tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45349397874423635492024-03-21T18:54:04.318-07:00Poultry GuestsJecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-3808961365897403622009-07-25T16:07:00.027-07:002009-07-25T17:08:45.965-07:00We've been invaded!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1et-QmzrYMXRTieWMKTn_Bg1Mii3KU8YAw91AkMs8FAsanZh5U2RQUXm1jGoygKMrsA7fhvlrVA-6-W6b_dqgd5ZCeQEXN0JBy_K9VuDju1zSq6Ypr8gHNLAlFpsT7F7cLN0kMqepJiA/s1600-h/IMG_6762.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1et-QmzrYMXRTieWMKTn_Bg1Mii3KU8YAw91AkMs8FAsanZh5U2RQUXm1jGoygKMrsA7fhvlrVA-6-W6b_dqgd5ZCeQEXN0JBy_K9VuDju1zSq6Ypr8gHNLAlFpsT7F7cLN0kMqepJiA/s200/IMG_6762.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362551678365032930" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEEfIOX3JmWL-wjFdGg3KVgXRFKLeCw-xHcJbfHgeyj9MnmCFOtwRZApYmX1LFoNXrzv2Xk7SoOca16CHUcrMceeWVxyfVpKjHSqVz4uAMA2pFWO6ElSWFFJ4mBxHoY7hs0_0nluqUAFc/s1600-h/IMG_6815.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEEfIOX3JmWL-wjFdGg3KVgXRFKLeCw-xHcJbfHgeyj9MnmCFOtwRZApYmX1LFoNXrzv2Xk7SoOca16CHUcrMceeWVxyfVpKjHSqVz4uAMA2pFWO6ElSWFFJ4mBxHoY7hs0_0nluqUAFc/s200/IMG_6815.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362551490166322946" border="0" /></a>You are wondering why we haven't posted recently. For one thing, our humans were gallivanting about in May and June. They also claimed to be working raaather too much, Jesse on yardery and Cecile on that blasted book. Our coop is cooler, and so we believe Jesse. But we haven't seen any stinkin' book, so we're dubious about Cecile's claims. (Danielle: Beware!) Also, one of our number went broody. And how! Our Buffy is only just now coming out of it, poor thing. She weighed mere ounces, but is thankfully gaining weight again.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-17KyTilzCfDiCMwbu0RDCcjnbDRh3FX50BmgAVjsWy9i__xR_kYI94C6kANqjYF3XeZQmx1P6IehuAsLfPSjgChz3CCrAb0opCPEcZRnPJPlJDRCyAlN6GicUXOHhPgLauhn81OTtCA/s1600-h/IMG_6790.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-17KyTilzCfDiCMwbu0RDCcjnbDRh3FX50BmgAVjsWy9i__xR_kYI94C6kANqjYF3XeZQmx1P6IehuAsLfPSjgChz3CCrAb0opCPEcZRnPJPlJDRCyAlN6GicUXOHhPgLauhn81OTtCA/s200/IMG_6790.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362543755451547714" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfDG1imYj-u2iZDRFTnIspN-oxNV-V6UcDmYoQUQS1FEGLhqdEW9Zu-tzLECVRd3Ua7QkhPAaf5ZRCc5ZFlZhyphenhyphendRwQQl2M0LuEkVPNeuMimdzqyCR3-3b2pbmZPWt5ouTyFKuX6Vp8BY/s1600-h/IMG_6797.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfDG1imYj-u2iZDRFTnIspN-oxNV-V6UcDmYoQUQS1FEGLhqdEW9Zu-tzLECVRd3Ua7QkhPAaf5ZRCc5ZFlZhyphenhyphendRwQQl2M0LuEkVPNeuMimdzqyCR3-3b2pbmZPWt5ouTyFKuX6Vp8BY/s200/IMG_6797.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362547281777172450" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Our most calamitous news is that Jesse and Cecile brought a box of 27 two-day-old chicks home at the end of June. We were shocked! (And Machu is fascinated.) They even put one in with Buffy, hoping that she would then believe that she had been effective. She's not <span style="font-weight: bold;">that</span> stupid. But these chicks -- whew! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfVBeEXYbPxMV_uh17VxQJ-8h4Rnb1MkYkOEwu5p0FeVaJIxEiW-VOsoE3zyZhcP_haNVImA60GBmiLTVrxE6lBy13UUQyyHTXIXYebU97o-ImPVgYf0UW0lyKaypEGlqNfyid6GdwlQ/s1600-h/IMG_6771.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfVBeEXYbPxMV_uh17VxQJ-8h4Rnb1MkYkOEwu5p0FeVaJIxEiW-VOsoE3zyZhcP_haNVImA60GBmiLTVrxE6lBy13UUQyyHTXIXYebU97o-ImPVgYf0UW0lyKaypEGlqNfyid6GdwlQ/s200/IMG_6771.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362544483950340002" border="0" /></a>They had to be individually taught to drink water. It is somewhat amazing, given this ignorance, that <span style="font-weight: bold;">any </span>survived. Alas, they <span style="font-weight: bold;">all </span>have. So far! (Shakespeare pecks them when she thinks Jesse's not looking.) But there are only 12 with us now because other humans fell in love with the rest of them. These are mostly <a href="http://marans-club.club.fr/index.htm">Coq Marans</a>, Frenchified chickens. (Did you read <span style="font-style: italic;">French-fried</span>? Hee hee ... It's a hen joke. You're lucky you got it.) 