Author Archives: Michael

Pearl versus the pros

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Michael

While Pearl may be the biggest and brawniest of our chickens, ruthlessly laying down the law with a beak of iron, she’s still only a mere beginner when it comes to egg-laying, as is graphically laid bare when two of … Continue reading →

Posted in Eggs, Pearl | 2 Comments

Unexpected water feature

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Michael

OK, perhaps we should have seen this one coming. Last night we installed a protective tarpaulin over the pen, and left it looking reasonably taut, but this morning we discovered that an overnight downpour had created something closer to an … Continue reading →

Posted in Equipment, Queenie | Leave a comment

Next, the electrified razor wire

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Michael

Well, this should put a lid on any further escape attempts.  Quite literally. Actually, the main function of this blue tarpaulin serving as a makeshift roof is to keep the pen dry(ish) and stop the feed in the feeders from … Continue reading →

Posted in Equipment, Ida, Pearl, Pecking Order, Vi | Leave a comment

The Great Escape #3

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Michael

It’s been bucketing down with rain all morning, yet all four chickens have been blithely pottering around the pen for most of it.  Truly, their ways are not our ways. And then Vi seized the opportunity to mount a third … Continue reading →

Posted in Great Escapes, Vi, Visitors | Leave a comment

Avoiding a mudbath

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Michael

We’ve had the chickens for exactly a fortnight. When they arrived, the pen looked like this, complete with a fair amount of the original grass: But since that time they’ve systematically removed all the grass and turned the ground into … Continue reading →

Posted in Chores, Equipment | Leave a comment

Great Chicken Scenes #2: ‘Stroszek’ (1977)

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Michael

Since Werner Herzog was quoted earlier today, and since his 1977 film Stroszek was cited in the first (and so far only) comment posted on this blog, it was a natural for number two in this series.  Indeed, like the … Continue reading →

Posted in Great Chicken Scenes, Video | Leave a comment

Mucking out

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Michael

As with any other pet, there are downsides to keeping chickens, and the main thing that I’d been putting off as long as possible was cleaning out their house.  In theory, this is supposed to be done weekly, but based … Continue reading →

Posted in Chores, Equipment | Leave a comment

Werner Herzog on chickens

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Michael

One thing that’s very hard to ignore about chickens, especially if your only previous experience with pets has been with intelligent animals like cats, is that they’re very very stupid indeed. Which isn’t too surprising when you consider that their … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophical Debates, Video | Leave a comment

Goodnight (finally)

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Michael

It is said that sexing chicks is the toughest poultry-related job that there is. Never having done it myself, I can’t contest that – but putting four reluctant chickens to bed must run it a close second.  The problem is, … Continue reading →

Posted in Chores | Leave a comment

Egg #2

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Michael

We have a second egg – identical to the first one, and this time it was definitely Pearl’s, so it’s highly likely that Thursday’s was hers too. So the current rate is one every 48 hours, but we’re threatened with … Continue reading →

Posted in Eggs, Pearl | Leave a comment