Chicken Wisdom. . .

All I Need To Know In Life, I Learned From My Hens

Wake up early, stay busy, rest when you need to, but always stay alert.

Visit your favorite places each day.

Scratch out a living.

Routine is good.

Plump is good.

Don't ponder your purpose in life - your brain is too small.

Accept the pecking order and know your enemies.

Weed your garden.

Protect your children fiercely - sit on them if you need to.

Take them for walks, show them the little things and talk constantly.

Make a nice nest. Share it with friends.

Brag on your accomplishments.

Don't count your chicks before they hatch.

Protect your nest egg.

Test your wings once in awhile.

Squawk when necessary.

As you age, demand respect.

Leave a little something for those who care about you.

Chase butterflies.

Precious Poem By Michaele Oleson 

Amazing Artwork by Julene Ewert

Dixie's Reign Of Fame. . .

I want to thank everyone who left us such nice comments when we were helping and then losing our sweet chicken, Dixie.  It meant so much to us.  We really do miss her.  Daisy has taken Dixie's place at the top of the pecking order, and so far, she runs a VERY tight ship!  I think she's a bit "power hungry" at the moment.  She gets the girls to bed earlier at night than Dixie ever did, and she has been asserting herself even more than usual over the cats.  I'm sure she'll settle down to be a more relaxed leader with a little time.

When I wrote the post about losing her, I had someone leave me this comment:
"Hello! I'm an art student and I just stumbled on your wonderful blog while searching for the source of a reference photo I recently drew of your daughter playing saxophone for some hens. I saw it on a forum somewhere, and it was such a great picture, I had to draw it. I thought you might want to see the drawing, I posted it on my portfolio, www.flamingoboots.com. It's the first post.

Wonderful blog, I'll definitely keep following it :)
Sincerely,
Marianne M"

This is the picture that she saw from the post about Tara being in band:

And this is the picture that Marianne drew of Tara and DIXIE!!  

Tara was delighted to be the subject of her work.  We think she did a phenomenal job!  Thank you Marianne!!  We are happy to have join our adventures in the big woods!

Fresh Eggs. . .

I have been eyeballing this Egg Skelter for some time.  I don't put our chickens eggs in the fridge.  We eat them often and if they are not washed, the bloom on the outside of the eggs will keep them fresh for up to 12 weeks un-refrigerated   We have never gone that long, as we eat our eggs almost every morning for breakfast.  What this handy dandy toy does, is keep the eggs in order freshness with the older eggs at the bottom and the newer eggs at the top.  If you keep backyard chickens, this is a great thing to have!!

Goodbye Dixie. . .

You were an amazing pet.  We never knew that we could ever fall in love with chickens, but soon after bringing you and your sisters into our home, we did.  You had an amazing life for a chicken.  You got to go swimming, sledding, and played with the kids so often.  You were allowed to free range from dawn until dusk and gave our family so much joy.  You had the important job of being at the top of the pecking order and did a good job of eating weeds for me.  You rewarded us not only with your love, but also with your wonderful eggs.  You were a friend to Tara and Madeline and always made us smile.  You will be missed Dixie.  We will always love you.

Dixie died yesterday afternoon.  I finally found a vet an hour away that would see a chicken.  In my heart, I knew that I was taking her to him to be put to sleep.  She was no longer eating and barely drinking.  She was such a sweet amazing patient.  She always made the sweetest cooing noises whenever we were in eye shot of her.  She really loved when when the girls would sit and pet her while she was sick.  Dixie had a very large blockage in her crop and also in her abdominal region.  She is out of pain and I feel blessed that God allowed us to look after this precious chicken all of her life.  She was pampered and very loved.  Tara and Madeline took the news very, very well.  They had been preparing for that moment as they saw her getting weaker and weaker.  They are both happy that Dixie is no longer suffering.  We were very sad when she was suffering, but now that her suffering has ended, we are at peace.  We hope that one day we'll see all the pets that we loved and cared for again in heaven.  So today, we are so happy to have all the wonderful memories that Dixie gave us.