Last night after watching the Bush Bailout Plan on TV, we went up to make our dinner of nachos (with beans, cheese, buffalo meat, sour cream, tomatoes, and jalapenos) -YUM!- Britton was walking with the plate in his hand, and just as I turned out the light to go downstairs with the food, we heard a crash. I thought he had run into the wall when I turned out the light, but when I turned it back on, he was still left holding part of the plate. The rest of it was all over the kitchen floor. The plate had broken on its own.
This seemed completely appropriate for the moment; a crashing plate with a crashing financial system and economy. But yet we did not get any intervention or bailout (should Taco Bell or other nacho institutions give us free nachos?, or maybe they would like to buy our broken plate full??) and neither did all the families who were foreclosed and/or preyed upon. We cleaned it up, salvaged what we could, learned a lesson and will use a better plate that is hopefully better “regulated” for the oven in the future so it doesn’t just shatter in our hands again. And there is always a silver lining: Schnoodle happily licked the floor clean for us so that all we had to do was mop it afterward. I am sure that the big corporations can find a way other than through our money to clean up their mess.
On Sunday Britton, Torrie (his sister), our niece and nephew, my mom, our friend Shana and I all went out to the Sustainable Living Event in Fort Collins that is in conjunction with New Belgium Brewery. Afterward we went to the Holistic Fair in Loveland before returning home. It was pretty cool. Our nephew kept saying this was where all the hippies were, which was somewhat true if your definition of a hippie is someone with long hair, or locks, and who cares about the environment. We learned a little bit about solar power, wind power, recycling, composting, gardening, and much more. There were plenty of interesting people, good food and beer as well. There was even a booth with chickens! There was definitely an underlying political atmosphere that was pretty cool. We seem to have had a lot of opportunities for training in Puerto Rico lately.
That is the general response we hear from people when we talk casually about the chickens. (We hear the same similar response and incredulity when we talk about Puerto Rico, too!) The chickens are awesome! Here are a few fun facts about chickens that we learned, and hopefully they answer a lot of your questions about chickens. If you have other questions, I’ll try to answer them!
1) They generally lay one egg a day. This is not a 24 hour day, however. Our chicken lays one about every 30 hours, so we skip a day every so often. They lay based on the amount of sun – or day length. In the winter, some breeds stop altogether. This is a natural response so that the chicks would have the best chance of survival (spring, summer, and fall). In commercial enterprises, they use artificial lighting to keep them laying through the winter. 2) You don’t need a rooster to have eggs. You only need a rooster to fertilize the eggs. Unless you have a lot of room or want to have chicks in the spring, don’t get a rooster. The hens are not noisy at all, but roosters can start crowing at 3am, which may make you the least favorite neighbor ever. 3) They start laying at between 3-5 months old. The black one still hasn’t laid. 4) They spend the day on the ground looking for things to eat, but like to sleep up on a board. This is the “roosting” habit. They should have shelter from the elements and predators. A lot of chicken predators (foxes, skunks, weasels, etc) are noctural and strike when the chickens are most vulnerable. 5) They do poop a lot, and their poop is considered “hot” but is excellent fertilizer. We usually just hose out the greenhouse every so often and that takes care of the smell. 6) Regardless of what your egg carton might say, chickens are not naturally vegetarians. They LOVE grasshoppers, spiders, beetles, etc, and they are GREAT at catching them. One day, Kitty caught a baby bird and left it dead on the back porch for us as he likes to do recently (yuck). I went to go move it from the porch but got a little distracted. When I came back about a 1/2 hour later the chickens had finished him off, feathers and all…Is that cannibalism if it’s in the same family? 7) They are “flock” animals. I wouldn’t suggest getting just one. They have their own language and squawk when we come out to let each other know we are there. They are always together, sleeping, eating, pecking around in the yard. 8)- The egg comes out of the same part as the poop, but it is through a different tube (think: our throats are used for food and for air), so they are completely sanitary unless they land in poop on the ground (the shell would be dirty). 9) Overall, chickens can be used as: pets, meat, eggs, feather source, fertilizer, entertainment, bug abatement and much, much more 🙂 10) Oh, and yes, they are legal to have in Greeley city limits. Other towns like Fort Collins are also considering it. BONUS! When Britton and I were in Puerto Rico last, they were talking about how chickens are great for catching unwanted critters, especially scorpions. Well, that’ll help you sleep at night.
Right as our party was starting the kids found this (bull?) snake in the yard. It is pretty small, and probably a baby, so I hope we don’t have a bunch of them around the house although Britton said he also saw a gardener snake. Of course, with them empty field behind us, there are a ton of mice for them to eat. And, thanks, Kitty for bringing the dead little mice and bird bodies onto the porch when you catch them. We really appreciate it (gag!). We also have a bunch of bugs, and I found this little green dude on our kitchen table. I think it is the same type I saw munching on my basil! Blends in so perfectly, I barely even noticed it on the table because I thought it was just a random piece of leaf.
