a man and his hoe

every day is a good day

Category: About My Chickens

  • Time to Worship the Sun

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    If there is one thing chickens worship, it is the sun. It is what they live for … and after many days of rain, the sun is out today, filling them with great joy. Chickens love the sun so much, that the cruelest thing you can do to a chicken, is lock them up in houses where they never see their sun god.

    Watch chicken society closely, and you quickly realize that the sun god rules their lives. It’s whom the roosters are trying to wake up when they start crowing before dawn. It’s whom the roosters are cheering on as they crow throughout the day. And when the sun starts to set, the roosters gather their hens back to the safety of their roosts, to spend the dark night while their sun god is away. Who knows, maybe the idea of religion started with chickens and their sun worship.

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  • I Want That One

    BattleOfTheNest04

    Drama at the nests. Hanabi-hime is eyeing the nest Ruby is in, and Ruby is not happy. She is screeching at Hanabi-hime. “Don’t you dare!” she says. There are two empty nests next to the one Ruby is in, but Hinabi-hime wants THAT ONE.

    BattleOfTheNest05

    Eventually Hanabi-hime gives up, and nestles into the next nest, but she’s not happy. Ruby finishes laying her egg, and jumps down. There are two eggs in the nest, but which one is hers? That’s easy to tell. It’s the warmest one as it’s the last egg out of a hen, but before I have time to take the eggs, Hanabi-hime nestles into the nest she wanted in the first place. The two fake eggs are there to let the hens know the nest is a safe place to lay eggs.

    BattleOfTheNest03
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    Later, when Hanabi-hime is done laying her egg, I have a chance to gather the eggs before the next drama starts.

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  • Every Day is a Lucky Day

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    Every day is a good day – it’s a saying I say over and over again. Around here, it’s also a Lucky day. Early this morning while bringing in some wood, I found Lucky sitting in one of the nesting boxes in the woodshed. She hopped out, leaving this warm, wonderful egg.

    LuckyInHoseA

    Later, while we were having lunch, she made us laugh when she decided that a curled up hose was a perfect place to take a nap.

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  • An Egg With a Smile

    CouletteOnTheNest

    Coullette is the Hedda Hopper of the hens here. Her flamboyant red coiffure against her black and white coat are eye popping. Perhaps a pearl, nestling on her red comb, is all she needs to complete her accoutrement.

    CoulettesEgg

    Her stunning looks aren’t the only thing that make me smile. When I went to take a picture of her egg, it was smiling too.

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  • Sunday Morning Eggs

    SundayMorningEggs

    The hens have outdone themselves again, laying a beautiful basketful of eggs. These are from yesterday afternoon. My favorite are Midge’s speckled, purple-hued egg in the middle, and Hazel’s freckled egg below Midge’s. They are so beautiful, I’ll leave them on the counter for a while yet. A basket of multi-hued eggs is as pleasing to the eye as a bouquet of flowers.