'Ours' of course came from Iowa, just like Jesse. In the most chaotic picture in this post, you see them as they are today. Big! Being perceptive, you will also have noticed that two are ringers. One is a Rhode Island Red who Jesse calls <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">I</span>. Unbelievably, each has a name. But there is a definite lack of imagination in th<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNf39kXH7youIup8cPFsQSTCY456_I3lQD0UEose6CDUiezMQVQ3j3FFV4zRHl8WXt5i8QwY8qGHVSAgtUYdf_3esW98xnPISxgFfnKY93pCn3tb6tTYifDFtcDZeimmoYHZ_eRozYuck/s1600-h/IMG_6869.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNf39kXH7youIup8cPFsQSTCY456_I3lQD0UEose6CDUiezMQVQ3j3FFV4zRHl8WXt5i8QwY8qGHVSAgtUYdf_3esW98xnPISxgFfnKY93pCn3tb6tTYifDFtcDZeimmoYHZ_eRozYuck/s200/IMG_6869.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362547945644279666" border="0" /></a>e naming thereof. They go from A to J, and then the last one is called LMNOP. How, you ask, did <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">I</span> join this motley crew? Jesse proposed a chick-exchange at the post office. When she and Cecile picked their box up, a couple from Marana was there picking up an entire box of Rhode Island Reds. Can you even imagine that many birds of the same feather? Apparently, we are sure that <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">I</span> is a hen (color being sex-linked in her breed). But the folks from Marana may have gotten a rooster. It's still a mystery. We are hoping against hope that a number of the invaders are roosters. They will then be given to the Food Bank or the folks in Marana. Or ... who knows? We hear there are other possibilities. The other ringer is <a href="http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html?gclid=CPurtrqH8psCFSRPagod-VnI_A">Murray McMurray</a>'s idea of a joke. We think she is another foreigner, probably a <a href="http://www.wilkamdai.com/breed_of_the_month_poultry_Houdan.html">Houdan</a>. All topknot, no brains.<br /><br />You may wonder, as we do, <span style="font-weight: bold;">why </span>our humans got these chicks. The Marans that turn out to be hens are supposed to lay chocolate eggs. Harumph!Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-16078640614763325332009-05-20T13:24:00.006-07:002009-05-20T13:44:35.689-07:00Helloooo Food Bank!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQNVmv_avq4U_Txxr-mcnVuF_gQ7k-_Gu9qko_czuy1IFfbC0JQDnVD9yeXXmJVqsUdSFt2QIMYrl9Z67Qotmy1wqKskwOK0G6R9H5EgIAlfdYjsZqKxUEPMhfPCMUY2cRL0xlPS0qLs/s1600-h/IMG_5938.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQNVmv_avq4U_Txxr-mcnVuF_gQ7k-_Gu9qko_czuy1IFfbC0JQDnVD9yeXXmJVqsUdSFt2QIMYrl9Z67Qotmy1wqKskwOK0G6R9H5EgIAlfdYjsZqKxUEPMhfPCMUY2cRL0xlPS0qLs/s200/IMG_5938.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338005099695393794" border="0" /></a>Our Silkie sisters left yesterday to live at the Food Bank's coop. Cecile got paranoid about their noise, and Jesse reluctantly agreed to give them away. They really were a bit over the top. They laid gorgeous pink eggs, but they went broody so often that it was hardly worth the effort. And really! Those eggs were not worth <span style="font-style: italic;">celebrating</span> for quite so long every time one came out ... or might be about to come out ... or came out two days ago. But we never thought these hens were the smartest birds hatched on this planet. And we are glad The Committee rules again. Pictured here is Thing 1 or Thing 2. We could only tell them apart if one was broody. Good riddance, we say.Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-6831643555478286072009-05-10T15:53:00.002-07:002009-05-10T15:54:30.218-07:00We love our Jesse!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJQFIZfrTpSMmpHyaAORYT-WGIzuSiV_cY73GU3tmvjOGrYfFl_ska0EIbUXBudLEk4_bGcWkDQHrH69JCKrDGyNfKin1ajVImPMRw4NNpkaprkeylKoRMdKaF35Bl59QX7jWboJFJfI/s1600-h/IMG_5824.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJQFIZfrTpSMmpHyaAORYT-WGIzuSiV_cY73GU3tmvjOGrYfFl_ska0EIbUXBudLEk4_bGcWkDQHrH69JCKrDGyNfKin1ajVImPMRw4NNpkaprkeylKoRMdKaF35Bl59QX7jWboJFJfI/s400/IMG_5824.