Three stages of being a Chicken.

 Three stages of Chickendom.

These hens started out in April as 25 one day old chicks, the meat chicken version, not the egg laying version. They were cared for in a brooder with a nice warm heat lamp through the cold nights, losing only 2 birds. They were fed and watered and looked after in the chicken coop under some shady trees for about 8 or 9 weeks, and then it was time to say goodbye. 

It was a good life, but a short life.

They had a ride to the processor, a Mennonite business, and turned into prepared roasting hens for the freezer, each around 7lb in weight. This one was marinated overnight in a marinade of salt, some sugar,  olive oil, garlic, an assortment of herbs and spices and sauces. Secret recipe, my son won't divulge the ingredients. 

Split down the backbone, and "spatchcocked" on the BBQ, then after a couple of hours on a very low flame and lots of basting with a home made BBQ sauce......

...... the best BBQ juicy chicken ever tasted!

Apologies to any vegetarians/vegans reading this.

Lucy

I just returned from spending a few days chicken sitting. And egg collecting. And garden, dog, cat and goose sitting while YoungerSon and family visited my daughter-in-law's aunt. I took lots of photos with my trusty little point-and-shoot camera, and then stupidly left the camera behind when I came home. Oh well.... I'll get it next time I visit again in a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, here's the only photo I can show you of Lucy the goose. She's an Embden goose, 3 months old and is getting bigger every day. She is very used to people being around and likes to have her head scratched and her wings petted. She loves her blue bucket of water, and sometimes tries to get into it, not an easy task seeing she is quite a bit bigger than the bucket. 

Snoozing with your head on the edge of a bucket seems hard but she manages to look very relaxed.

She's got an old kiddie pool that she splashes about in.... sorry, no photos until I get the camera back!

A couple of photos from my container garden on my deck. These tomatoes are Oxheart variety, a heritage tomato. They are really lumpy, strange shapes, but I'm told they are very tasty.  I'll be able to taste them when they're ready to harvest in August.

And my Scarlet Runner beans.... doing really well, full of flowers that I hope will provide lots of beans.... and the bonus is that the hummingbirds love the red flowers.

Lots of vigorous growth this year, probably due to the well rotted cow poo that was dug into the soil in the spring. 

Jolena

Jolena was limping. She couldn't keep up with her girlfriends when they went out in the morning and she was getting left behind on the search for snacks. Jolena had a very sore foot. Jolena is a chicken.

She's not just any old white chicken you might encounter on a chicken farm. Jolena is special. 

Jolena is a Columbian Rock. She lays an egg almost every day. And she lives with her chicken girlfriends Ruby, Frenchie, April, Mango, Ms Silkie, um.... I forgot the other two chicken names, sorry, please don't tell..... with my grandchildren on their country property.

Jolena needed some first aid, so she was placed in a chicken style hospital bed to soak her foot in warm water and epsom salts for a while. The towel is to stop her jumping out and running to tell her friends what an awful time she's had.

It's hard to keep chicken's feet clean, and they don't like wearing shoes and socks! Her foot got a bit better after a few of these treatments, but I think she will always have a slight limp. Poor Jolena! However, the eggs keep coming.

Feathers

Some good looking winners at the poultry show at the Fair!
When I was a child, my dad always kept chickens for eggs, and later for meat, when they stopped laying.  We got a delivery of two dozen baby chicks from the hatchery every spring, and it was my job to feed and water them for the first few days.  When they were big enough, they went outside to the henhouse and the enclosed chicken run, to keep them safe.   I don't think we ever lost any to the local fox.

Feathers

It's Fall Fair time here in Southern Ontario, and I always have to go to nearby Markham Fair. It's a tradition with me, even if the rest of the family don't go with me. The Fair is much the same every year, but I still have to go and see if anything is new.
One of my favourite buildings is the poultry and rabbit building, where I can admire these gorgeous creatures.

Yes, I like the chickens a lot. Lovely colours and shapes and textures and very noisy! My Dad kept chickens when I was a child, and I was put in charge of the new baby chicks that arrived in a big box every spring..... like these.

The chicks soon grew up, and gave us fresh eggs every day, and then when their egg laying days were done, they became Sunday dinner.

Mrs Henny Penny

Here's Mrs Henny Penny and her 3 chicks....

.... created from wire, aluminum foil, masking tape, paper, glue, gesso, paint and googly eyes from the dollar store! All sitting on an egg-shaped field of daisies.

Markham Fair 4

Some of the handsome faces at Markham Fair. I should have made a note of the different breeds.

Who do you think you're staring at? 

"People who count their chickens before they are hatched act very wisely, because chickens run about so absurdly that it is impossible to count them accurately."  — Oscar Wilde

“If I didn't start painting, I would have raised chickens.”  ― Grandma Moses

This one was "too chicken" to have her portrait taken so she fluffed up her feathers, turned her back, and gave me the evil chicken eye.