December 12, 2010
Sunday, 11:17 am
The other day, I pulled a large clump of grass up by its roots to give to the chickens, in the clump was a worm. I thought the chickens would be thrilled to have this nice bit of protein, however, the strangest thing happened when I tried to give it to them. It’s as if they had forgotten what a worm was and had no interest in it. A few pecked at it, then left it alone. So odd! In former times, they would have rushed it and fought over it. Do chickens forget???
The weather has been unseasonably cold, breaking a one week cold record. The news said the other day that we were the same temperature as Maine!!! The weather has caused the egg laying to be off kilter a bit as well. Dependable Hawkeye stopped laying in her normal three days on, one day off pattern and changed to two days on, one day off. Farrah is currently on a three day on, one day off pattern though.
Much to my surprise - another unusual thing I noticed since the cold weather set in – now only Farrah and Hawkeye are sleeping in the coop! Ellie and Goldie have moved up next to Chanel on top of the egg boxes and Raven is sleeping in Goldie’s nest box, sometimes both Goldie and Raven sleep in there together. The first time I noticed it, Goldie was huddled up close to Chanel (I’m guessing for warmth since Chanel has tons of bulk and feathers and Goldie barely any) – so here the two arch enemies were sleeping cuddled up together. I suppose warmth and survival trumps all differences.... The next night, Goldie and Raven were cuddled up together in one of the boxes and Ellie and Chanel were on the very top. It could also be that a predator is scaring them and so they are instinctively going to the highest place in the coop which is on top of the nesting boxes versus inside the coop which is a bit lower. Hard to say for sure.
The more I watch them, the more I realize that the food Nature provided for them is their preferred food. They will drop all other foods they are eating if I throw grass or weeds into the run. I have been making a mixture of quinoa, oats, barley and millet for them. They love the millet and quinoa especially.
We are on a warming spell with a second day of rain, dreary. The chickens take turns eating and sleeping and will often eat in the rain as long as it isn’t too heavy. My router has been down all morning so I was reading Countryside & Small Stock Journal magazine and found a breeder who hatches out Dorking’s and Java’s. Hmmm, sweet, sweet temptation! However, they probably require a large minimum purchase. I cannot find that out until the router comes back up. I wonder if I will ever settle on just one breed as a favorite? Somehow I doubt it because each one has things about it that are admirable.
A friend from work took me to lunch yesterday and gave me a belated birthday present of “Storey’s Basic Country Skills – A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance.” It’s funny that my friends are now relating to me in that way! It was a perfect gift. I love the outdoors and feel most at home there, it has to be why my brother has the kind of job he does and my sister has a farm. All of us are this way, we want the freedom to be out and about, to work with our hands, etc. I feel a sense of calm and “rightness” when I am outside. To me, there is wonder and fascination all around, Nature is always alive and teaching us, lessons that so many of us have now lost and need to learn again.
My seed catalogs have arrived and it signals that time when I need to choose what to order and what to plant out of the seeds I have saved. It signals that I must amend the garden soil THIS month because some form of planting can happen in January and February and will sneak up on me quickly. It seems with a garden that there really is very little down time after all. The wonder of seeing the plants thrive and of harvesting the first fruits easily makes up for any of the less glorious chores that must be done. I can’t wait to see the first bee’s buzzing in the herbs. I am thinking of starting beekeeping this year as well.
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