Rooster Combs

Our roosters Abe and Homer decided they were tall enough to eat from the top of our metal feeder.  Unlike their counterparts, the hens that feed from the bottom of the feeder.   Have you ever seen the movie "The Christmas Story"?   Well, the rooster's combs stuck to the metal of the feeder just like the boy in the movie had his tongue stuck to the flag pole.  Our roosters aren't the brightest in the hen house they stuck their combs to the feeder not once but numerous times.  Blood was everywhere from them ripping their frozen combs from the metal.  My husband and I determined that chickens never or almost never learn from past experience, a little like us humans.  Anyway, we decided to remove the metal feeder and use a rubber feeder.  My daughter, Alexis and I put A&D on their combs.  All is well!!

Rogue chicken

We have a chicken named Claira. She is a cross breed.  Her head is brown and her body is black.  Anyway for whatever reason she will not follow the flock.  She is a drummer that follows her own beat.

I've tried a multitude of things to help her reenter our flock.  I think things are going well and the next thing I notice is her on the front porch again.  I decided, what the heck and began feeding and watering her on the porch.  I even put a basket with straw on the porch and she sleeps and lounges in the basket.  It is the cutest thing.  I will post a picture when it isn't as cold as 20 below.

I can watch her while in the kitchen.  By the way, I'm in the kitchen a lot.  Anyway, I have grown to love her little antics.  She jumps up and down on our table and glider playing with our barn cats that mosey up her for a treat.  Maybe she dreams of being a cat or believes she is one, who knows.  My three year old granddaughter, Zoey is even captured by her comedy.  Zoey calls her a "Road Chicken" .  Because every once in a while we find Claira in the middle of the road.  Thank God we do not have much traffic!!!

I began worrying about her in this wea

Chickens and Fetticini

Fettuccine and chickens are a funny mix.  I had left overs of fettuccine noodles and decided I wanted to see if my chickens would eat them.  My friend told me she frequently make spaghetti for her chickens and they love it.

Yesterday morning after watering, the chickens followed me out to the barn yard like usual thinking I was going to give them scratch as I do every morning.

I laid the noodles down on the ground and to my surprise they began fighting over each noodle.  It
 was the caviar of the chicken world.  Imagine the movie  Lady and the Tramp , the cute scene in which Lady begins eating a spaghetti noodle and Tramp finds himself on the same noodle.  Suddenly, they come face to face and their eyes meet.  Now you can imagine my chickens minus the romance.  As the chickens scurried around, our cat, Otis noticed all the ruckus and joined the fun.  Chickens, roosters, and a large gray hair tom cat began fighting over the delicious noodle.  What a sight.

Olive Makes 13

A friend of mine, Christine, suggested I write down this story about my chickens and let my readers enjoy.

The other evening I was in the chicken coop feeding and watering before bedtime.  My favorite chicken Olive is a beautiful Ameraucana.   I picked her up and put her on my shoulder as I did my chores.  I closed the chicken door to tuck the chickens in for the night.

 I began my night ritual of counting the chickens.  One, two, three....Twelve!  Twelve?  Oh no, one is missing!  

Memories of looking for chickens in the dark returned to my mind.  After 1 1/2 hours we found them in the rafters of the barn.  

I don't want to look for a chicken in the dark.  "Maybe I counted wrong."  I began counting again "one, two, three....12.  Again 12!" "Olive who is missing", I asked her as she rode on my worried shoulders.

They're moving around maybe I missed one.  I counted again, "One, two, three.....12!" and then Olive "PEEPED!"  "I held 13!