Greetings from the chicken ranch...

I think one of my chickens is a rooster. It is larger, more aggressive, has a larger comb (that thing on top of their heads) and a larger wattle (that thing hanging off of their chin) it has been trying to crow, but more importantly... it tried to mount one of the chickens. Chicken porn is not some thing to see before you have had your coffee. However, the expression on the unsuspecting chicken was priceless..."WTF ?!"

They clammer to get out of the coop when I open the pop door and push each other off of the ramp. Some fall off in an unceremonious thump on the ground. Then they all begin to argue over what ever treat I have brought them. Old melon, salad, greens etc. After they have sorted this out they notice me returning their freshly filled water font and begin to follow me in a curious waddle formation. There is one that is fascinated with my shoes. When I stop she pecks at my laces. I encourage them all to come out by picking up the stragglers and placing them on the ground. They usually give me the "stink eye" and run back up the ramp.

Oh well, at least they touched the ground first. At sundown it is time to go in for the night. This is a time of great jocularity. I have both of my kids out helping me. My daughter quietly shushes a chicken to a corner and picks it up. I try herding several in one direction and grab the one who doubles back. My son uses the chicken hook which is like a shepherds hook only smaller. He snags their leg from behind and pins them to the ground.You've heard the expression "herding cats" well it has nothing on "herding chickens". Though I must say my daughter does a little better than my son and I (3-2) My son has little patience and I hate being outsmarted by a chicken.

I no longer bring the dog down to run in the orchard while I care for the chickens. He has a tendency to frighten them by running around their fenced area yelling, "Yummy, yummy, yummy" while the ladies scream and run away. Peace and love to you all....

School starts....

Many of you know I home schooled my kids through middle school. Mostly because my kids were the little quiet ones who got thumped by the other kids, but also because the school district was horrible. Foul language wasn't corrected, my daughter was being humiliated by a teacher because I reported her for her political indoctrination of the kids, oh and my son couldn't read. Yup, sixth grader who could not read. Anyway, my son rejoined public school at the high school level and now it is time for my daughter to become a freshman in high school (sigh) It's like kindergarten all over again. My baby is growing up, only this time instead of holding my hand and hiding behind me, she is pulling away from me and running down the path.

She'll be fine, I know, but will I ? What will I do with all of the time I no longer have to spend on lessons and grading? I have my dog and the cats (no one is willing to claim them any more) and I have my chickens. The house needs to be repainted and the carpets need cleaning, the windows are filthy and the garden needs weeding. The driveway needs to be.... hey, wait a minute, can I go back to school too? I could use the rest.

So I went down to the high school to enroll my baby....I mean daughter. We squared our shoulders after spending two weeks looking for all of the documents we would need. Our hands were sweating as we drove to the school. When I say we I mean me, she was grinning and chattering away like a happy little bird filled with excitement and anticipation. After solemnly walking up the path to the office (me again) we saw the sign, "Office closed until 12:30" Yeah !...I mean aww, too bad. We went home for lunch and are getting ready to go back.

I have my baby for a few more hours before I have to give her to the world... and get to work. Peace and love to you all.....

Happy Birthday toooooo meeeee......

I got a new screen door...wahooo. Now before you all start blinking rapidly and scratching your head, my front door is over sized. There are no openable windows (is that a word?) for ventilation on that wall, so a screen door is a real treat, and since it is a custom door...very costly. My sweet husband saved up and installed it yesterday; it is beautiful. I am very lucky and thankful. And now on to the news, the dog needs glasses because he can't see the screen door and walks into it all of the time. This is the new entertainment program for us all. We open the door, sit down and call the dog. Thump! Good thing it has a pet screen in the bottom. And speaking of dumb animals, the egg layer or fancy chicks, as my daughter calls them, keep getting out of their brooding enclosure and now are wandering around the garage. My son opened the garage to put the car away and had to leap from the car and chase chickens around. You would think in 104 degree heat they would not be very fast, but they are and that boy can move pretty quickly too. The Cornish chicks (meat birds) are not interested in escape. They grow three times as fast as the fancies and are in metabolism overload. They waddle around, panting, barely covered by their feathers because of their rapid growth. They remind me of pregnant women in their tenth month. They look at me as if to say, I am miserably hot , go ahead and eat me...just do it !! Poor things. I will have the fence up around the coop tomorrow and they can o play outside in the fresh air. Watch out for the hawks little chickies....Peace and love to you all....

Be on the look out for escapees...

I go to the hardware store to get pea gravel to set the coop in. It needs to be level or the chickens will keep falling over...not really, I just can't stand seeing it all tipped like that. When we get home I check on the chicks. One of them is loose in the bathroom where they are staying. Not in a panic or anything, just shuffling alone looking for something to eat and drink. My son grabs her and puts her back where she can meet those needs. Boy are chickens poor planners. On the other hand my chick brooding enclosure no longer serves its purpose. That was quick. It is kind of like trying to keep your teenager in shoes. Just when you think everything is okay, one little piggy goes weee, weee, weee need a bigger place to be. Oh well, good thing he caught her or we might have to put out an Amber Alert. Peace and love to you all.....