Friday, June 08, 2007

we are preparing for chickens.
Last summer our chickens perished in the heat. There were several hot days and the chickens had to stay in their pen because they had been bad about getting over to the neighbors.
And the neighbors were not pleased. Well, actually, the neighbors loved getting the fresh, organic eggs that I took over several times a week. Thier adult son raises pit bulls and was afraid the chickens would somehow hurt one of the dogs (perhaps by choking it?).
Anyway..they certainly had the right, so after 3 years of free ranging our chickens got locked up in the pen and over heated.
It was sad.
I guess that I will clip wings this time, altho with the preditors we have it seems unfair...I do know that when the afternoon temps go over 100 I am releasing the chickens to the yard..This is not a subdivision..it is mostly acreage..and they have chickens on the OTHER side..I don't know..I try really hard not to bother people but sometimes...
Anyway.
So we are getting 25 females and 2 males..Barred Rocks. I really like heritiage breeds and want to use them when possible. Barred rocks are excellent egg layers and since they will (hopefully ) breed we should also have fresh organic chicken. That will be a new experience for me, I am thinking that they will go to a nearby town to be butchered, plucked and bagged for 2.00 each. Huck/Thoreau says he will butcher them but I am not sure he has the stomach for it.
So...a busy weekend. We are a host house for a couple of kids from Uganda who are singing in our church this Sunday..then the chickens come in early monday and I have an appointment for a check up (yes another one) at the Veterans Hospital a little later on monday.
I will so be glad to have chickens again. They should start laying in time for holiday baking. With 25 of them I guess I will be giving eggs for CHristmas gifts.

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