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334332466512868514" border="0" /></a>Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-31696946735264498312009-04-21T11:41:00.000-07:002009-04-21T11:42:18.016-07:00The chicken at the library<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhGXO2qv_CQ">This </a>is another of our favorite YouTube clips.Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-70765918274564335512009-04-19T10:16:00.002-07:002009-04-19T10:19:21.786-07:00The joke du jourThe coop doesn't have a TV, so we watch YouTube on the desktop in the library instead. Even though <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhGXO2qv_CQ">this clip</a> doesn't feature <span style="font-style: italic;">real</span> chickens, it did make us chuckle and cluckle.Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-72467926560493769082009-04-17T10:22:00.001-07:002009-04-17T10:23:50.641-07:00Book reviewWatch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9P17eYfp4E">this </a>to the end when a five-week-old chick and her girl dance.Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-10375769775896088152009-04-03T16:16:00.003-07:002009-04-03T16:20:26.281-07:00March egg reportWe made <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">108 eggs</span> last month! We're not sure what happened to them, but we suspect our featherless friends. Have they gone broody? Is there a giant nest inside their brick coop? We don't know why they live in such a horrible coop, or why they keep chicken-killers in there with them. Maybe the same pathology that explains these choices also accounts for their egg-stealing behavior. Being hens, we'll just keep at it. Thank goodness for the grubs and greens from the neighborhood gardeners!Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-12928307750793304632009-03-26T11:02:00.002-07:002009-03-26T11:05:09.707-07:00Chicken head trackingThis is one of our favorite YouTube <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dPlkFPowCc">clips</a>. It shows how good we are at using gyroscopes, or something like that.Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-60135588560458638962009-03-13T17:30:00.004-07:002009-04-04T12:09:23.069-07:00Running on all cylindersToday was our first five-egg day. That makes 183 eggs in 2009 so far, most of which were eaten right here on the ranch. Since we have five hens, this is exactly what we were hoping for. No one who's laying has to go into the stew pot. Hee hee!Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-1121371512592022042009-03-04T06:09:00.003-07:002009-03-04T07:09:19.584-07:00O the horror!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7GyDXsLU4vIU1GWY05b-CDD66ZaacDL9RN6Hv4Pnq0mHDbYWwX4QALs0uEBtMkZEiwqTnrjN6AhgLlEwXCp-NgtzKfxiXsVyrbKu3hZlaqCW_sB1Ksb2B-NVSR1Sb-aqhowgxskdAi8/s1600-h/chickenhorror.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7GyDXsLU4vIU1GWY05b-CDD66ZaacDL9RN6Hv4Pnq0mHDbYWwX4QALs0uEBtMkZEiwqTnrjN6AhgLlEwXCp-NgtzKfxiXsVyrbKu3hZlaqCW_sB1Ksb2B-NVSR1Sb-aqhowgxskdAi8/s400/chickenhorror.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309319254328974450" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.poultryhelp.com/cartoons1.html">www.poultryhelp.com/<wbr>cartoons1.html</a><br /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/CECILE%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.jpg" alt="" />Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-25847179049651881152009-02-23T08:16:00.007-07:002009-02-24T08:27:06.026-07:00Kim FoxWe went to a workshop at Kim Fox's urban farm yesterday. In addition to answering questions from the dozen or so chicken raisers there, she gave us a tour of her 23-hen set-up. Eventually, the chickens also got to tour us. Everyone so inclined held a hen while Kim showed us how to search for mites and feel the gullet and so on. She oiled their wattles and legs with shea butter and vaseline.<br /><br />During this wonderfully hands-on workshop, we also learned about her composting and worm-growing system. We've been wanting to raise worms for awhile, but Cecile is reluctant to keep them in the house and it's too hot during the summer to keep them outside. Kim's 'worm bin' is dug straight into the ground. Surrounded by a rock wall and covered by blankets under their own ramada, the bin is moistened by greywater. Kim harvests worms every once in awhile to feed her chickens.