Tag: eating

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And then there were thirteen

Sad news really. The poor chicken that had been in intensive care did not make it. Her prolapse just kept getting worse. After two days of honey and the Preparation H it was not better. In fact it was getting worse. She was not happy. On Sunday morning I went down to check on her and applied some more medication to in her vent. When I saw her she had re-prolapsed. I picked her up, turned her upside down and proceeded to apply the Prep-H. She was not happy and it seemed to hurt. That m ade me worry that she may have an egg forming and I was not sure that she would get it out. After applying the Prep-H she was put back and watched. Within about 20 seconds she prolapsed again. At that point I gave a big sigh and knew there was nothing we could do. It was a beautiful day out, sunny and 16. It was decided that it was nicer for her to spend her last day scratching with her flock instead of in a basement. We had chicken for dinner last night. Tim did the deed this time, and was very good at it. Being a drummer has benefits beyond the drum kit. Dinner was tiny but very good. thank you chookie!

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Eating Wild Plants

Over the weekend I did a workshop on wild edible through Humber College with instructor David Armana. it was very interesting to see some of the plants confirmed by someone who is far more experienced than I. Having read the Petersen's Field Guide to Edible Plants of North America for a couple of years and seeking out some of the obvious ones I can eat I still felt a bit uneasy. I really wanted to have someone show me which was which that had real-life experience. David has been doing bush-craft for thirty years so I felt quite confident what he was teaching. Much of what was taught I had read and memorized but I still wanted the peace of mind of being shown. I will now be passing it  on in the near future at Mountsberg Conservation area during the Through the Eyes of the Artist in August.

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The Chicken House Part 3

Yesterday we moved the chickens into their permanent coop. Catching chickens is not for the faint of heart. Tim and I put the box down hoping they might check it out. How wrong we were. We ended up blocking off the exit hatch and catching them one by one and putting them into the closed box. Surprisingly we managed to get thirteen on the first try. Once in the new house we dumped them out nicely into their new digs and went back for the last three. They seemed to like it right away. they picked away at the old wooden boards as though they were filled with bugs. Who knows maybe they were? They stayed in for the rest of yesterday. Last night it turned quite chilly so at 9pm we had to make quick modifications to their world. I was worried they'd be too cold. So we piled a couple of straw bales around their lamp. This seemed to make them much happier and they settled down to sleep, dreaming of caterpillars and ants. Today was the first time in the big room at their new place. To lure them out I threw some chicken scratch out the door in little red riding hood style, they followed. Right outside the door was food and water, some took a drink and nibble, others went straight for the bugs. All the chickens seemed to enjoy the outdoors more in this pen than the last. I think because the door is less tunnel like. I was happy to see them out eating, running around and generally enjoying being alive.