Friday, April 15, 2005

My Son Likes Chicks


Easter 2005 Posted by Hello

This is a picture of my son on Easter, gathering eggs with the help of our "big" chicken, Penny. She was disturbed by the plastic things in her yard so she would go peck at it until my boy would pick them up. She would then go find another one and peck at it etc. This made finding the eggs easier for my son but he still loved it. For days afterwards he would beg us to go hide the eggs for him to find again. It was great fun.

My son loves the chickens. His favorite is Bubba, a white crested black polish. This poor chicken is the runt of the group and the bottom of the pecking order. She has a black deformed toe, a cowlick in her crest and a black spot on her beak. She is far from what anyone would call a show bird. But she is spectacular in my son's eyes. I guess it shows again that it isn't what is on the outside that really matters.

In this way I wish I was more like my 2 1/2 year old son. How much better the world would be if we could all see the value of our fellows and look past the differences and flaws that we all have. Ah, to see the world through the eyes of a child again.

Thursday, April 14, 2005

Trauma as a Chick


Dumpling Posted by Hello

This is Dumpling. She is the newest addition to my flock. My wife MADE me buy her (not that I was opposed to the idea). The two birds I had that were supposed to be Light Brahmas are looking more and more like DARK Brahmas. Which is cool, I suppose but I really wanted ONE white chicken and that just wasn't happening.

To make a long story even longer, we went to the feed store the other day to get some grass seed and layer mix. When we noticed he still had one Light Brahma and my wife told me to get her (as we could already tell she was white from her star feathers). This is a picture of her right after we got her.

She is not all cute and fuzzy here but I know she is the same age as the other girls, which at this age is fairly important (same dietary and climatic requirements).

Now for the trauma, Mrs. Cluck who was supposed to be my Light Brahma had a bite of reality yesterday. I learned all this via a phone call with my wife. Apparently she got out of the hen house and squeezed through a gap in the wire in the run.

She found her way to our home again by the way of our back yard neighbor’s mother (she was visiting her new grandchild, she also happens to have chickens at her home). Upon arrival she (the bird) was sopping wet and quite disheveled. Mrs. Cluck had been pulled out of the jaws of the dog, who had initially found her.

Well for the last two days Mrs. Cluck has done nothing but sit in the back corner of the hen house and shake. I don't blame her. To be saved from the jaws of death like that...