a man and his hoe

every day is a good day

  • Early Morning Egg

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    Collette has just laid an egg. Hens tend to do most of their egg laying in the morning and early afternoon. Is she a sitter or a walker? After laying an egg, hens often shift the egg into position with their beaks. Then they either sit down to spend some bonding time with the egg, or they walk away. This morning, Collette was a walker.

    In the nest next to her, Buttercup is sitting on her eggs. In about two more weeks, she should have a clutch of chicks to tend. She seems annoyed that I’m taking her picture this morning. She’d probably be pissed if she knew I was going to post her photo online. Is it animal cruelty to post photos of animals online without getting their permission? The more technical we become, the more moral dilemmas we have to slice.

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  • One Potato, Two Potato …

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    Billy is happy to see me bring out a basket of potatoes to plant. Chickens love potatoes. You can plant rows and rows of potatoes, but if you let chickens into your potato beds, you will be lucky to see a handful of potatoes at the end of the season. Last year they had a steady feast in July and August. This year it’s my turn to have some potatoes.

    These are All Blue potatoes. Later I’ll be planting Mountain Rose, Nicola, Satina, and Yukon Gold. The chickens will get their fair share.

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  • Something Old, Something New, Something Big, Something Small

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    A tiny egg was a pleasant surprise this afternoon. The tiny egg means a young hen laid her first egg. These baby new eggs are always fun to find. It doesn’t take long before young hens lay full size eggs, which makes these tiny eggs special.

  • Bees and Humans – One Thing in Common

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    The wonderful thing about having fruit trees is that you get to enjoy the apples, cherries, pears, and plums months before they are ripe. You first get to enjoy their fragrant flowers when they bloom, and then their fruit when it’s ripe. It’s odd when you think about it, that humans and bees, two creatures as different as possible, are both attracted to the same thing – flowers. Bees are after pollen, but do they find the flowers beautiful as well?

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    ChickensInTheSun

    The sun is out this morning and many of the chickens are gathered in their favorite morning hangout, discussing the dreams they had during the night, and fluffing their feathers in the warm sunshine. Out on the pond, a pair of Canada geese are nibbling away at the duckweed. This is the first year we’ve seen Canada geese on the pond.

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  • On a Rainy Day

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    On a rainy day, the covered chicken yard is a dry place to be. It’s a chance for the hens to gossip and get caught up with what is happening. Though I think that Midge on the right has had enough of Coulette’s tales. Buttercup below is incubating eggs. See how fluffed up she is? When hens incubate eggs, they spread their bodies out. It’s a clear sign that they have gone broody and are not just laying an egg.

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    Chickens are so full of personality. They have the brightest eyes and are curious about everything. They all deserve to live carefree lives, enjoying the outdoors, eating grass, gorging on cherry blossom petals, scratching for worms, running about, chasing field mice, and having affairs.

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