Chickens in the News! #5

This is one of the best chicken stories I have ever come across. I wish I had thought of this when I was still in school...

85 hens close Phila. high school

By Sam Woods and Robert Moran
INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS

Who let the birds out?

A fowl prank closed a Philadelphia high school today, canceling classes for 3,600 students.

Eighty-five "full-blown live chickens" - identified later today as Rhode Island Reds - were discovered roaming the halls of Northeast Philadelphia High School this morning as faculty arrived before dawn.

"They've created quite a mess," said Fernando Gallard, spokesman for the school district. "It's going to take us at least a day to clean up."

The flock was let into the school on Cottman Avenue over the weekend. (Read more...)

News of a planting.

We got all excited and busy today, mixed up some compost with the soil, dug some little trenches and dropped in some seeds. Now some of you might say that February 10 is pretty early to be putting seeds in the ground. And you have every right to say that. But we still did it and I can't wait to see everything grow. Here is the list of what we planted and seeded today in no particular order...

Chives
Green Zebra Tomatoes
Big Red Cherry Tomats
Bull nose bell peppers
Miniature yellow bell peppers
Lettuce Mix
Arugula
Kale
Silverbeet (Chard)
Radishes
Purple Basil
Thai Basil
Sweet Basil (there is never enough basil)
Jalepeno peppers
Black Hungarian peppers
Cantelope (Amish melon)
Yellow Hopi Watermelon (actually a few days ago)
Rocoto hot peppers (from Peru)
Egg plant
Mint
Spearmint
Double yield Cucumbers
Empress Green Beans

I also spread a ton of grass seed I had collected from hiking and other random places in the back behind my fence along with some wildflowers and other stuff just to see if it will grow or not.

Then we watered in all the seeds we planted and I sat there wishing I could see it pop up then and there. The tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are only seeded and will have to be transplanted in a few weeks or more. You should all come over in a couple months and I will cook you some food from the backyard!

Saturday in the backyard.

Today was amazingly beautiful outside here in Tucson and I was able to catch the last rays of the afternoon in the backyard with a book. It was fabulous after working most of the day inside. Today when I collected the eggs (three of them!) this Araucana egg had little balls of what seem to be calcium deposits. They felt very hard to the touch but when I washed it, they all came off individually. I have never seen anything like this. Have a look...

Beautiful flowers growing in the basins.

We have broccoli going crazy right now. It is some of the sweetest broccoli I have ever tasted straight off the stalk. The carrots have amazing flavor as well. Tomorrow we will seed as much as we can for the spring/summer gardens.

The Inside Coop #1

Let us begin a new chapter in the Chicken Diction library of knowledge so that we may further educate all the faithful readers of this holy book of fowlish lore...The Inside Coop. After hearing the cries of the local masses I am giving you what all of you want: a probably-weekly but definitely-regular update of the goings-on of life in the near famous backyard of Menlo Park.

1. The chickens have survived the freezes quite well, however Cracker decided to go on a very long sabbatical from egg laying. Fortunately she has come round as of today.

2. One of the Araucanas got loose on Sunday, which was not anywhere near as exciting as one would have expected or even hoped for as he was writing a blog about such an event. It appears that the chicken aviary has become quite a fulfilling home for the five feathered friends in the back, as she hustled right back in as soon as I could manage to open the door and chase her in.

3. Most exciting was what I found in the chicken house today...

...Granted, we hadn't checked for two and a half days.

Chickens in the News! #4

If only our choices were as fun as this...

Oh Groundhog Day...

Happy Friday!