PRACTICAL PARSIMONY: Rebellion with Evil Eye and Wing Flapping

Monday, May 21, 2012

Rebellion with Evil Eye and Wing Flapping

"Yes, this really is where I want to sleep!"

On Sunday evening, just before dusk, I heard thumping on the porch. As I went to look out the door, there was additional thumping. Above is where I found Louise, looking at me as if to say she were settled for the night, right where she wanted to be. "No chicken tossing."

As I turned to go inside, I saw Pepper jumping up on the banister that descends as the steps do. She landed, yelped, and soon she was sliding. She slid sideways down the banister/rail, wings frantically flapping the whole way. It was over soon but was quite impressive while she was in motion. Funny Pepper.

I lured them to their pen and shut the door. Chicken wrangling at dark is not my favorite thing to do.The iron railing looks rustier than it is!

Your turns
How are your hens doing? Acting up? Rebelling? Doing funny things?

6 comments:

WendyMay 21, 2012 at 5:15 PM
Louise looks quite content there! lol
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LindaMay 21, 2012 at 6:06 PM
I lured her to her pen with a plate of oatmeal with lots of salt, olive oil, and crushed egg shells. She was contently eating when I left. Yes, she would be content to sleep there every night. But, raccoons are still about. I thought you might have a chicken story...lol.
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WimmeraMay 22, 2012 at 3:28 PM
My hens are doing fine(my vintage tea towels have chicken pictures on them)
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LindaMay 22, 2012 at 4:05 PM
wimmera,
Your chickens are on the tea towels? Funny. So, I guess you never have to put them to bed in their pen. I wish I could find chicken things I like and can afford. If they are affordable, I don't want them. If I love them, then I cannot afford them. Some day....
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WimmeraMay 23, 2012 at 1:51 AM
elderly lady gave me ,there were still in the original box never used(20 tea towels)Pure linen made in Romania.
Maybe 30-40 years old.
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LindaMay 23, 2012 at 9:55 PM
Wimmera,
Those are a real treasure!
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Okay, hoping the annoyances have gone away.

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The Cast

Fancy is my favorite hen. She is one of the three youngest hens I adopted. Because she is so gentle and friendly, she may be the one I rescued when she was being pecked to death after she could no longer stand. She got to live in the house in a box. Sometimes, I let her sit in my lap while she was convalescing. Now, she comes to sit in the swing with me, cuddling up to my body like a cat or dog. She died in February 2012.

Fancy follows me begging, complaining, needing me to do for her. She talks to me in various voices. She allows me to pick her up and carry her. When she became an adult, her head was a darker red and her body was light brown. Around her neck were tips of black feathers. It appeared she had a necklace of jet around her neck. When I showed this characteristic to a friend, he said, "Oh, you have fancy chickens and plain chickens."

Chessie has a broken toe. I broke it! She had a habit of jumping really high and almost sticking. A raccoon ate her in October 2009.

Thelma is the blonde. She is also the largest hen and the alpha hen. I suspect the gigantic eggs are from her. She often squats and presents herself to me. She is top hen, but I suspect she knows she had better be deferent to top feeder of the flock--me.

Louise is the auburn-feathered hen. She looks like the true Rhode Island Reds in pictures. She is almost as large as Thelma. Some days I suspect she is trying to be top chicken. When I got Pepper, I found out Louise is the Alpha hen.

Pepper came here from the same home as the first four. We were discussing putting red pepper on their food, wondering if it really would increase egg production. Pepper is the only name we agreed on. She is terrorized each day by Louise. Even after the worst was over, she was and is still filled with terror and very wary.

Linda is owned by four hens. They allow her to fetch for them. She loves them dearly, so she allows them to boss her around. Linda comes out in the rain to perform chores for them and make sure they have food and water. She begs scraps from all sorts of places to make sure they have fresh fruits and vegetables.

Parsimony is not a vegetable

Parsimony is extreme care in spending money. Stick around and learn about my random thoughts on accomplishing goals economically--dumpster diving aka safari, gleaning, do-it-yourself, sewing tips, recipes, and whatever is happening in my life.

Okay so maybe "parsimony" is not your thing. How about thrift, frugality or just plain saving money? I try not to go the tightwad route as that seems to imply others will suffer from my habits.

Some of my not-spending habits have very much been a part of my lifelong habits. Other habits are newly acquired and are an extension of my lifelong not-spending habits.

I am very imaginative when it comes to substituting or making instead of buying. I will tell you about making a heater for the chickens' water. Not one dime was spent since I had everything I needed right in my basement.

Practicality must rear its head alongside parsimony. For example, I will use the dryer in bad weather or because of allergies in the spring. But, I will not wash clothes in a tub as long as I have a washing machine or can find one.

You may hear more about my four Rhode Island Red hens than you care to hear. They lay delicious brown eggs.

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Monday, May 21, 2012

Rebellion with Evil Eye and Wing Flapping

6 comments: