Robin's nest
Growing up I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, I learned to care for and enjoy chickens and gardening. Each morning , the grass still being heavy with dew , we would start our day by feeding the chickens. I clearly remember soaking cracked corn in water to feed to the growing chicks, which were housed outside in a plywood cage that papaw had built , it had a wire front and a single household light bulb. No heat lamp no thermometer. The chicks ate out of wooden trough and drank water from a tin coffee can. Sometimes she would leave them with the hen, for her to raise. No mamaw's chickens weren't pets, they were productive farm birds. As well as enjoying those nice eggs for breakfast, Sunday mornings mamaw would go to the barn to choose the unfortunate bird which would become our dinner after Sunday school. When I was 7 years old a wonderful friend of my grandparents gave me my first "pet" chicken. She was a small brown mixed banty . I never named her, I guess it was due to the fact that so far in my life chickens had the sole purpose of food production . I've never forgotten that small hen and to this day have a fondness for small brown barnyard banties. I'm sure she was the spark that started my love for chickens today.
My chickens are not my grandmother's chickens. I have worn my catalog from MM out, like a child with a Christmas catalog. I know which chicken you can find on which page. My wonderful patient husband finds this quite funny. Throughout our married life we have kept chickens, usually more as pets than utility birds. It has been about 8 years or so since we last had a flock. I wanted our youngest son to learn poultry care and how great it is to go out to the barn and gather eggs. So we did some research and choose the breeds we thought would be best for us. As we have used MM in the past and have been satisfied with their services , we used modern technology and ordered online, quick and simple. For our flock we choose Buff Orpingtons, Barred Rocks, Easter eggers and Buff Laced Polish. Okay I will admit that the EE and Polish will be pets, as DH will be building them their own special hen house. No Sunday dinner fried chicken from that house.
Growing up I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, I learned to care for and enjoy chickens and gardening. Each morning , the grass still being heavy with dew , we would start our day by feeding the chickens. I clearly remember soaking cracked corn in water to feed to the growing chicks, which were housed outside in a plywood cage that papaw had built , it had a wire front and a single household light bulb. No heat lamp no thermometer. The chicks ate out of wooden trough and drank water from a tin coffee can. Sometimes she would leave them with the hen, for her to raise. No mamaw's chickens weren't pets, they were productive farm birds. As well as enjoying those nice eggs for breakfast, Sunday mornings mamaw would go to the barn to choose the unfortunate bird which would become our dinner after Sunday school. When I was 7 years old a wonderful friend of my grandparents gave me my first "pet" chicken. She was a small brown mixed banty . I never named her, I guess it was due to the fact that so far in my life chickens had the sole purpose of food production . I've never forgotten that small hen and to this day have a fondness for small brown barnyard banties. I'm sure she was the spark that started my love for chickens today.
My chickens are not my grandmother's chickens. I have worn my catalog from MM out, like a child with a Christmas catalog. I know which chicken you can find on which page. My wonderful patient husband finds this quite funny. Throughout our married life we have kept chickens, usually more as pets than utility birds. It has been about 8 years or so since we last had a flock. I wanted our youngest son to learn poultry care and how great it is to go out to the barn and gather eggs. So we did some research and choose the breeds we thought would be best for us. As we have used MM in the past and have been satisfied with their services , we used modern technology and ordered online, quick and simple. For our flock we choose Buff Orpingtons, Barred Rocks, Easter eggers and Buff Laced Polish. Okay I will admit that the EE and Polish will be pets, as DH will be building them their own special hen house. No Sunday dinner fried chicken from that house.
