Bard Rock and Rhode Island Red,make good names for colors in my paintbox.
Buff Orpington and Maran,
and Araucana's bluish eggshells,
a mixture of sounds from the chicken coop,
welling up into the damp morning breeze.
The pullet-zer prize goes to these future 'layers',
as I accommodate the barnyard pecking order.
Being a farmer means up with the rooster, you know. That is sometimes difficult for me. Another 2 1/2 inches of rain last night. Horses seemed stranded on a dry little island, but moved themselves across the waterway created in the flash flood. Just like we do, they try to find tufts of grass and weeds to step on as they glide across the mucky and slimy mud.
These chickens are the pullets, not ready to lay yet. They are my neighbors chickens, I guess that makes us "chicken sitters" (careful how you read that). They still "peep" and are more than friendly. Guess they were raised in their "chick" days by children. You can see one standing on my foot. They let you pet them and hold them. It's more than fun!
Older hens are in another pen, their feathers plucked out by the mean and nasty roosters, who don't get to stay in the enclosure with them anymore.
Those hens are not very pretty, but good layers all the same. My favorite pullet is a little Araucana, she is the white one in this picture, sort of a runt and kind of picked on by the others. We give her special attention.
These chickens are the pullets, not ready to lay yet. They are my neighbors chickens, I guess that makes us "chicken sitters" (careful how you read that). They still "peep" and are more than friendly. Guess they were raised in their "chick" days by children. You can see one standing on my foot. They let you pet them and hold them. It's more than fun!
Older hens are in another pen, their feathers plucked out by the mean and nasty roosters, who don't get to stay in the enclosure with them anymore.
Those hens are not very pretty, but good layers all the same. My favorite pullet is a little Araucana, she is the white one in this picture, sort of a runt and kind of picked on by the others. We give her special attention.
If the work inside the house slows down,I may steal away to paint another chicken painting
within the next few days,
as I took lots of good source photos this morning.
although I AM painting (walls), I miss the "done on canvas" kind!!!!
In the meantime,
I get close to the idea of my own chickens, for next year.
The benefits are large...weed and pest control, plus eggs..and entertainment!
within the next few days,
as I took lots of good source photos this morning.
although I AM painting (walls), I miss the "done on canvas" kind!!!!
In the meantime,
I get close to the idea of my own chickens, for next year.
The benefits are large...weed and pest control, plus eggs..and entertainment!
4 comments:
I like the one chicken that's eyeballing you. Is that a rooster? Steam clouds heading your way from here. Only 95out right now.
Yes, that's a rooster...he is just starting to reap his testosterone, too. I think they will have to ex-communicate him from the brood, or they will have featherless pullets, to go with the featherless laying hens.
Please Mark, we don't need steam or clouds or rain or wind or tornadoes for awhile, thanks. Keep them there.
Ha
I LOVE chickens. Grew up raising them and won some awards in 4-H, too. Ahem...two years in a row of an "all expense paid trip" to Springfield, Arkansas (about two hours from my house, it turned out) for a weekend of things like my first airplane ride and horseback riding (I fell off at full gallop and broke my coccyx, and went home with crutches...hurt to sit for a month) and touring chicken farms and plants. Heady stuff for an 11 year old and 12 year old. Also raised Araucanas in my 20s... loved, loved, loved them... and the pretty eggs. Go for it!
Gee Susan - you are a "chicken lady" for sure! Ouch on the coccyx. Know that pain from a rollerskating mishap, that pushed me to skate with a pillow tied to my butt - but I didn't learn...years later, as an adult, fell while skating at a skating rink (very hard surface) and had a 6" skull fracture. Really messed up my speech for awhile, and still does sometimes.
That little Araucana is just too sweet. I think I will focus on raising them. Any suggestions?
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