(Update: this contest is closed. Patti Lincus won!)

My friend, Susan, at Bainbridge Farm Goods has very, very exciting news. Her sign company is a finalist for the Martha Stewart American Made People’s Choice Award. Her signs are filled with goats, chickens, and vegetables. They are bright, modern, and playful. They are made in America (actually, in her corner of America, Bainbridge Island.)

They look like this:

And this:

And this:

Don’t you just need one? (I already have a Fresh Eggs sign, but I think I need the goat sign, too!)

To celebrate her being chosen as a finalist (an honor in itself out out almost 2,000 entries) Susan is going to give one of you the sign of your choice! All you have to do is go here and then click over to her catalog. Pick a favorite sign (it will be hard; give yourself some time to look over all of the wonderful designs) and then come back here to my blog and let me know (in the comments on this page) which one you want if you win.

While you are at the Martha Stewart Website, take a moment and vote for Susan, please. I, for one, am voting, if only to let Martha know that her readers appreciate chickens, eggs and goats in her magazine!

The entries for the contest here on HenCam stay open through September 19, at 9 PM EST. One entry per person. (But the voting for Susan on the Martha site can be done daily through September 24. The magazine is giving away it’s own prizes, so if you like entering contests, go for it!) The winner of this HenCam Bainbridge Farm Goods Sign Giveaway will be determined by a random number generator.

I spent yesterday morning at the Brimfield Flea Market. Of course, I went looking for chickens. The main stretch of road has the sort of dealers that I usually skip because the bulk of their wares are reproductions, but the booths did have big and eye-catching items, like this four-foot tall metal rooster.

As you know, I don’t keep roosters. He didn’t come home with me.

These signs are widely available:

She’s a hen, but I don’t like her glare. She didn’t come home with me, either.

I rather liked this plastic lawn chicken. I could imagine her in a flock of pink plastic flamingos, but she stayed at Brimfield, too.

In all honesty, I didn’t find any chickens that held my interest. Other animals charmed me more.

I was stopped in my tracks by this cacophony of cows.

I have a friend who would have snapped up this deranged squirrel. He? She? is wearing an apron!

And it doesn’t get any sweeter than this threesome.

In the end, I didn’t bring any of these animals home, but I did get something for the chicken house. You’ll have to wait until next week when I put it up and show you.

It’s a dreary, rainy, back-to-school day, so I thought that I should post a bit of turquoise and pink mid-century baby charm.

This dapper rooster (just look at that bow tie!) held diaper pins.

I read that the rooster’s tail was a way to unlatch the pins one-handed, but I can’t figure out how to do it. Does anyone know?

News flash – I’ve figured it out! Push the pink clasp into the gap in the rooster’s tail, which holds it securely while you twist it open. Brilliant!

I do know how to squeeze the beak in order to release the pins from the gentleman’s neck.

This chicken was made by Tuppercraft. Any collectors out there who can tell me more about the company?

You can still find these vintage diaper pin holders for under $20. Don’t you need one?

Most of the animals that I live with do not exactly have mellow temperaments. Candy is imperial. The Speckled Sussex hens are loopy. The goats thrive on mischief. Lily is a genius dog who is on the lookout for alien invasions and squirrel armies (perhaps the same thing?) And yet, I want the animals that I share my life with to be polite. Despite the potential for chaos, this is not an unattainable goal. It takes me knowing what I want and communicating that consistently. This requires time and training. But mostly it takes an attitude of calm stewardship.

When I posted about how to hold a hen, I heard from many readers about how they embrace their chickens. I also heard about hens that cannot contain their enthusiasm and leap onto shoulders, which makes for a hilarious story, but not one that I would want to have happen more than once. Personally, I don’t want  a five-pound hen (who has likely just stepped in manure) flapping her ungainly self at me in an attempt to roost up on top of my head. Even if I found this acceptable, I wouldn’t want this to happen to a guest or a child.To ensure that your hens greet you and your friends politely, let them know that good things happen on the ground, at your feet, not near your face. Feed them treats tossed away from you. Do not feed them from your hands when they get pushy and peck.

Sometimes, though, it’s fun to have a hen on your shoulder. It certainly makes for a funny photo. Clearly, these women and their chickens are familiar friends. The birds look quite calm and polite. (Do you think it a family photo with rooster, hen and feathering-out chick?)

I’m sure that these ladies, with their long hair pinned up into buns, wouldn’t let one of their chickens leap up onto their shoulders. Can you imagine what a tangled scene that would be!

I am not one of those people who cuddles and kisses my chickens. I love the girls, but they don’t need my affectionate embraces. What they do need is a caregiver who is attentive and calm. I get eggs from them, but I also get to be around curious, funny, busy-body animals that I find endlessly entertaining. I like to say that keeping chickens is like having the ocean in your backyard – there’s always something going on, and yet it is relaxing. The hens and I spend much companionable time together. That’s why, when I do go to pick them up they don’t make much of a flap (pun intended!) and they stay comfortably in my arms.

Although I don’t hug my hens, I do handle and pick them up. Sometimes it’s to check a chicken that’s been looking “off” for signs of illness. Sometimes it’s to move her from one place to another. I have a couple of hens that are happy to sit on my lap; they are the girls that accompany me on school visits. If you are just starting out with your flock, keep in mind that anything swooping down to grab a hen will scare her – so many animals want to catch a chicken dinner! So, be quick and confident, but make sure she knows it’s you who is reaching for her. If your mature hen sees you as a benign caregiver, she might squat in that deferential way that she would for a rooster. That makes her easy to pick up. If she always runs from you, then some quiet taming is in order.

When you do hold a hen, keep her close to your chest and gently keep her wings at her side. If she can flap, she’ll panic, but if she’s held securely she’ll settle right in.

And, remember to enjoy yourselves, like these gentlemen are.

For more about picking up hens, read my FAQ and see my YouTube video. It also helps to have hens that come when called. A few of my hens are much easier to catch when distracted by a bit of corn! See how to train them to come running here.