1000th Post Giveaway

This week I wrote my 1000th post on HenCam. Instead of petering out, I find myself with more and more that I want to share with you. I have a notebook filled with ideas for posts, and everyday something happens in my backyard that is story worth telling. But, right now I am crazy-busy. I have two publishing projects in the works (more on those when they are closer to being sure things) and I have a lecture and a workshop coming up. I’m also consulting with a nursing home to bring the joy of chickens to their residents. A coop will be installed, and a landscaped pergola will be constructed so that people can sit outside and watch the hens. I’ll be doing programs with their memory-loss residents, bringing feathers, eggs and a live hen for them to see and handle. Such exciting work!

So, as much as I have a lot more posts to post, in the next month or so, I might not be able to get to this everyday. In the meantime, I have a small giveaway to celebrate the 1,000th post. I’ve made this keychain and two magnets from a Layena feed bag.

To enter, tell me what key you would hang on the chain. It can be a real key, like the one to your front door, or one you wish you had (I’d take a pickup truck, horse van and horse!), or one to something intangible, like the key to a loved one’s heart. Leave your comment here for one entry. If you post this contest on FB, let me know here and you get a second entry. If you post on Twitter, come back and tell me and you get a third entry. I’m happy to ship anywhere in the world (I had a reader from Tanzania the other day!) The contest closes on Sunday, September 9 at 9 pm EDT. The winner will be picked by a random number generator.

Thanks for being here with me on HenCam. Good-luck!

Comments:

  1. I will hang the key chain near Ollie’s cage, so he can have a friend. :) I am certain he will have a lot to say! lol

  2. I would keep this key hanging from my back door, which is the usual path to the coop. That key also doubles as the “chicken sitter” key, which a couple times a year goes to my friend’s daughter, the best chicken-sitter a person could ask for (and who spends as much quality time with my birds as I do when she’s here).

    Alternately, it could be on my own key ring, alongside my baby velociraptor (being cousins and all), so it will remind people to ask about my chickens.

  3. I would hang my house keys on it. I don’t have a keychain on them at all since my other one broke. I haven’t found one worthy to carry with me yet ;)

  4. I would hang a key to the front gate of my 200 acre chicken farm, where the chickens are free range and natural as possible. To provide people with eggs from happy healthy hens who have a good life.

  5. I would hang my keys on it, that way it will always be with me to show all {**}

  6. Cute, and such a great idea making these from the feed bag. Today, I would like to hang the key that would unlock that little piece of my brain that knows how to relax and take things slower. Feeling a bit frazzled these days. ;) You really have some exciting work coming up. That’s wonderful!

  8. Congratulations! Ideally, I would hang the keys to the perfect property in the south of Germany on this chain :)

  10. I was all set until you mentioned intangible items were eligible…after much thought, it’d have to be the key to the portal I can step into and travel to the side of loved ones to spend time with them, my parents 3,000 miles away, my good friend having chemo today, and even back in time to sit with my grandma, to chat over tea and cake.

  11. The key to the chicken coop. The key chain now is actually a small rubber chicken. The lock by the way is a dead bolt, yes a dead bolt. When I had my new chicken coop built after the tornado destroyed the old one I told the builder I wanted the human door to be a steel door. Well it came with a hole for a dead bolt so one had to be installed. My friends and family really ribbed me about that dead bolt on the chicken coop.

  12. It would hold the key for the padlocks that secure our coop’s doors. Yes a padlock, we’ve heard and read that racoons can manipulate almost everything else but a locked padlock. Our girls are safe and sound.

  14. As always, love being here reading all the funny, interesting, unusual ‘I didn’t know that’ things and relaxing… :o) Just gave my Brother a flag key – our red, white, and blue – for his home. Your one-of-a-kind keyring would be a perfect match, so easy to see, and should never get lost. And that is a good thing…LOL

  15. I would hang my house keys and car keys and carry around for the world to see!! Yeh!!!

  17. I would give it to my young son who collects keychains and is skeptical about us getting chickens (we are in the “research phase”). Love your blog–keep going!

  19. I would put the spare house key that I leave in the chicken coop nest box (in case I lock myself out of the house). Then I would know that I have to put the key back after I use it.

  20. I would hang it from my boat key as good luck when I go salmon fishing. When i get home from a successful outing and cook my fish, I always give the scraps to my girls… they go crazy for salmon and even make like a grunting sound they enjoy the fish so much! I just roar when one of the girls gets a huge piece of salmon skin and and then takes off running, screaming and dodging the other ladies… You gotta love chickens!

