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.