and then there were three

Four peeps. Even though the henhouse could only accommodate three, I had read that I should expect to lose a quarter of my chicks. So I left Rhode Island with our four peeps in a small cardboard box   balanced upon my daughter's lap. If we were to lose any, I was certain it would be as babies, but the governess of nature had other ideas...

I sat inside correcting school papers when I heard my feathery teenagers in an uproar. I darted to the door to see what appeared to be our little yellow lab accosting my girls in the bushes. I proclaimed loudly, although no one was there to hear , "What is the dog doing? She's outside her "Invisible Fence"! Many of you know that the Invisible Fence is a product used to keep doggies in their yards via a collar that senses an underground wire delineating their boundries. As I ran outside I thought, "Are the batteries broken in her collar? Is she not getting zapped?" The chickens continued to squawk and run about wildly, when it finally dawned on me, "That isn't our dog! It's a bigger yellow lab!" To spare you the details suffice it to say a neighborhood dog had come to visit our Maisie, noticed the new additions to our family, and as labs will do, ran after the birds, picking them up one after the other, then depositing them in a heap on the ground. The dog finally ran out of our yard and across the street with Gert firmly in his mouth. I followed him, and as I approached I could see that Gert was lying lifeless on the green grass in front of him. I wrapped my arms around her still warm body and returned with her to our yard. I sat down with her along the forest edge that borders are small plot of land, and wept as her little soul lifted and departed. I buried her several days later and vowed to never allow that to happen again.

Meggie, Bonnie and Violet were shaken up for a few days but have recovered nicely.  I miss Gert. Having a three chicken flock feels so much smaller than the four of them all together.

  Next up, our girls' wedding adventure!

A Morning Golden and New

We awoke to a sunshiney warm day in New England, a gift this time of year!

Click to hear> If I Had Words

Do you know what movie this is from? My fave farm movie ever!!!!! 

A Covert Christmas Wish

If I didn't worry about my gardens getting decimated, the neighbors raising an eyebrow or two, the town's regulations, or my husband's patience running out, I would get a goat, like this one...

or this one...

But until we either move out of suburbia, or turn our entire lawn into pasture, or I do some voo-dooey thing on my husband, a goat will have to wait, sigh.

Next up, baa-ram-ewe and chickens on the run!

A Chicken in Every Pot

 Its a very Thanksgivingy Day, the house smells like pies, and we're getting dressed to spend the afternoon with family and very good friends of ours. So what am I thankful for? I'd say secondly my feathery girls and the inherent way they feed my soul (not my stomach! well not yet, eggs should be on their way soon).  But first and foremost I would say my husband's patience throughout my quest to ease into life a little more creatively, a little more lightly with the addition of the slower, older ways that my grandmother once employed. You see he's not an "animal person" per se, so any critters running willy nilly around our yard, although interesting, may not be something he can embrace. His favorite animal in our household, after all,  is the Russian tortoise. Seriously. He has all kinds of pet names for him which he lavishes upon him during feeding time, always leaving the choicest pieces of lettuce from our fridge. But he often belies his aloof approach to our other animals through his rampant sense of humor.

One morning as I collected the peeps for transport to the daycare facility (their new henhouse) my husband caught me en route. It turns out that the peep bus looked an awful lot like an abandoned lobster pot. This elicited a reprimand from my husband who was watching the whole thing from the kitchen door."That's just wrong on so many levels! What are the neighbors going to think?!"

Secretly, I think he loves the girls, the dog, the gecko that has passed on, and of course now, the grumpy tortoise. Most of all he loves all of us: our daughters and me...a lot. That is what I am thankful for.

Feel free to chime in on how you and your girls spent Thanksgiving....or share your fave pet!

Honestly, I don't know which peep this is.

The newly constructed "daycare center" .

Day 0ne, 100 days later.

"Today's the day!", I said to myself on a bright morning in late July. I  padded over to my MacBook, usually reserved for schoolwork any other time of year, and opened Craig's List. I had already researched hardy breeds for my climate, and decided on the prettiest. I found a backyard farmer in Rhode Island and pressed his number into my cell phone. I asked if he had any Americaunas, or Orpington's, or Barred Rocks perhaps? He answered yes to all the above and said they would be ready for pick up in 3 days. That's when they were due to hatch. I thought it a tad early to pick up the chicks the day they were born and expressed my concern. He answered matter-of-factly, "Oh no, they'll hatch tomorrow or the next day latest, then you can get them the day after. How many do you want?" I answered four because the new henhouse that I purchased on EBay had arrived and was suitable for three hens (so the ad professed). My research cautioned against buying the number of hens you actually wanted, because "you will lose up to 25% of them, for sure".

Friday could not arrive quickly enough for several reasons. I picked up my daughter at the train station in Providence (who I always love to catch up with). She was coming home from University for a birthday break. We scooted over to parts unknown in the far reaches of Rhode Island and picked out our four peeps. We would each name one. I chose Violet for the grey/blue Orpington,  my husband chose Bonnie for the light Americauna, and our daughters chose Gert for the dark Americauna, and Meggy for the Barred Rock. I am still not completely convinced that Meggy isn't a rooster just waiting to let a crow go.

So this is where our story begins...

Have you begun your life with hens? Where are you raising your girls? I'll catch you up over the next few posts because I'd like your ideas on how you are keeping your girls warm and dry this winter.

In the meantime, stay tuned for the girls' wedding adventure, and the incredibly sad loss of our Gert.

Our peeps, and few more for a friend.

Bonnie and Violet