Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Sept. 5, 2012: What The Hell Is A Pullet?



Eating lasagne in the Sierra's

Hi my dear fellow chicken wranglers.  I am back from 8 glorius days up in the Sierra's.  Beautiful clean air, cooler temperatures, a river to sit in.....returned to the valley with temps. in the mid 90's and air so bad from the California forest fires, that I can actually see it robbing me of my free-radicals.  No matter.

My cousins Judi and Darrel and their darling grandchildren, Morgan, Calvin, and Regan joined us up at the cabin for a magical visit.  They have had chickens for decades, until recently when a bear decimated their coops.  They live in the near-wilderness, but haven't had much trouble with wildlife murdering their chickens before.  Bastard Bears!

Anyway, I learned a lot about the adventures of chicken raising from them, especially Darrel and Calvin, though 5 year old Regan did share with me that hand feeding their chickens does not hurt ( they don't bite you, she said). Darrel says they will sh-t all over out patio, and that he will check back with me a year to see how I feel about chickens.  Clearly he does not feel the same way about chickens as I do.

I had to explain to him that my girls will be pets with benefits, and more importantly  there will be not nearly as many chickens as he has had. So bring on the chicken sh-t!  I mean how much can two or three hens really produce?

We are counting down to chicken arrival now.  But until yesterday I did not now what a pullet was.  Whenever somewhat mentioned that word, I would pretend I knew though, so as not to appear to be a chicken fool.  That God for my fellow chicken wranglers newsletters! 

A pullet is a female chicken under one year old.  A hen is a female chicken over one year old.  Did you all know that already?  Am I the only chicken wrangler that has been feigning this knowledge?  All pullets are females!  Who knew?

I also learned that feed stores love chicken novices cause they can sell you a bunch of useless, yet expensive chicken paraphernalia.   The recent increased interest in urban chickens has hatched a crop of carpetbaggers out to try to rob the unsuspecting chicken wrangler.  NOT I.  I am arming myself with information, and will not be cheated!

Oh my God, look at that darling pink watering can and matching feeder!  I'll take two of each.


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