Horticulture Magazine has devoted 6 pages to the pleasures of keeping backyard chickens. It looks like one of their editors got some hens, and decided to make an article out of it. She has a nice looking coop. Very clean (I guess these photos were taken soon after acquiring the birds!)

I’ve been trying to convince my editor that,

a) what with HGTV, style books and shows are trendy and that

b) chickens are also trendy

so why not have a Backyard Barn Style book. Wouldn’t that be fun?

And now for my soapbox: I know that people in the “fancy” – that is, those who show poultry – are worried that fewer and fewer people are enjoying their hobby (obsession for some.) But, overall, the number of small flock holders is growing. This is good news all around. It means that the producers of all of the things that we need to keep chickens, from waterers, to feed, to brooders, to the hatcheries that sell us chicks, will stay in business. It also means that there are more people to advocate for keeping domestic farm animals on a small scale. More people to keep an eye on NAIS. Don’t know what that is? Go here.

We went away fro three days to meet our 1-week old nephew and of course that’s when HenCam goes on the fritz. My crack IT professional, Steve (who also is my nice husband) is at work trying to figure out what is wrong. We might need new cameras.

I get a lot of inquiries from viewers who would like to have their own HenCams. If you just want to watch your own flock for your own use, then go to a store like Radio Shack and they can set you up. BUT if you want to broadcast a live-streaming cam like mine, be prepared for a lot of expense and bother! I can’t tell you how to go about doing it. Steve could, but he says that if you have to ask how, then it’s probably beyond the ability of your home system, anyway. Trust me, we’ve paid an electrician $$$ to run cables out to the coop. We’ve got a room in the house just for the computers (it’s the only air conditioned room here!) and Steve does a lot of software stuff that I don’t understand.

It’s all worth it. I love sharing the girls with you. Hopefully, Steve will have it fixed soon, and HenCam will be back to the quality picture that the system is designed for.

Don’t worry – Candy is fine! You’ve probably noticed that her hutch has been moved to the side of the coop. This is her summer home location. In the winter, her house is in the sun, and she sunbathes at the top of the ramp every morning. But, as soon as it gets warm (it was in the high 70’s yesterday!) we move the hutch into the shade. Rabbits die from heat prostration and it is essential that their housing is in a shady spot out of direct sun. Candy is a lop-eared rabbit, and staying cool is especially hard for this type. Rabbits’ ears are their air conditioners. In hot weather, they stick them up away from their bodies, and the blood that runs near the skin in their ears cools in the breeze. Lop-ears can’t do this. Their ears are always hanging next to their warm fur. They need help to stay cool and healthy. So, Candy’s house has been moved. I’m sorry that you can’t see her there, but it is better for the bunny.

Buffy Update: Whatever is wrong with Buffy isn’t going to go away. I assume she has a terminal illness, like cancer or liver inflammation. She spends most of her time sitting, although she can still get up, eat, drink and roost. She doesn’t have that look of fear that sick animals often get, and so I am leaving her to live out her remaining days in peace. Fortunately, the flock that she is in is the nicest group of girls. No one is bothering her (as so often happens when a hen is sick and in with more aggressive birds.) The other day, three hens joined her on the floor of the coop, and they all took a communal snooze.

Yesterday, I let the hens out to free-range while I did a spring cleaning in the asparagus and mint bed. The girls got right to work, eating grubs, aerating dead bits of grass, moving around leaves. Helpful. That is, all except for Snowball. She came over to see what I was doing. Such a lazy girl. Most hens kick up their own bathing areas by scratching up a loose hollow of earth. Not Snowball. She waited and watched until I had done the work for her – a nice, loamy, rock-free corner of the vegetable patch – and then she settled right in.

PETA/Country Living Etc: My family and I went to the Big Apple Circus yesterday. They are a classic one-ring circus. Old-fashioned. Sweet. Amazing acts. They believe in animals in the circus. They used to have an elephant, until she retired due to old age. They haven’t replaced her. PETA was too much to deal with. But, they have stuck to their beliefs and have a troop of liberty horses, and each year they have a fine dog and cat routine. We thanked them for having animals in the show. They were delighted to hear it. A word of support goes a long way.

Meanwhile, Country Living responded to my letter (new Hen Blog readers can catch up by reading the posts from March 25 and April 7.) Here’s what they said:

Thank you for writing to Country Living magazine. We recognize your concern, and appreciate your insight on the PETA organization sourced in the May 2008 issue. We will certainly take your thoughts into consideration moving forward. We love hearing from our readers, so please don’t hesitate in contacting us again to share your feedback. Enjoy the end of your week.

So, again, a sane word goes a long way.

Buffy Update:  Although the spa treatment had her feeling better, she is not well. A HenCam friend said that he lost two hens with similar symptoms. A necropsy showed cancer. I think that’s what Buffy has. For now, she is eating, drinking, pooping and roosting in the coop with the other girls. Her eyes are bright and she doesn’t have that look of panic, or lethargy, that sick chickens get. So, I’ll leave her be and see how it goes.