Remember Kingsolver's turkeys?

In case you haven't yet read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, 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.

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.