Sunday, August 29, 2010

Chickapalooza

Ready for more?


I call it "Late Summer Afternoon with Adidas and Hen"



Henrietta getting down and dirty.



The dirt bath: natural parasite control!



Henrietta and Cupcake enjoying a dirtbath while they destroy our lawn. Oh well, grass is over-rated anyway! (Actually, there was a groundhog hole here, so the destruction had already begun.)



Cupcake resplendent.




Is she not a fine example of chickenly gorgeousness?



Henrietta, queen of the flock.



"Where are my mealworms?"




I like the "waving comb" action on this one!



Oh look! It's the Gordfeeder.



Fluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffy!



This is what we do for fun on a Sunday afternoon in these here parts.



Yolkie and Gordon, sharing a moment.




Fluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffyfluffy!



Zombie chickens ate his brain!



See how relaxing chickens can be?




Iridescent feathers!


I think you can see why it kills me to think of hens living in battery cages on factory farms, and why I am so happy that we have our own hens so we know where our eggs come from. I fully support backyard chickens. If you look after them properly, they do NOT stink, do not attract vermin, and are no trouble. Without a rooster, the noise they make is minimal and in fact adorable. I love listening to the girls "talk" amongst themselves.

I can sit in our coop for an hour and not be bothered by any smell. Sure, it is chicken-scented, but there's no acrid ammonia stench. We use the deep-litter method and it works very well. The whole coop is screened with hardware cloth and we don't have a rodent problem, unless you count the chipmunk who ran in through the open door!

Backyard Chickens is a great source for info on keeping your own chickens.

If you can't have your own chickens (clearly not everyone can!), try to source out eggs from hens that are kept humanely. I am lucky to live in a rural area where lots of people keep free-range chickens, but even in a city, you can find good eggs if you look around enough. They may not be cheap, but cheap eggs cost us all in the long run.

Right, lecture over. Henrietta and the girls thank you. Have a chickenly day!


9 comments:

  1. Hee hee. I like the Gordfeeder! My lady likes to hang out with her chickens too! They are so soothing and fun to watch. She has a thing for their fluffy bums too!

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  2. Neat Blog! Check out our blog at thechickenkeepers.blogspot.com

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  3. Henrietta is indeed divine - Gord is a brave man to lie so still while they did their worst. Looks like a wonderfully fun day. Agree as well about those animals who should be out scratching and roaming - alas I think our Bart would not be the best friend for chickens - wish I could somehow, the thought of fresh eggs and having the girls take away some of the bugs is a real dream.

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  4. I can just spend hours and hours with my chickens, too! I am off work today, and find myself out with the chickens alot when I should be doing my inside chores! They are just irresistable!

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  5. Isobelle, I'm with your lady. Cicken bums are wonderful!

    Chicken Keepers, love the blog!

    Barbara, I'm lucky that our dogs came trained to be nice to chickens. :) I really enjoy gardening with the girls. They are nice company and like to come see what I'm doing whenever I start digging up soil or weeding.

    Lynn, chickens are the best!!

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  6. Lovely pictures! I'm glad to see other people as crazy as I am about their chickens. Oh, by the way, we have the same Adidas shoes. I love those little massage-y things in them. They're great!

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  7. Ahhhh... so there is absolutely no truth in the Roald Dhal concept that if you stick a paper cup/cone over a chicken's head, it will not move its legs? (ref. Danny the champion of the world)

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  8. Claire, I actually stole those off my hubby (I have size 10 feet that are nearly as big as his feet!) He bought them for using in the gym showers but now we live nowhere near a gym, so they got no use! I am surprised at how comfy they are. THanks for stopping by!

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  9. Angel, I have not tried that! Perhaps I should test it out. :)

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Thank you for all your comments, which I love to read!