Frankie and Slim

Frankie and Slim
Happy New Year

Friday, November 22, 2013

THE DIRTY DOZEN



I bought myself a Christmas present this week.  Actually ten Christmas presents.  Ten beautiful, large laying hens.  They are already hard at work and there is no waiting and wondering.  These girls know exactly what to do and perhaps they will influence the others to get to work.

It will always be a learning experience for me to raise chickens.  I started when Ron surprised me with a hen and six chicks.  I did not even know that I wanted chickens and certainly did not know what to do with them.  Three of the chicks did not survive and the other three turned out to be roosters, Claude, Hannah and Brittany. Theirs is a story on its own about how they came to be known as the Hole In The Wall Gang.  Meanwhile, here is another remembrance from my old blog of my second batch of chicks who were the Dirty Dozen.


October 24, 2004
SOGGY FEATHERS

Friday the chickens were out for a walk when a sudden rain storm hit. Ron and I were on the porch, dry and cozy but could see all twelve of my chicken-children huddling under the pickup truck. They wanted to get back to their house, but as soon as one would venture out it would return as quickly to the cover of the truck.

How could I help these young birds? Suddenly a light-bulb moment had me heading after my umbrella. Taking the point at the back end of the pickup and calling to my chickens, I ran toward the chicken house. Glancing back over my shoulder there were twelve wobbly young chicks following close behind me despite the pouring rain. Soon they were all safe and warm in their house. This human mother-hen emerged victorious. 

Ron met my return to the dry porch with his big ass grin as he had observed my entire performance in utter dismay. 

I have to tell you that this story is especially funny now (as I watched all of my chickens out in the rain yesterday) that I know chickens can and will stay out in the rain and I never needed to make that crazy run in the first place.  Of course Ron knew that:)

26 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:40 AM

    I thought for Christmas it was supposed to be six geese a laying? LOL! Enjoy your birds!

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  2. heartinhand
    I hear geese are really mean so have to go with ten hens a layin' to be on the safe side.

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  3. Just like a mama hen who spreads here wings over her chicks and then runs like crazy!

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  4. Anonymous7:42 AM

    That is such a funny story. I love it! You'll appreciate this. I started this morning with two beautiful eggs friend in olive oil from my dear hens. I don't know what I'd do without home grown chicken eggs anymore. Thanks for the story.~~Dee

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  5. Who knew chickens well some chickens don't like the rain!! LOL I don't know what I'd do if Big C came home with chicks for me? I'd probably become an instant vegetarian.

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  6. Dee Nash
    Store bought eggs are like eating plastic to me. Love my free range, low cholesterol, bright yolked, yummy eggs! My cousin once threw away an entire dozen because she had never seen real farm fresh eggs and thought there was something wrong with them.

    Brown English Muffin
    We never eat our chickens because they have names. We eat their eggs and we do eat chickens that we have never met.

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  7. It sounds like you have learned a lot in your time as a chicken "mom".
    Your joy in your new hens shows what a wonderful legacy Ron left you with the gift of that first hen and six chicks.

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  8. I knew Henny Penny Annie would find a way to get things taken care of and all her babes cozy and safe..
    Just in case reincarnation is real, I wanna come back as one of your prize chicks cause I know for sure I'd be loved and cared for..

    you are Da Bomb~!
    love ya bunches n bushels
    Sonny

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  9. Anonymous10:17 AM

    I had 3 pet chickens in high school. The laying hen was stolen, one was given away to a neighbor, and the third was killed and eaten for dinner. Ah, memories!

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  10. Mama Hen Annie, that was such a sweet story. I'm glad your new hens are productive. Fresh eggs are yummy. We get them from my sister's chickens.

    It's funny how when you spoke about your little roosters, when my sister first got her chicks, one was bigger so she named her Adele, after the rotund singer. It turned out to be a rooster so she renamed him Adelo.

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  11. Love chooks - their musical gurgles, their eggs, their 'business'. And I winced in rueful recognition when you 'saved' those hens. I have rescued cats stuck in trees before. Or at least that is what they told me, and I believed until the next day when I watched them scampering up and down...

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  12. Ten laying hens! Wow! I know nothing about chickens nor have I ever tasted a farm fresh egg. Will the hens each lay an egg a day ... 70 a week?

