention they receive.  We have been slowly introducing them to each other. 

Using behavioral techniques and coaching, we have kept Annie on a leash and allowed her to get close to the girls.  The girls seem mildly interested in her, and slowly move away pecking at new parts of the lawn.  Then, we've let her out into the yard while the girls are in the coop and coached her not to jump on the coop.  Ok so far so good.

Yesterday afternoon we let Annie out into the yard while the girls were roaming around on the lawn, coaching Annie to "be nice/no chase".  This went well for about 5 minutes, and what happened next was really Barbara's fault. 

Annie got a closer, but was just walking along, sniffing where the girls had been, Barbara suddenly flapped her wings and took off running. The chase was on. 

Annie thought this was so much fun, and clearly saw it as a game, and perhaps someday it will be.  She never tried to bite, or harm the chickens in anyway, but she did have a gleam in her eye.  She loves to chase the ball, the "baby", and anything else we will toss, so a running chicken looked like a hell of a lot of fun.

When we said, well really shouted, Annie No Chase, she stopped and came right to me.  Such a good girl.  The chickens calmed right down and went back to cruising the yard.  All was well in the Kingdom of the Chicken Wrangler, again,

By the way, chicken seem to ignore commands like "stay", "come" etc.  And when they run they look just like their ancestors, T-Rex and Velocoraptor . Kinda scary.  Maybe the chicken stare is some deep dinosaur engrams firing off in their little chicken brains, saying:  Meal or Mama?

October 23. 2012: Cooped up all day and not liking it.

The girls weathered their first storm well with only a few grumbles about not being able to get out in the yard.  Barbara even laid another egg yesterday afternoon.  After the storm passed, we let them out for a bit, then held and talked to them for a few minutes.  Mabel seems to love this and likes to be held in my arms.  Barbara likes it too, but wants down sooner than Mabel.

No eggs from Mable yet and she is just about 6 months old, so hopefully she will start laying any day. 

This morning I let them out, then went back to make the bed.  I opened the drapes to find Mabel standing looking in at me, like, whatcha doin?  She stood and watched me carefully, very interested in each simple action of bed making.   It feels wonderful to have someone fascinated by your every move.  Like I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread, or corn scratch in the girls case.

They spend lots of time looking in the sliding doors.  While sitting on the couch last week, alone at home, I distinctly felt that I was not alone, and was being watched.  Kinda creepy until I looked towards the door and found two chickens sitting on the door mat by the door both looking intently at me.  What are they trying to tell me?  More Scratch Mama...or perhaps another delicious tomato please....or no more bananas, yuck......?   Are they trying to communicate by brain waves?  Nothing can stare at you like a chicken, I'll tell ya.

BTW our first winter storm brought tornado's which touched down just south of us and tore up the little 9 hole golf course pretty good.  Not typical for this area.  Also have snow in the Sierra's.  We're headed up that way soon to check on the cabin and no, the chickens aren't going.

October 22, 2012: The First Storm

I heard we had our first rain storm of the season coming in today.  I was filled with elation for the land, but kinda scared about how the chickens would fare.  Was the coop really water proof?  Would the wind drive the rain up their ramp into the roosting area? 

Don't laugh, I've read so much about how the worst thing for a chicken, besides hatching at Foster Farms, is get wet and cold.

Wind and rain started during the night.  The coop was out on the lawn, up against a hedge and under our big tree.  I woke up to the sound of the rain gutters doing a fine job, accompanied by a cacophony of drips.  Then I heard the girls calling. 

You see they were born on May 29th up in the foothills which is a dry area in Summer, and probably not experienced rain before.  I hopped up out of bed, woke up Cal and we suited up for a coop move.

First we had to clear and stack the patio furniture, that part was easy.  I checked the girls and they were downstairs inside the coop, sitting together.  Clearly their main concern was breakfast. 

After deliberation and discussion, translation let's do it this way, we managed to get them upstairs and to lift the coop onto the patio under the roof.  I checked the nesting and roost area which was warm and dry.  The girls felt dry and warm, and hit the Scratch with gusto when I fed them.

Now they are tucked in safe and sound, and I'm going back to bed on this rainy blustery morning.  Winter is approaching, and I'm thinking of a way of bringing the girls inside when it gets cold and wet and windy. P.S. Barbara laid another egg.  That makes 6.

October 21, 2012: All Quiet On The Chicken Front

It's just after 7:00am California time and the girls are still asleep.  I'm going to let them, as they are really talkative in the morning and just in case, I don't want to disturb our neighbors on a Sunday morning.  Now their dog, Doug, barks and whines the entire time they are gone from the house, but 2 wrongs don't make a right if you get my drift.

