Monday, October 6, 2008

The Chickens are Revolting

Yes, it's true. They came running full tilt out of the trees the other morning, cackling wildly. The hen in front had something large in her beak - really quite large for a chicken to be carrying. She was running like mad, making excited clucking sounds, the others right on her heels. When she got close enough, we were able to get a better look at the highly-sought-after prize she was carrying. It was...a frog. A good-sized bullfrog. With no head. The other girls caught up with her and they fought over frog legs for breakfast. To see such behavior from animals that usually peck at weeds, seeds and insects was comical, yet...gross. It elicited many a cry of "Ewwww!" from the two of us.


We were up early (about 4:30) yesterday morning for our visit to the sheep lady. We ended up spending nearly the whole day with her, learning all we could about shearing sheep and hair goats, as well as how to clean wool. She was absolutely delightful, allowed us to make a total mess out of one of her goats, and graciously gave up an entire day to educate a few people she had never met before. It was an incredibly generous gesture. I also learned from visiting her farm that I absolutely adore donkeys! Who knew they were so sweet and personable? I'm sure a donkey or two will be added to the roster here. She warned that they're like potato chips - you can't have just one! It was a great day, but quite a whipping. We finally got home at nearly 8:00 p.m., and couldn't have been more exhausted. Those are usually the best days, though.

Today, while I'm working at home, I'm making a huge batch of homemade spaghetti sauce, which I intend to can. It's a cloudy, rainy day, so it's perfect for a big pot of home cooking. Between my long, hard day yesterday and the gloomy weather today, I'm really finding it hard to want to do much of anything. I suppose I'll just have to suck it up and get to it!

P. S. For those of you who were wondering, the ducks are now named Reginald and Bernice. ;-)

7 comments:

  1. I love both your chicken and sheep shearing stories. Funny to imagine a flock of hens fighting over a bullfrog! Quite a tasty treat for them, I'm sure. Our hens always fight for the grasshoppers we give them--usually just one at a time so whoever gets it is the lucky one.

    Donkeys are like potato chips? I won't forget that one, either!

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  2. It is a little known fact that chickens will eat anything they can catch, including mice, snakes, and other small creatures. They also love garbage.

    They are really very different than the pastoral image usually thought of for poultry. They can be truly nasty.

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  3. I've seen chickens kill a rattlesnake. I'll tell you the story some day ;)

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  4. Awesome - how do I put them on the payroll? :)

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  5. Wow, so cool! You've really ramped up the animal line at your place. I'm jealous (again!).

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  6. Mmmm those must be southern chickens!

    I do love sheep - that's the problem with not having a proper farm.

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  7. Conkey's like potato chips? I knew there was something I liked about donkeys-
    I know what your are saying about those chickens- My dad used to love frog legs- I say Icky!

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