<br /><br />When seated under another ramada, we were surrounded by her gardens. Like the worm bin, they were sunken into the ground. This is an interesting solution to gardening in the desert, and the contrast to raised beds has us thinking along new lines. It makes sense if you have any concerns about how much water your garden uses. Cecile just bought a couple of ollas from Mesquite Valley Growers and is on a search for other such desert-gardening solutions.<br /><br />After checking to see if anyone wanted to leave, Kim killed and then prepared for frying a Wyandotte who had been languishing in Tucson's heat for a couple of years. Although this was not as 'fun' as picking up eggs, we're glad we had the chance to watch and learn. She calmed the chicken, used an ax for a quick death, and bled the chicken into a bucket of water that will go into the compost. While slicing the chicken up, Kim showed us all kinds of interesting innards. For example, we got to see what could have become eggs. They were a clump of yellow balls of different sizes (not organized along two tubes like in people). Opening the gizzard to empty it and peel off its inner cover was fascinating. One of the most interesting things we learned about feeding chickens is how much they like meat (and apparently need the oil in it here in the desert). Every time Kim sliced off a piece of fat, she tossed it into the coop where it was received with great joy.<br /><br />This was super interesting, and we are hoping to stay plugged in to the various groups represented there. For example, someone from the Food Coop is going to organize a tour of chicken coops, and we'd like to sign up. It probably won't get written up in <span style="font-style: italic;">Tucson Lifestyle</span>, but it'll be fun. Cecile is thinking that the Slow Food movement needs a partner in the Grow Food movement. What better way to address our sad economy, our generally poor food, and our need for exercise and sunlight!? Good for Kim Fox, food activist extraordinaire!Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-86753424717649062492009-02-15T11:17:00.006-07:002009-02-15T11:23:47.555-07:00On a good day ...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA1U4dN8pDJ87AUfp1i9Xu-rItdQFtdl6gBB7Yngi2KEI0ACxRYEEtGSXttwiavt7twIK_93WSu-ixgkUfsJWgP3AfhVAf1men0DCSO2RJm4eUMNKX2jB_vGtdMHC6DLGRgy_QzAX0lfw/s1600-h/IMG_4640.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA1U4dN8pDJ87AUfp1i9Xu-rItdQFtdl6gBB7Yngi2KEI0ACxRYEEtGSXttwiavt7twIK_93WSu-ixgkUfsJWgP3AfhVAf1men0DCSO2RJm4eUMNKX2jB_vGtdMHC6DLGRgy_QzAX0lfw/s320/IMG_4640.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303090264642144578" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />we get four eggs out of these hens, plus of course the same two golf balls.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />And here we finally share a photo of a bantam. This is Thing One worrying over a golf ball as she prepares to lay something similar.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXY3EU68_7oOogJIaweRD_g5SVn6XF6iBB476WLtloTUOEvds1yNORYp3rWgRC5_C_w1yYP3SzhW9Mbk8loyuZVAaraaWMeURnrb3HU28TARhp93hH3cJqWLFfLQFhAa33pEu1Dx4RRI/s1600-h/IMG_4726.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXY3EU68_7oOogJIaweRD_g5SVn6XF6iBB476WLtloTUOEvds1yNORYp3rWgRC5_C_w1yYP3SzhW9Mbk8loyuZVAaraaWMeURnrb3HU28TARhp93hH3cJqWLFfLQFhAa33pEu1Dx4RRI/s320/IMG_4726.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303091314672860018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAaPZkMfEwP0VKlDrdDDzQGEJGqhOE3e_7Njxvvz8pXC0G9Hwa-Oh7qL1_U46T-TIhkM99GVHSROyFSMaHQVrG-ycW_p6H3eaFPQHg2TdYaYuzYeh2f0aQbbM33jmw2BoUUkaTGnBIb6k/s1600-h/IMG_4726.jpg"><br /></a>Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-13144379686546841342009-02-10T17:20:00.002-07:002009-02-10T17:24:19.679-07:0085 eggs in 2009Isn't this amazing? We (and some friends) have eaten almost all of these plus a dozen store-bought here and there. There are also odd golf balls around. Yes, she's still broody: going on five weeks.Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-45264808676140458672009-01-25T09:45:00.002-07:002009-01-25T09:50:24.090-07:00She must read the blog!This morning, La Chilena was squatting for back rubs and busily nesting. Just before laying an egg, this includes tossing bits of hay over her back. Does anyone know why? Anyway, less than 24 hours after I complained about the eggless wonder, she produced a beautiful blue-green egg. And for a first egg, it's huge.<img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/CECILE%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" />Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-51324956490815624712009-01-24T13:21:00.005-07:002009-01-24T13:26:53.985-07:00Come on, Chilena!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPxBxbCDDHlmecSjG3rUgMl69WOIfQOgpkQjF3Q3-wGT8e_Fm0v39S4bZLVt-wftdi4VirqfU30A-810kiH30OkeR5c2qusY2esrtE3phXzxwKqK3zhnnWcPyHQQrPV4IiBuiRSGXkZs/s1600-h/IMG_4431.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPxBxbCDDHlmecSjG3rUgMl69WOIfQOgpkQjF3Q3-wGT8e_Fm0v39S4bZLVt-wftdi4VirqfU30A-810kiH30OkeR5c2qusY2esrtE3phXzxwKqK3zhnnWcPyHQQrPV4IiBuiRSGXkZs/s320/IMG_4431.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294958456559821058" border="0" /></a><br />Our other four hens are laying eggs or sitting on golf balls. Only this bird is still not paying for her keep. Fortunately, she's gorgeous. And, when her eggs finally come, they'll be blue-green. Will they be worth the wait?Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-38353965825146522612009-01-15T11:47:00.007-07:002009-01-15T12:07:44.440-07:00Broodiness<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/jko/lowres/jkon600l.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/jko/lowres/jkon600l.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>One of our bantams has turned broody. She gets up from her nest once/day to do all her various tasks (input/output, etc.). At that point, she's quite lively. But when she goes back to her nest, she becomes a zombie -- eyes closed or close to closed, frozen position (so much that if we lift her and put her back down with some body part in a new position, it stays there). Since we're still learning about hens, this is <span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);">fascinating</span>! Of course, without a rooster, our broody hen would just rot her eggs. And since we wanted to eat them, we took the whole clutch and left her a couple of golf balls. Apparently, anything'll do if you're broody.<br /><br />For those of you who are dying to learn more, Silkies and Cochins are particularly stubborn about sitting on eggs. Our bantams are 7/8s Silkie and 1/8 Cochin. Oy! Many chicken raisers, according to the web, try to 'break up' the broody. Some experts suggest keeping her from food and water, but that seems cruel. Others say that a wire nest allowing air to come up through it or a clutch of ice cubes will move her out of this awful phase. We're not worried about this. Everyone has their little idiosyncrasy. If this is our hen's, so be it. We can't wait to see what hatches out of those golf balls!Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-36288431201786305492009-01-02T08:21:00.002-07:002009-01-02T08:28:11.834-07:00Buffy the Vampire Layer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQd6RHQy3i9Ml28dej_aXZAoZzYo5_V5F_U7OcJ2QjNb7JLrLtGJQ9DLkQHRFk5d5IZ9cMUXgrREFIQpgnmfa7I1b0KsCAGmx1FdJ2WsKr4pK9LtiXwa8JpGwe4uzUKm9yCFq3R5TM8SA/s1600-h/IMG_2983.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQd6RHQy3i9Ml28dej_aXZAoZzYo5_V5F_U7OcJ2QjNb7JLrLtGJQ9DLkQHRFk5d5IZ9cMUXgrREFIQpgnmfa7I1b0KsCAGmx1FdJ2WsKr4pK9LtiXwa8JpGwe4uzUKm9yCFq3R5TM8SA/s400/IMG_2983.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286718366529193426" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Here she is when she was a puppy. But we think she's now on-line in the micro-chick processing department.Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-58781903003595724792009-01-01T13:17:00.002-07:002009-01-01T13:24:29.410-07:002008 egg report<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJH4OoLzElkCzlC-nJMojH61MaolvhKujRc0rv0H0DlPLjfA9elvuExo6P7k8HjGShroq2Eu0cygrLGoKbyoDm-wRb5Jx48RJvm9S3EX5XGCo7OULhxWMOfsNTUeO6mxADCPYo79o0pZE/s1600-h/image.