The Chicken Chronicles: Part 1

Farm. Fresh. Eggs.

Let's all go back to June, 2012.......

After discovering the deliciousness that is the farm fresh egg, I realized that having access to them all the time would be pretty rad.

It wasn't until later, however, when a friend of mine was moving out of state, that I actually considered owning chickens. Her family had 4 or 5 of them, and a coop, and a duck. These critters needed a home in a couple months, and I was just moving out to the farmface estate. It seemed like perfect timing - plus she promised me a free coop and free chickens. Awesome.

Well a few things happened. Some lady wanted them too, and I guess technically they used to be her chickens anyway or some crap like that, so she got first dibs. She didn't want all 5, however, so there were still 2 up for grabs.

But suddenly the promise of a free coop got mixed up in some fevered-dream-storm-of-forgetfulness that my friend called "moving." She wanted to keep the coop with her house for resale.
Understandable, but...
No more coop.
So now the magician wand of getting a free set up and 5 happy chickens became the dead branch of just 2 loose hens. Far less desirable. Bonus? I would still be working out of town for 10 more days before I could even begin setting up our place for chickens. I hadn't even set up my own stuff!
So I declined, and all the chickens stayed together with their new and I guess technically they used to be her chickens anyway old home.

Fast forward 3 months

Farmface MacFear knows I want chickens now. He's all for it, even though he doesn't even like eggs.

Another farmface just down the road apparently wanted to give some of his chickens away. He and farmface MacFear discuss things, and MacFear comes home telling me he has the chicken-hook-up.
Free chicken opportunity #2! Awesome.
I start plotting ideas for my amazing coop I'm going to build, and where I'm going to put it. Of course I want it to be super neat with secret doors and magic. Plus, I am so proficient with construction AND knowledgeable about the needs of chickens, I will be able to make some sort of Castle of the Chickens. It's going to be great.

I get a phone call at work 3 days later, in the middle of the noonish hour.

A few hours later as the sun is setting, I get home and there is a black hen across the street. MacFear is in our back field hunting around for the red one. I managed to successfully chase off the black one, and together (but mostly FearFace) we get miss-little-red and put her up in a water trough that we lid with some random material.
So we "have" two chickens, one stuck in an empty-water-trough-turned-cage, the other out....somewhere. I'm still not sure where she was the first two nights. At the time, I was pretty convinced it was in another animal's tum.
The two hens rejoined forces in the coming days roosting on our tree. I built a temporary coop out of a dog cage/kennel, PVC and chicken wire and got things under control.

...and the next morning I had my very own, (probably-stress-induced) farm fresh egg!

The Beginnings

Well, hello!

I've been posting "episodes" of my adjustment to the country-farmy-life on the facebooks.
Through the feedback realm of facebook, I've discovered these episodes are entertaining to more than just me. I cannot take credit for this, as my chickens, dogs, boyfriend, and adventures are simply hilarious on their own. I'm merely reporting the day's events. But I would like to blog about this "conversion to the country mouse lifestyle" if you'll all indulge me and participate (participate=read my ramblings, and perhaps comment every now and again.)

To catch you up to date, or if you're not a friend of mine on the facebooks:



How I inadvertently started to become a 21st Century Country Mouse...

Step one: accidentally fell in love with a farmer (MacFear)
Step two: moved out to the country
Step three: farm-solo built a garden bed out of old fence boards
Step four: way over-crowded said garden, and realized I also had multiple jobs that couldn't possibly allow for me to tend to this garden as planned - we obtained fruits and veggies anyway, because we're awesome
Step five: unwillingly took on two chickens from another farmface without any preparations

<---Step six: wtf, chickens?!
Step seven: coop, eggs, and adopted chicken number 3 from a friend
Step eight: winter preparations (to be described in a coming episode of blogtown in greater detail)

Somewhere in there I've also learned to shovel hay around to help MacFear.
(I bet all farmfaces will get mad at me for saying "shovel hay." Farmfaces are very particular in how you describe any hay process. You'll learn all about this later.)

A bonus to hay shoveling? I recently acquired these massively awesome weapons, (some call them "hay hooks,") given to me as a gift from MacFear's father. (I bet PapaMac is going to get his own future segment here due to crazy farmface antics!) Anyway, hay hooks: they are like two Captain Hook hooks that you grab on to and swing violently into bales of hay. They're also great for threatening passers-by...

Meet PapaMac!
PapaMac: "Maybe he was a kangaroo mouse!"
Me: Do you mean rat?
PapaMac: "He wasn't very big. just hoppin' around."
Me: Where did you see him?
PapaMac: "Around...I've seen like ten of them. You see
'em hippity hoppin' along. Well, they could be rats. Or mice. I don't
know the difference."

or just looking awesome. And guess who sharpened them before he gave them to me?
Yes.
PapaMac insisted they be extra sharp!!!

I also forgot to mention fuzzy ewok cows, though they are at the background image of this page. Don't worry, I'm going to learn how to milk one in a day or two, and you'll get to hear (and hopefully watch) all about it!