  21. I would hang a key that would open a door that would take me to Little Pond Farm as i would love to visit. Or a key to my own farm that would have plenty of chickens, goats and a donkey or 2!!!!!

  22. I would place the keys to empowerment and financial success for every person in our nation on this key ring as well as the key of the LOVE of Jesus Christ for us all, based on His sacrifice for us all.

  23. What a beautiful key chain! I would use this as my everyday key chain. The hen on those feed bags looks just like my Meg. If I don’t win I think I might try and make one myself :)
    Thank you and congratulations on 1000 posts!!

  24. If I were to win the key chain, I would use it for the “key” to my new and improved chicken coop that I hope to complete sometime later this year with the help of my handy brother. (I love to come up with the ideas… and then get someone else to do the hard work.)

  25. I would hang my shed keys and garage keys on it. The main hook in the house would have the keychain and that way, each time I come in, I would see a chicken smiling at me :)

    So enjoying your blog and pictures and of course, the webcams…makes my days so much better at work :)

    Thanks again
    Deanne G
    Columbia, SC

  26. I would put my office keys on it to remind me why I go to work!

    Love to hear about all your new projects in the works!

  28. I would put my rental car key on it when i visit Ireland for the first time next month! :)

  29. I would hang the keys to a home near Asheville, N.C.on this keychain. I am a fiberholic and that area just turns me on. Spend a couple weeks each year there but would love to get closer to moving there. Maybe the keychain would be a good omen.Have my kitchen decorated in chickens so this would fit right in.

  31. I’m picturing the key to an old pick-up truck, not sure what year but you see them now and then, maybe early 60’s…the color used to be sky blue but now it’s faded, and there’s some rust here and there but the chrome is all polished and the vehicle is well cared for. In the bed of the pick-up, several sacks of Layena!

  32. I would put the key to the family farm (sold in the 1970s) if I had it. I could use it to go back in time to the early 20th century when the east end of Long Island was full of potato farms, not wineries. I would learn to cook fabulous recipes and how take care of chickens from my great grandmother.

  33. The pretty blue color, would help me find my keys at the bottom of my purse..I love bardies :)

  34. So cute Terry! I am thinking of padlocking my girls in at night..I have a clip on the gate now but you never know…A padlock would make me feel better about them. That is what I would do with that cute keyring!

  35. I would hang the key to my next door neighbors chicken coop because you see after I win the lottery I plan to have a next door neighbor with chickens that I bought for her so I can look at them whenever I want and not have to be responsible for their well being because I plan to travel a lot, but when I am home I can enjoy her chickens.

  36. i would hang the key to my dearly beloved ford truck old truck. good truck we go everywhere together and he deserves something more than his regular oil change every three months
    that’s where he is today, and i have to walk up to the corner and get him soon. wouldn’t it be nice to have that fancy key chain with which to start him?

  37. Congratulations Terry! I found your site a few weeks ago and have been hooked since. I love watching all the animals and enjoy reading your blog. I found alot of helpful tips in the FAQs. I’ve been looking for a chicken key chain to hold the key to the coop since I got my chickens a few months ago. You’ve given me another great idea, I’ll have to try to make one using a picture of my chickens.

  38. I would like to have a key to take me over the rainbow bridge so I could spend time with all that have passed. Two and four legged. I miss them all.

  39. I think I’d put my mailbox key on it and hang it by the front door. Everyone who sees it would think it’s cute and want the story behind it. Thank you for the chance to win Terry!

  40. I put the house key on it, so I finally remember which of my keys open my house.

  42. HI Terry: I would hang the keychain on the handle of the chicken tote that I recently won from you! Seriously though…can I buy one from you? I get so many comments on that bag! I just love it!

  43. Hello Terry. Congrats on the 100th post! I love reading through your website especially all the your stories.

    I would keep this as the main key chain for my house. It would always keep me smiling knowing that my girls await for me to let them out at the end of my work day.

    Thank you!

  45. I would hang the key on it to unlock the minds and hearts of the town fathers of LaGrange. They are against the keeping of chickens and rabbits here in town. There’s actually a rule against it!

  46. That lovely keychain would hang on my refrigerator to remind me every day of the home we will be moving to next year… the home where we can finally have CHICKENS! Then it would graduate to hold the coop key, and live on a special hook by the back door.

