Chickens Don’t Smile

We humans are programed to read emotions by looking at faces – and especially at mouths. We look for snarls, sneers and bared teeth. We look for grins and laughter. It’s how we determine friend or foe. Some animals, like dolphins, appear to be perpetually smiling, and so are deemed beneficent, loving creatures. They are, probably at times, but they are also dangerous animals capable of anger. Karen Pryor has told me harrowing tales of dolphins that mean harm, all the while “smiling.” With dolphins, one has to read air bubbles, body language and swimming patterns.

So, how does one interpret this?

Ignore the downward turn of that beak. Garnet can’t help it. Ignore that beady stare. She can’t do anything about that, either. Instead, pay attention to the set of her tail, to her bold curiosity, to the tilt of her head. Listen for chortles, squawks or silence. Drop your assumptions and see the animal for what she is.

It’s hard to get past that glare, isn’t it? It’s hard not to believe that Garnet  is one disapproving hen.

Like most Rhode Island Reds, she’s bossy, hungry and demanding. Garnet is used to me, and knows that there are times when I’m the bearer of good things, so she’s approachable. She wants to know what I’m up to. She doesn’t want to miss the hand-outs. That’s all obvious. But, the more subtle traits take time to discover. As the weather warms I’ll be sitting out on the lawn. Watching. I’ll have to ignore that downward scowl in order to see the chicken behind it.

Still, it makes for a funny photo doesn’t it?

The Winner Of The Print Is…

Congratulations to Jenion! A long time ago I had a giveaway and thought I’d have a hen pick the winner by pecking at the paper entries in a hat. What a disaster. This time around the goats offered to select a winner.

They would have liked a hat filled with paper scraps. Or just the hat. I politely declined.

Scooter wasn’t interested.

So, I used a random number generator.

Many thanks to Jenny Tiffany for donating this wonderful giveaway. Keep an eye on this blog. More giveaways to come!

Foggy Morning

The air is warm and moist and the ground is frozen and cold. Fog results. The muted world seems cozy and gentle on these mornings.

I read in the newspaper today that all of our snow has blown to Valdez, Alaska, where they’ve had 10 feet snow more than usual. Sorry, guys. Here we are looking towards spring. I’m planning some Chicken Keeping Workshops in April and May and will let you know when the details are finalized. If you live here in Eastern, MA, I’ll be doing a free presentation at my local, Chelmsford, Agway on February 25 at 11. I’ll be talking about starting a backyard flock.

Don’t forget to enter the Backyard Chickens Print Giveaway!

Backyard Chickens Print Giveaway!

One of the great pleasures of having the HenCam is that I get to connect with such interesting people. Several years ago I heard from a chicken keeper named Jenny Tiffany in Portland, Oregon. It turns out that not only is she a lovely person, but she is also a talented artist. You can find her work at her shop on Etsy. Her prints are colorful, happy, modern and retro, AND some are of chickens.

Jenny has generously agreed to give a print to the winner of this giveaway! All you have to do is go to her site, decide which image is your favorite, and let me know here in the comments. The winner will get the print of their choice.

The Rules in Fine Print: You can have up to 3 entries: (1) Tell me which print is your favorite – you must do it here on this blog and not on Facebook! (2) Let your Facebook friends know about this contest, come back here and tell me you’ve spread the word and you get a second entry. (3) Spread the word on Twitter, let me know here, and you get a third entry.

The contest closes on Saturday morning, February 4 at 10 AM EST.

Good-luck!