This is not the way Grandma did it.

[Onna]

This is not the way Grandma did it.​

If my Grandma were living today she would say I was just being silly. In her day raising Chickens was a way of putting food on the table, selling eggs to buy the children shoes and making pillows out of their feathers. Today We name them Bubbles and Squeak , pamper them with treats and house them in a warm coop for the winter.
I live in the country where a Roosters crow is welcomed, hens run free in the yard and the barn is were the Chicken house is. My Peeps are pets as I am a Vegetarian. How ever when I was young, many a Sunday dinner started with Grandma in the back yard,

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two chickens, one in each hand a quick ringing of the neck and fried Chicken, biscuits and gravy was soon on the table.

Grandma lived and saw many things in her time, but never a Pampered Chicken. How I wish she could see the world as it is today. Cute chicken coops in the back yards of city people, would make her laugh. I do love to see people enjoying their chickens. I find my self wanting to join in on the fun and creativity, building or painting something whimsical in the chicken house. But what do you do when you already have a hen house in the barn?

Build a nest box, I thought to my self. And get your creative juices flowing. So that's just what I did. I asked my husband Joe if he would build me a nesting box, he said draw up the plains and I'll put hammer to nail. The box is 48" X 24" X 16". Here is a picture of the nest box when he was done.

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After many days of paint and time, I was able to put my creative juices to rest. Here is the finished Nesting Box.

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Time has marched on. Grandma never knew the joys of having chickens just for fun. She would have said, the life your living is the gift I gave to you, for I wanted you to have a better life then mine. And I do. I believe my Grandma, if she were here, would laugh with me and be glad that my life was not as hard as hers. Thank you Grandma for teaching me about chickens and for your love.

Grandma was born in 1889
and I miss her smile.

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Edited by Onna - Today at 12:32 a

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[ChicKat]

You did a great job on the nest box----and your dh is a superb builder. Nice tribute to your grandmother.

 

[sumi]

That is a beautiful next box. And your grandmother sounds like an amazing lady!
I had a chat with my grandfather the other day. I told him about a chicken I had a problem with, that we ended up losing. He told my I shouldn't have intervened and let nature take it's course. I replied that if given the choice, I'd do it again. He didn't get it. For him a chicken is a thing that lays eggs and then you eat her. Nothing more. For me they are way more than egg producers and Sunday roasts. In fact, we wouldn't dream of eating them! He finds it amusing that I love my birds so much. But, hey, I got friendly, funny pets that gives me breakfast!

 

[Mattemma]

Nice job with the box!

 

[MadHens]

I loved the story about your grandmother! Nice job on the nest boxes too!

 

[Jakoda]

great story, your grandma sounds like my grandfather! He was an old chicken farmer, coops of them, raised for eggs to sell/meat. Buyers would come from NY to buy his chickens for meat.

I remember hanging out in the coops when the new babies would arrive, as for heat, he used coal stoves IN the chicken houses. If he were alive today and knew I had baby chicks in my house, he'd probably think I was foolish and laugh

 

[Carols Clucks]

I love it


(and I brought the goose/duck down dunas my grandmother made with the feathers when she sold geese and ducks for holiday dinners in Denmark home with me)