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJH4OoLzElkCzlC-nJMojH61MaolvhKujRc0rv0H0DlPLjfA9elvuExo6P7k8HjGShroq2Eu0cygrLGoKbyoDm-wRb5Jx48RJvm9S3EX5XGCo7OULhxWMOfsNTUeO6mxADCPYo79o0pZE/s400/image.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286423827324645458" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/Silkie%201%09Silkie%202%09Bard%20October%094%090%090%20November%0918%090%095%20December%0916%099%0916"><br /></a>Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-31883946255436543742008-12-31T05:56:00.004-07:002008-12-31T06:05:32.500-07:00One of our favorite gifts this year<span style="font-weight:bold;">‘Twas the Night After Christmas</span><br />‘Twas the night after Christmas, when all through the pen<br />Not a creature was stirring, not even a <span style="font-weight:bold;">hen</span><br />The postcards were hung on the plywood with care<br />In hopes that Demeter soon would be there<br />Machu was nestled all snug in her bed<br />While visions of pigeons danced in her head<br />Tall She without kerchief and Short She without cap<br />Had just settled down for a brief winter’s nap<br />When out on the gravel, there was a loud crunch<br />And Tall She jumped from the bed, quite ready to punch<br />She ran past the dog and startled the cat<br />And gazed out the window to see “What was that?!”<br />The moon and the stars shone brightly that night<br />So the flagstone and water feature glowed almost white<br />Then what to her wondering eyes should appear<br />Than Demeter and Persephone in the wrong hemisphere<br />Short She emerged and asked, “Hey gals, are you lost?”<br />The Goddesses responded, “We’re here for your frost.”<br />Frost on the patio or frost on the <span style="font-weight:bold;">coop</span>?<br />The mere mortals thought, “We are out of the loop.”<br />For what could fair Greeks want with hard dew?<br />They pondered and wondered while the cold wind still blew<br />“<span style="font-weight:bold;">Come visit our chickens</span>,” was all they could say<br />For that was the fall-back position each day<br />Demmy and Perseph politely obliged<br />To visit the <span style="font-weight:bold;">hens </span>as they roosted inside<br />Three <span style="font-weight:bold;">eggs </span>of three colors had magically appeared<br />Like the fabled three kings, only smaller, without incense or beards<br />“Our Boxing Day gift,” the <span style="font-weight:bold;">hens </span>chuckled with glee<br />Only Demeter understood and replied, “I hope one is for me.”<br />Perseph, on a mission, would not be denied:<br />“We are here for the frost that is on the inside”<br />The women, perplexed, welcomed them in <br />Picholine meowed in delight with a chatty cat grin<br />As the She’s enjoyed this rare privilege<br />Persephone bee-lined for the large fridge<br />She opened the freezer in search of the frost<br />While Demeter found glasses, and prepared to get sauced<br />The scent of autumn lemons soon filled the air<br />Demeter said to the women, “Drink with us if you dare.”<br />The mortals joined in and the deities laughed:<br />“We love limoncello, by the bottle or glass”<br />Soon dawn started to break on a new winter day<br />Demeter whisked the bottle and Persephone away<br />Then the goddesses floated off to the west with a loud joyous call:<br />“Limoncello for everyone, and happy new year to all!”<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Story concocted in late December, 2008, by Mary for Cecile and Jesse. Happy Holidays!</span>Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-43158244502227746532008-12-29T08:15:00.001-07:002008-12-29T08:16:57.287-07:00Thx, Kass!There was a man who loved a chicken,<br />and fearful that the bird might sicken,<br />he kept it in a plastic cube,<br />and fed the chicken through a tube.<br /><br />-- Gerda RovetchJecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-39830130048545456532008-12-24T07:37:00.003-07:002008-12-24T07:43:41.579-07:00Oh Joy!From us, from our beloved birds, and also from the furrier members of the family ... to the hardy few who read Poultry Guests: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpcUxwpOQ_A">Joyous Noel!