Monthly Archives: May 2012

Handling and Picking Up Your Hens

Some people like to sit with their hens in their laps, others would prefer that the birds stay at their feet. But, regardless of how you like to hang with your hens, being able to pick them up easily is essential for their care. You’ll need to check them for lice, or injury. You might need to move a hen from one pen to another, or pick it up when it gets in your flower bed. Chickens that are used to being handled and held are easier to care for.

Some chickens are innately friendly and fearless, but most of them respond to arms swooping down to scoop them up as any prey animal would, with fear. So, the first thing to do is to spend time with your chickens so that they can get to know and trust you. If you get your birds as chicks handle them, but be careful to be very gentle, and don’t fuss with them so much that you annoy them. Adult hens will respond positively to a person sitting on a low stool in the midst who is tossing delicious treats or simply sitting in quiet companionship. Your chickens should recognize that you are the bearer of good things, like water, food and entertainment. If your chickens run away when they see you, then rethink how you interact with them.

Picking up a chicken is a learned skill. You need to do it quickly and firmly. Hold their wings at their sides so that they can’t flap. Always talk quietly and calmly.

I’ve made a video so you can see how I pick up my hens. I hope that it helps in your daily care and interaction with your flock.

Chicken Planters and Chickens Planted

There’s been a lot of planting going on around here.

I’ve splurged on new pottery, bags of good soil, and lush plants (no sagging, sorry, spindly ones from the bargain bin this year!)

I always have a large selection of basil planted by the kitchen door.

I’ve filled pots with flowers and placed them are all around the house. These are on the back steps:

Perennials have gone into bare spaces in the flower bed near the meadow. The last remaining spots in the vegetable garden were filled today with peppers and an eggplant.

Most of the digging has required only a hand trowel, but sometimes a shovel won’t do the job. The pumpkin patch was a tangle of tough turf. It needed turning. First, the toads and garter snakes had to be shooed out of the way. Then, Steve and son used a behemoth of a borrowed rototiller to cut through the sod.

When they were done, it was easy to dig a few holes for the pumpkins and butternut squash.

Once that task was complete, a few more holes needed to be filled. What should I plant in these?

Chickens!

 

Vintage Photos of People and their Chickens

A hundred years ago, when agriculture was diverse and smaller scale, poultry was an essential and integral part of almost every farm. Chickens were found not only in the country, but also in village henneries and on city lots. Chickens were usually women’s work, and since the hens often ranged right outside the back porch, they were a part of daily life. Women cared for the flocks, children played with the chickens, and egg money kept families afloat during hard times. I’ve been collecting photographs, diaries and books from this era, and will share it with you here.

"I think you will recognize these two old friends."

Ta-Dah! A Revamped HenCam

It’s been a long time in the making, and the revamped HenCam is finally up. There’s a charming new facade and a cheerful logo. Behind the good looks there has been a major reorganization. A priority in the redesign was to improve navigation. The homepage has sidebars so you can see what’s new and interesting at HenCam. There is an obvious, expandable page for FAQs. The FAQ page also has a place for recipes! Events are more clearly listed, and there are pages to explain what my programs are and how to book me.

I’m very excited about adding a second blog, The Vintage Hen! I have a collection of vintage chicken-related objects and ephemera. Now I have a place to share it with you. I’ve also been working on other projects that have led me to do research on our relationship with farm animals. I’m especially interested in women’s work at the turn of the last century. I have photographs that will delight and make you think.

There’s still a lot to do. I’ve already written and posted new FAQs, but I have a list of a dozen more topics that I want to post soon. I now have two blogs to write (one might require me to go to a flea market to be inspired!) Eventually, there will also be a HenCam online store. (Which will sell, among other things, a book I’ve been working on.)

My IT Guy/husband still has lots of glitches to iron out. It’s been crunch-time these last few days. I can’t help with the computer stuff, so I made Rhubarb-Peach Pie yesterday. I’m keeping him fortified! Steve isn’t doing this alone, and there have been two professionals who have worked tirelessly to get HenCam up in it’s new incarnation. Craig, at Edge Design, did the design (and my happy dancing hen logo) and Tim at CodeBrick did the coding. They’re still working (on the west coast, or they’d be eating pie, too.) I’m still writing. Except, right now I have to get outside and weed. Somewhere around 700 people will be touring the property next Friday and Saturday for the Concord Museum Garden Tour. I have a lot to do before they come. Will you be here?

 

As you can see, I’ve been juggling a lot of projects. I am so fortunate that I have people behind me helping to see them to fruition. I hope that you enjoy what we’ve been up to!

 

Ideas Into Reality

I’ve promised and promised, and finally, the redesigned web site is almost here. It seems that with everything that I do, the idea seems simple, but the execution is far more complicated and challenging than I’d imagined. Luckily, I have skilled people around me who know how to take my ideas and turn them into reality.

For example, how hard could it be to take a 17-ton rock that already has a hole through it and turn it into a water feature?

Very.

The results are always worth the trouble.

Creating the revised HenCam has been even more challenging than moving that rock. There weren’t any templates that fit what I had in mind. A designer was hired. A technical guy was hired. Steve taught himself how to code web sites. Even with three professionals on the job, it has not been easy.

(I’ve been working, too! I’ve been writing lots of new material.)

We’re at the end of the project. In the next few days we’re moving 6+ years of content onto the new HenCam. During the transition, it would be easier for the team if I stop blogging and responding to your comments, so let’s all take a short break.

Have a great week, and I’ll see you on Monday. With this.