Taking Annie to church today for the blessing of the animals, and am taking pictures of Barbara and Annie too so they can get a blessing.  They are our pets with benefits and I love them.

Yesterday I picked up Mabel and checked her out.  She has yet to lay an egg and I was worried she could have one "stuck sideways".  I have read about this in my chicken books and it apparently is quite painful.  She did not appreciate my looking closely at her egg ejection area, and complained verbally.  Could see no sign of an egg, and decided not to glove up ( all you fellow chicken wranglers know what I mean).

Barbara continues to be a bully so I am instituting the old squirt bottle method of getting her to stop bugging Mabel.  Thankfully Barbara is not pecking at Mabel, just flapping her wings and body slamming her.

7:35 am and the soft cooing of the girls comes drifting through the dining room door.  Be right back.
7:41 am and the girls are up, out, with fresh water and some scratch which they love.  Checked the
nests, no eggs, freshened the roost area and helped them welcome the day. 

Those little girls sure brighten a morning.
Have a blessed day today dear readers.

October 20, 2012: Chicken in the Kitchen!

Work up before 7am today to get ready for a church function.  Suddenly could hear the chickens screeching.  Scared me to death as I raced out the see if something had gotten into the coop, or one of them was hung up on something.  Threw open the coop door and out ran Barbara like her tail was on fire running straight for the house.

At that same moment Cal opened the slider and Annie ran out.  Cal yells at me, What the hell are ya doing"?  Next scene, Annie has chased Barbara into the kitchen where she proceeded to take a huge, and I mean huge poop.  Like a larger than life golf ball.  See, Cal had not heard the screeching or me shouting that something was wrong, and just thought I had lost my mind.  Little does he know it's been lost for some time now. 

While my blood pressure hit an all time high, I ascertained that nothing was amiss in the coop.  Mabel was hanging out, no dreaded predators ( in this neighborhood it could only be a cat, or maybe a possum), only a nice little warm brown egg in Barbara's nest.  If she is going to announce each egg like this, I'm going to have to get on Xanax.  We do appreciate her prolific laying, but screeching like a banshee does not work for me.

And I think I pulled a muscle in my right arm trying to get the door open.  This Chicken Wrangling ain't for sissy's I'll tell ya.

October, 18, 2012: Another Egg Arrives and Mabel Gets Cuddly

Barbara laid another egg today.  That makes in 5 days.  What a gal!  Meanwhile Mabel did the most amazing thing this evening. 

While I was on the chaise working on my laptop.  She began chatting to me then hopped up on arm.  She peered at the computer screen, all the while talking away like she had a lot to say.  I talked back to her trying to coo with her.  She stared into my eyes and chatted back. 

Then she jumped down and wandered onto the lawn, but quickly came back and jumped up on the  table next to me, sat down and let me pet her for several minutes.Cal was outside with us and we were just astounded at her friendly, puppy-like behavior.  She clearly wanted attention and pets. 

Not to be out done, Barbara sauntered over to Cal and jumped up on his knee.  She shied away from being petted though. 

Earlier this morning, the girls had visitors, our friends Jack, Marian and Nancy came by to meet them.  Marian even brought us a chicken- warming gift, darling chicken place mats. 

After the girls got escorted back into the coop we let Annie out in the yard.  We are slowly introducing the chickens into  her life.  She wags her tail and whimpers  wanting to get close to them.  Tonight she jumped up on the chaise, laid down and just looked at the coop, no barking, whimpering or jumping.  Tomorrow I'll increase her leash time and length and let her get closer to the girls.

My behavioral training program seems to be working...or their behavioral training is working with us.  Either way it is a blast.  Thanks again Zahra, my chicken raising massage therapist.

October 16, 2012: Second Egg Arrives and Mabel Becomes a Lap Chicken

Mabel and Barbara have been here less than a week and have settled in well.  Barbara gave us a second egg yesterday.  I think I need to start looking around the yard for Mabel's first blue egg.  Meanwhile, Mabel has fallen in love with sitting on Cal's lap and being petted and ruffled.

Barbara has taken to jumping up on me while I am sitting on the chaise and pecking at my shoes.  Neither have tried to fly away again so I hope our Chicken Wrangling wing clipping worked.  Both have cleared little spots to take their dust baths and seem to love that. 

Gonna have to watch Barbara as she body slams Mabel away from the food when in the lower level of the coop.  Yesterday they both enjoyed eating a whole tomato and pecking at a piece of squash Cal bought them. 

They are out in the yard most of the day and tend to hang around the sliding doors when we are not out with them.  They even migrated to the bedroom slider yesterday while I was in bed recovering from a minor medical procedure, kinda of like, "where's Momma?" " Oh there she is".  I was out of it, but Cal says they were looking in the window at me for a time, probably wanting me to come out and play.  They love to play, those little girls.

