Monday, March 27, 2006

It's Official - I'm a Chicken Farmer!

DD and I went to pick up six hens on Saturday from High Hopes Garden. We got the grand tour of their lovely farm and enjoyed some tea and homemade brownies. After a few comical moments trying to catch "handpicked" chickens, we got them loaded up and headed home. DH put the finishing touches on a beautiful "hen spa" and the girls settled in on their new digs.

DD with the girls in their new home at Gracious Acres:

The girls enjoy an afternoon snack:

Like any new mother, I had to go out and check on them every few hours to make sure they were okay. I haven't been up early on a Sunday morning in ages, but I was up and out the door at 6:30 am and I was rewarded with three fresh eggs! At church, during the "joys/concerns/announcements" part of the service, I got up and told everyone that I was officially a chicken farmer. I'm sure I will be the butt of many jokes and morning coffees, but I really don't care!

Later in the afternoon, I let the girls out onto their "terrace" and was relatively comfortable that they would stay in and predators would stay out. I came outside later to discover, however, that chickens can fly over a six foot fence. The Aracauna, now affectionately known as "Bleep", flew the coop and I chased her for about 20 minutes by myself and five minutes with DH to get her back in. There is now strategically placed netting over the top of the terrace. I left the little door open today so they could go in and out. Their food and water is outside - - is that a good idea, by the way?

Update on the super secret date night: took DH to the last Blackhawks hockey game of the season and it was fantastic. Wore my MN Wild sweater and everything. It was a great game with plenty of fights and excitement. Grammy Deb took DD to "The Shaggy Dog" movie and they had a great time, too.

2 comments:

sugarcreekfarm said...

Congratulations! Doesn't it just feel cool to say, "I'm a farmer"?!?

FarmWife said...

What lovely ladies you have there! And instant gratification! We bought ours as hatchlings and had to wait long long time for eggs. Now we get between 15 and 30 a day!!! Farmer's Market here I come!