    Congratulations on your 1000th post, Terry. I’ll be here for as many more as you decide to write. :)

  47. Cute idea!!! I would use it for the key to my husbands workshop. This is my first year keeping chickens, bunnies and alpacas. Thank goodness for my understanding husband,that is alot of different feed and hay in his space!

    Thank you for your blog and the wonderful info.

  48. I would put my house key on it. I use my house key every day, heading to work, coming home from work, and on Saturdays and Sundays traveling to and fro. My house key opens the door into my HOME, not my HOUSE. When I hear the word HOUSE I think of a very sterile environment. My HOME is very dusty at times (tumbleweeds under the bed) and may have piles of stuff all over. My home has animals…parrots, a 14 year old rescued chihuahua who has a heart murmur, cataracts and 8 teeth…and my wonderful chickens. Four gorgeous girls! When I come home and greet my animals I feel my stress levels diminish. If I cannot be happy in my HOME then why am I living here? The simple pleasures of life matter most.

  49. Congrats on 1000 posts! Glad to hear you have plenty of energy and ideas left, and these are so bright and adorable.

    I would attach the keys to recovery for Lauren’s Fern and our Mrs. Guidolin.

    Thanks, Terry.

  50. I would have the key to the chook house . . . to make sure my girls are locked in & safe at night. I actually just lost one of my lovely old Plymouth Rocks just this week to a fox & your keychain & magnets would make a very special momento of her <3

  51. I would have my beach house keys (if I had one) on this beauty of a key chain. It would remind me that you can take the girl away from the chickens but you can’t take the chicken lover out of the girl! Congrats on your 1000th post!!! WOW!!!

  52. I would have my front door and front gate key on the chain.

    Good for you on keeping track of your 1000th post! That’s quite a lot of writing and is impressive. Here’s to another 1000 postings.

  53. I would use the key chain to hold the key to my new chicken coop/shed if my brother and dad EVER build it! You are so clever with the feed bags ~ LOVE IT! Thank you for the fun giveaway :D

  55. I would hang it on my house key chain, they are so adorable! I think it is so neat that you make all these neat things. Congratulations on your 1000th post! I love how well you keep this blog up, you see so many blogs that just quit after a few months, it must take so much time to do all of this. Thank you for taking the time to write.

  56. In honor of you, I will hang my truck key on it; the truck that I haul my horse trailer and horses with. If you ever get to California, I’ll take you for a ride!

  58. Such an excellent thing! I would hang the spare house key on it, so my various house-sitters, neighbors, and chicken-carers would be able to find it easily. My last chicken- and cat-feeder became so attached to the girls that when she went to bed the night we got home, she worried about whether the girls were safely tucked away or not — from her tent high in the mountains.

  61. I’m so interested in the work you’re doing with the nursing home! Good for you.
    I think I’d put the key chain on the house key or perhaps on a bag. Maybe my car keys. I’m indecisive; maybe it’ll have to do weekly rotations.
    I’m commenting, sharing on Facebook, and sharing on Twitter (or tweeting- now I’m feeling tech-savvy). Three for three.
    Congratulations and thank you! :) :)

  63. Terry- once again I am in awe of you! What a wonderful idea (and huge commitment) to bring hens to a nursing facility. Animals are so healing and the stimulation of interacting with the chickens will, no doubt, be a welcomed break from “institutional” life. How wonderful that the administrators embraced the concept.
    I am thinking your key chain should hold the key to lost memories and a blissfully peaceful mind.

  64. The Children’s book WILFRID GORDON MCDONALD PARTRIDGE by Mem Fox, first published in a Puffin edition in 1987, ISBN 0-14-050586-5 features memory loss in elders and a little boy and a hen who observes the collection of memory items. Wilfrid even takes a “fresh, warm egg from under a hen.” The old lady when asked what memory is says, “Something warm,my child, something warm.” I think you would like it too.

  66. I collect key rings, so I wouldn’t put any key on it but would “show it off”. That is certainly not one I have. The magnets would go on my fridge.

  67. I would put the key to teaching human beings an awareness and appreciation of the animals that give-away so that we may live.

  68. I would use the key ring for the shed door key. It hangs on the back door close to the coop. I have three barred rocks who are the first chickens we ever owned and will always be my favorites since they lived through my learning to be a first-time chicken owner. The magnets would be perfect on the door (its metal) next to the lady-bug magnets. Shared on Facebook.

  69. I would give the key ring to my husband for his pickup which hauls our chicken feed.

  71. I just got my first chickens Sept 8, 2012. I will hang my key to the chiccken coop. on your key chain. It will keep my chickies safe.