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  13. With that many laying hens you will either have some egg money to put away or will have many grateful family and friends.
    I love chickens but know if I got any, they would live long and prosper. I could never do the dastardly deed. Can't put anything on the dinner table I've looked in the eye.

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  14. I was always fascinated by the chickens at my grandparents' farm. I loved gathering the eggs and feeding the chickens. I especially loved the little bantam "banty" roosters. I still think they are too cute.

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  15. What a great story! I miss my girls, especially Maude, she laid big beautiful blue green eggs!

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  16. Oh, I want chickens! I would love to see pictures.

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  17. Jeanie
    Ron knew a lot more about raising chickens that he let on. I was pretty much on my own to learn by trial and error and by the internet while he played dumb. He also brought in a baby rabbit once that he found while he was mowing and while research told me there wasn't much chance the bunny would survive, I saved the fellow we called Ragit and kept him until he could be returned to the wild. Who knew this banker would adapt so well to country life? I guess Ron did.

    Sonny
    “Henny Penny Annie” I love it! I guess if I want you to care for me in my reincarnation I will have to come back as a vintage chair that needs restoring!

    gigihawaii
    I got a pet chick in elementary school and inquired at the local feed and grain store about how to keep it healthy. I was told to put Clorox in the chick's water. They meant a drop to a gallon of water. I mixed half water and half Clorox. Bye Bye Birdie:)

    cube
    I like that name Adelo for a rooster. When I miss-name my chicks before I know their gender I leave the names alone. That is why one of my roosters is now Bonnie.

    Elephant's Child
    We returned home from a shopping trip to town and I spotted a dog under a neighbor's car stirring up a lot of dust. He had one of my hens. I yelled at Ron to stop and I jumped out of the car, took a dive under the car, hit the dog until it let go of my hen and gently picked her up. She was still alive. We put her in the hen house and the next morning she was back in action.

    Aunt Betsy
    I believe you should make it a mission to eat a farm fresh egg. Now I don't mean one from the grocery that says they are. Buy eggs from a real chicken farmer. Once you go fresh you will never go back. Plus they are so healthy for you. Much lower in cholesterol than store bought. Hopefully I will get ten eggs a day but right now I am only getting five or six. I have some pullets that are not laying yet but should be starting any day. Most chickens don't lay an egg a day but some will. Around here it is easy to find homes for free range eggs and nothing makes me happier than to supply family and friends with free eggs.

    Arkansas Patti
    No egg money but lots of grateful family and friends. We only raise chickens for their eggs. No eating my girls or the guys. They have a home here for life unless I get too many roosters and those might go to another chicken farmer that needs a rooster.

    Susan Adcox
    Those banty roosters can be very mean little guys and you have to watch out for them. My grandchildren have all loved gathering eggs. A couple of years ago our youngest came in the house full of joy because she had struck gold and had a huge basket full of eggs. I almost had a stroke. She had taken them off the nest of a setting hen and they were almost due to hatch. We got them back and they hatched a few days later just fine.

    Brighid
    I will be naming one of my new girls Maude but she is not a Easter Egg chicken. I don't have any Araucaunas right now but it was always fun for the grandchildren to find their blue green eggs in the nests.

    Birdie
    Watch this post and I might put a little video that shows the flock on their first free range outing.

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  18. That's hilarious. But by your post, does that mean that the expression "madder than a wet hen" isn't reality? Are they really cool when wet?

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  19. I love this story - mother hen. Lovely.

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  20. That is such a sweet story! And like heartinhand, the 12 Days of Christmas song started playing in my head.

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  21. I tried to talk my daughter into not raising chickens. She did anyway. We get all the farm fresh egss we want from her. The kids do the chores and get the money.

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  22. You are a wonderfully caring mother hen, Annie and Ron knew that. Would you believe we have feral hens all over Hawaii?

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  23. cube
    There is also an expression about chickens not having sense enough to come in out of the rain and that definitely is true.

    Lynn
    I believe Tabor was right when she said chickens are my spirit animals.

    Riot Kitty
    That 12 days of Christmas was pretty clever wasn't it.

    Cliff
    I'm guessing you guys are pretty glad she went ahead and raised chickens against your “better” judgement.

    Kay
    My niece visited Hawaii and couldn't wait to tell me to stories of all your feral chickens. She didn't tell me what happens to their eggs. Are they fair game to anyone who finds them?

    ashok
    You got that right. lol

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  24. That would have made a lovely photo.

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