</a> With more poultry flavor (<span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">eeks!</span>) but celebrating a different season, enjoy <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob6TTU1knUM&feature=related">this </a>too.Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-76330214902994260422008-12-23T07:43:00.002-07:002008-12-23T07:46:41.517-07:00What was that PPT event J, M, and C went to?Watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL_-1d9OSdk">this </a>all the way through the Q&A. Did you ever imagine that poultry would bring you so much joy?Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-23274503509646244782008-12-17T08:12:00.009-07:002008-12-17T08:20:09.252-07:00An update for Mary<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzNP11K1YSiLBUYVFeI-5q0KfWVCF15JeZu1HCEZ9MTPloG-gmBY9fAroea4LcKQ6M793dVinGBK2MOIHB_ltiep5qFe_fGKaZr_CrD9JIbg73VSAmib1zrxvj8UqA2Mq4oSiwDWzRXn4/s1600-h/IMG_3431.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzNP11K1YSiLBUYVFeI-5q0KfWVCF15JeZu1HCEZ9MTPloG-gmBY9fAroea4LcKQ6M793dVinGBK2MOIHB_ltiep5qFe_fGKaZr_CrD9JIbg73VSAmib1zrxvj8UqA2Mq4oSiwDWzRXn4/s200/IMG_3431.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280777674571500866" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFV59nRuSPQyuM_4VrxRtw-KoaR3iHgPjc5aVvtPaAlTBvuobp7q9mQEEqJjWHVo7sBEW5ubfbDkRPJ8_ZWxjmDJB_yZSiN7IxRjpbJSGCcqPT37QnXwC_P3viYWBWF6SYL9iBncOY_g/s1600-h/IMG_3511.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFV59nRuSPQyuM_4VrxRtw-KoaR3iHgPjc5aVvtPaAlTBvuobp7q9mQEEqJjWHVo7sBEW5ubfbDkRPJ8_ZWxjmDJB_yZSiN7IxRjpbJSGCcqPT37QnXwC_P3viYWBWF6SYL9iBncOY_g/s200/IMG_3511.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280778502204630290" border="0" /></a>We're finally in the egg business, getting two almost every day. It takes less than a week to make an omelet now. Rahoo!Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-25610053470992637762008-11-29T11:13:00.004-07:002008-11-29T11:17:29.686-07:00F.U.NE.X?Jesse requires that Cecile explains our title today: <span style="font-style: italic;">have you any eggs?</span> There are many 'jokes' with this way of making words. So we're reporting today that the Bard has begun to lay eggs. They're small and brown with some speckling on the pointy part. This chicken looks and acts like a rooster -- huge wattles and very bossy. But on some days we get two eggs -- one from the productive Silkie-Cochin and one from the just-starting Plymouth Barred Rock.Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534939787442363549.post-77571108320386170442008-11-25T08:19:00.006-07:002008-11-25T08:30:55.994-07:00Remember Kingsolver's turkeys?In case you haven't yet read <a href="http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/">Animal, Vegetable, Miracle</a>, do so! In addition to being a good read, it'll probably change your relation to food. Our friend Jen is turning even more of her yard into an amazing garden because of the book. We got more serious about chickens and gardening after Jen lent us the book (although our garden is nothing like hers). Anyway, the book includes some hilarious descriptions of Kingsolver's turkey-raising efforts. At one point, she's stumped by a hen's behavior. It's hunkering down on the ground and simpering. She thinks it's ill and -- being as no one breeds turkeys in the old-fashioned way anymore -- she can't find help interpreting the situation. It turns out the bird's ready to mate. Of course, all ends well with lots of eggs and eventually a new batch of turkeys.<br /><br />Our Plymouth Barred Rock has recently begun to do what seems like the same behavior. At first, we thought she was frightened (although she seems pretty tough most of the time). But we now think she's inviting our attention -- eeks! Jesse says not to hope for eggs from the Committee until December, but Cecile's hoping anyway. Waiting a week to get an omelet out of that one little Silkie is hard for an impatient person.Jecile McZeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04790904297115148067noreply@blogger.com0