I have a chicken. Or, actually, I have a chick. A little Rhode Island Red named Rosie. Rosie doesn't live with me. She is being boarded at the Cottage with three other chicks. You can see a little YouTube video of them and see her sweet little self.
I have wanted chickens for years now. Rick and I used to take a walk through our Los Altos neighborhood and there was one house that always had a few fat chickens peacefully roaming around the front yard. Nothing fenced them in and nothing appeared to bother them. They just happily spent their day picking at bugs in their pretty front yard.
Then a friend of mine was telling me about her childhood pet, a Rhode Island Red with the unfortunate moniker of Lunch. Lunch was an only chick and she dearly loved her people. She would come running as soon as any of them came into the yard and wanted to be held and petted.
She never did live up to her name, I am happy to report.
Doing a little research I've read that Rhode Island Reds are a friendly type of chicken. So when Sara said I could keep a chick at her house I knew that was the type I wanted.
I haven't seen Rosie yet but I am going to go this afternoon and nuzzle her.
Rick and I have been thinking about turning the Goat Palace into a Palais de Poulet. It would require getting rid of Josephine, William, Antoinette and poor little Delilah. When we got them we figured we would have little worker goats that would keep our property clear of brush. The only problem is they are total homebodies and will not leave their little corner of the property.
We shouldn't have made the Goat Palace so comfy. They flat out refuse to go anywhere else and they have totally denuded that one corner so we have to supplement their diet with grain and alfalfa. Which kind of defeats the purpose of having them.
We may have found someone that will take them. A couple that has ten acres, other goats, a couple of llamas and a horse. I would only feel right about getting rid of them if they were going to a better situation. One does have an obligation to ones animals, after all.
So if they do go then we'll put some nesting boxes in the Palace and put a door on it and get a half a dozen chickens. We'll eat as many eggs as we want and I have a friend that goes through 12 dozen eggs a week and I told her she could have the rest.
Or I could set up a little roadside stand and sell them.
Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration, 1940
ROsie is a love, very sweet. I need to work on the wild maniac Georgina, though Giada and Bella are content to be held and pet.
What does your friend do with 12 dozen eggs, weekly?
Hey there! Love the picture of the little girl and the eggs! I’m terrified of chickens….stay away from real ones…but have appliqued a hen and chicks…check out my latest post if you have a minute……I’m trying to like them though…at least yours has a cute name. Enjoy your Fall. pat
Eeeee! You can even hear them peeping! I just want to hold them all! Your Rosie is a real looker. Please give her a little kiss from her southern auntie. Chicks are about the sweetest things on the planet. So does this make you a mother hen now?
I love chickens and if I could have some I would. Also a goat. My kids just look at me!!
Do you still have my address so you can send me Delilah? (I wish! Living in LA can be so limiting)
Well, this spring I became a chicken owner/lover and have fallen head over heels for my Rhode Island Reds and in the last month or so have started to get eggs! You can check out my blog to see my chickens as well as a talk about proper foot wear when dealing with chickens! This is serious stuff!
Good luck with Rosie and your brood to come…
Oh my goodness! I happened onto your blog from Nicole’s (Sister’s Choice Quilts) and after wandering aimlessly but blissfully I ran onto this picture. Honestly 15 years later this could have been me, with a little more modern plumbling. My job and one of my greatest joys was being resposible for collecting the eggs and washing them off every morning. I had a special pet hen named…what else…Henrietta (I wasn’t a terribly original child at that age). This photo really touched my heart and reminded me of some of the greatest delights of my youngest years. Not a bad thing to find on Thanksgiving day. Thank you for opening the door to those tender memories.
Nancy
OH, I have to mention, the hankies, they are stunning. I have several of my grandmothers and they are so very special to me. Just as I am a stash fabric fondler, I always fondle and “pet” the hankies when I pull them out too. Often tenderly sniffing them to see if they still hold the lilac scent grandma favored. Could be my imagination but occasionally I think I catch a whiff of it.