They also went right into the coop and up the ramp into the roost/nest area about 4:30pm.  No chasing or broom action required.  Cal is working on the addition to the coop, expanding the run room so when we are gone for several days, they will have more outside room to explore.  We'll ask  our neighbors or my Sister to check on them in exchange for fresh eggs, whenever we are gone.

I am reading this wonderful little book called " Barnheart": The Uncurable Longing For A Farm Of One's Own. A Memoir,  by Jenna Woginrich.  I reminds me of my own longing to live rurally, have chickens, a goat, a garden and more peace, lots more work, but less distractions from what is truly important.

After all I am just an old Hippie who loved her time on the farm in Hood River, Oregon, sharing a wall in my converted barn stall room with the chicken coop, looking out my antique window at Mt. Hood in the moon light. 

I am up early today and the girls and Cal are still asleep.  Annie got up with me but has gone back to bed with her "cookie".

Life is good, I am blessed beyond belief.

October 14th, 2012: The $600.00 Egg Arrives!

Thank you Barbara for our very first egg.  No wonder you were scratching around in the coop last night and this morning.  What a surprise for us, and Barbara, I bet.

Behold the $600.00 egg!  Cal said it was the best egg he ever ate. 

Now the girls are having a dust bath and relaxing in the yard.  No escape tries today so far.

Both have been staying very close to the coop and us.  Mabel loves sitting on Cal's lap being petting, and Barbara jumped up on my legs while I was reading the paper outside.  They are so funny to watch, and definitely have their own personalities. 

Barbara appears to be the alpha chicken, though Mabel is no push over.

Meanwhile Annie wants to get out and play with them sooooo bad.

Life is good for the Chicken Wrangler.

P.S. The next egg is mine! 

October 13, 2012: Barbara Escapes!

Came home from my book club to find only one chicken in the back yard.   Mabel was cruising around pecking the lawn, but Barbara was no where to be found.  PANIC!!  Cal had been working on their larger chicken run in the garage when Babs took off. 

Sounds of brrrring and cooing came from over the fence and there she was in the side yard of the house next door.  Broom in hand, Cal and I did our chicken capture routine and brought her home.

Time to do the Chicken Wrangler thing and clip their wings.  Got out the magazine with the instructions and just did it.  Apparently we did not clip them short enough, and Barbara hopped up on the fence and went over again.  Capture, was followed by further clipping of both girls wings.  Cal held the girls while I clipped, then he tried his hand at clipping.  Turns out this was simple, painless procedure for the chickens, however Cal and I are sweating by this time. 

Moved the coop away from the fence. Now couldn't find Mabel. Scoured the yard, looked over the neighbors fences...no Mabel!  Holy crap where did she go?  At that point Cal glanced at the coop and there she was blightly sitting in the nesting area, oblivious to our panic, and apparently undisturbed by being moved inside the coop when we relocated it.

Cal picked her up and cuddled her and she sat on his lap for several minutes without being held onto.
Seeing him holding and talking to her, petting her and having her just rest her head on his arm was a sweet sight.  Barbara continued to explore the yard. 

I added the apple cider vinegar to their water, we added the grit and oyster shells to their feed, and put both girls back in the coop as it is now early evening.  Time for  beddy bye, and a big martini for Mommy and Daddy. 

Maybe Daddy will finish the extended exercise area tomorrow and we can continue our adventure in Chicken Wrangling. 

Adios Amigos.

October 12, 2012: Barbara and Mabel Settling In

Day two and the girls act like they have lived here for ever.  They love it when I sit with them outside and stay right next to  me except for when they venture out onto the lawn to peck around.

Barbara has the sweetest chortle and Mable has this little "brrrrrrr"sound she makes, though she just clucked for the first time a few seconds ago. 

They both live to look in the sliding glass doors at Cal and I or Annie.  Annie is very interested in them, and wags her tail like she want to play with them.

I have discovered that a broom works better for herding them, than chasing them while hunkering down and waving my arms like a goof.   

We did decide to build them a covered run that we will attach to the coop when we are away for a few days, so they have plenty of room to exercise and peck around.  They were raised to freely roam except at night. 

They wander around during the day, but head back into the coop later in the afternoon.  They both were in the roost when I woke up this morning.  It is so cute to see the, looking out the window.

My Mom came to see them today and I happened to be holding Barbara.  Mom sat down next to me and petted Barbara.  Then she told me she had been afraid of chickens since she was a little girl.  Guess she's going to get over that after 85 years.

I cannot tell you the peaceful feeling I get sitting here in the yard with the girls.  It is so lovely. 

Here is Barbara just hanging out on the patio.  Mabel is on the left behind the corner of the coop.