Spring Sprang Sprung

Spring is coming along nicely at the farm.  Things are greening up; I love the chartreuse.

Little Red is about to fly up on my shoulder.  She likes me, but really just wants me to feed her. The way she looks into my glasses always makes me think she wants to peck that little black dot out of my eye.  She must see her reflection or she really does want to peck that speck out of my eye.  Baby chicks do that.

Babies are hatching around here.  I did buy some new baby Turkens and Auracanas, but hens are sneaky and hide eggs that later hatch.  At least Mom can take care of them instead of me.  The turkeys are laying.  I almost hope they don't hatch.  Two are more than enough. 

Gracie wonders what in the heck I'm doing, but really just wants an apple or a carrot. 

It is time to trim all the avian boxwoods.  There is so much to do I really don't know where to start, but it's SPRING!

Chicken Art

I love this modern art oil painting.  I got it years ago at a flea market.  Signed by North in 1957, I find it amazing though obviously not professionally done.  From the oval shape in the center to the diamond shaped ground and seeds; the composition intrigues me.  It was probably done as a class study.  I would love to take classes in modern art. My brain would rail against it, but oh, what fun.

Mike The Headless Chicken

Poor Mike!  Yes, it's true.  Mike the headless chicken, lived for a long time after having his head chopped off.  It was said that Mike even scratched around on the ground as though trying to uncover a bug. The owners took him to fairs and shows, but alas, after a feeding in a motel room, they left Mike alone and he choked to death.

Makes me never want to eat chicken again.

Parisian Poulet

Grilling out for the holidays? Mmmmm! Chicken. Don't know about you, but I think I would pass on fowl if this is what I had to choose from at the market. There were feathers, legs, faces and feet, not to mention the head, like it was sleeping with its comb still on. Small birds, ducks and geese and rabbit too. Everything was not wrapped in plastic like our pre-packaged meats from the store. Some birds wore stamps or decals of some kind; my guess is it was to tell you where they came from. I am sure they were more flavorful than what we get at Wal Mart, but I just can't do the whole animal thing. I've never eaten one of my chickens (nor bunnies, turkeys or animals, oh my). They have names and as it is, I can barely choke down one of the eggs.

Sometimes Your The Windshield, Sometimes Your The Bug

What started out as a bucolic spring afternoon, progressed with me upended in chicken shit and broken eggs at the barn. I'd collected the eggs and looked around the hay bales for some stragglers who like to try and trick me and hide their eggs in the goose's nest. I climbed and raided said nest, then began to descend and got snared by fence wire used to hold the hay bales together. As I flew chickenlike through the air, the eggs went flying and my feelings were hurt, not to mention my neck has a crook in it now. So no eggy recipe today. Hope I can turn my head tomorrow. Got to plant the rest of my strawberries. Happy birthday to my dear friend Mary Kay. She's the best egg of all.

Fun At The Farm

Bella came down for a fun day at Nonna and Poppa T.'s farm. She is fearless and hung on to the eggs she gathered. Odette the horse, enjoyed carrots and the chickens and geese got bread. Bella wanted to take the bread out to them. Baby brother Oliver is too little to enjoy the outdoor fun, but just wait a few more months.

EGGS

The incredible, edible egg. A report this week called them wonder food for our aging bodies. Though snow is still aground in the shadows and the goldfish pond is covered in ice, I gather more eggs than I know what to do with. If I bake, I want to eat it all. I did sell a few dozen, but they are not organic. The feed the chickens eat has to be organic and that would cost a fortune. The yolks are a deep orange though and I like to think they are healthier than the pale lemony yellow ones from the store. Always buy cage free or free range. The others are cruelly raised.

HAIKU CHICKEN

The small gray rooster
Claims the red hen for himself
Cluck, clucking, clucked.


This guy's a whopper - at least 2' tall, a long and lean Araucana. This is the breed that lays colored eggs.

Big, fat Barred Rock boy. He'll be runnin' the show before long.

The first time out of the pen. The little gray rooster is hardly bigger than a robin. I think he's my favorite. I dare not name him or the coyotes or barn cats will eat him.

And all from these teeny chicks I bought last fall. Got my first eggs this week. Oh no! Means I have to clean out the chicken house (the worst job in my world).

Here Chick, Chick, Chicks

Look what I got today. It has been awhile. We raised chickens for many years; enjoyed them, their eggs and their antics. When my son went away to college, they sort of went away too. Coyotes, old age and other varmints finally killed off our flock. We never would eat them and even eating their eggs are hard when you know what's in them. Its been lonely on the farm without them. This isn't the time of year one usually starts their flock, but I couldn't wait till spring. So I got 10 pullets (girls) and will get guineas and turkeys in the spring. Turkeys are my favorites as they are so loving and have great personalities.

Taking a little nap - it is too cute!