Case of the Concealed Chicks

I was reading my morning literature, when Husband came in.
"Did you pick up the eggs outside the hen house?"
I looked up.  "No, Salt had went right back to the nest, so I just let her set."
"Well, there's no eggs, and I don't see her, either."

Uh, oh...

I set down the comics, to follow Husband out to the back of the hen house, where there was one bedraggled egg, and nothing else. Oh, dear. But no feathers, no smashed eggs, or torn up shrubbery.

Strange.

I walked around, fearing the worst, when we found a dead chick.  I told Husband that meant she might have fought off something. (We have a multitude of wild critters around.) No hint of her anywhere outside. I decided to feed, to get the other chickens out from underfoot.

I had just cleaned out the area around the feed barrels, and Husband had put a piece of plywood by them to store.  I opened the barrel, and heard a chicken growl.  That is a distinctive "Mama Chicken" sound. Knowing that Edgar was outside, it clicked that there was someone else with chicks.  I listened carefully, and heard the growl again, and peeps.  I carefully moved the plywood back, to find Salt with 4 chicks!

I tried to get Husband's attention, but he couldn't hear me. I turned to put the plywood back, and realized Marshmallow was off the nest.  I walked to her, and SHE growled, and two little heads poked out from under her wing. 

So we took care of the one dead chick, then looked over the rest.  Most of them are Maran types, cute little black puffballs.  One or two are yellow white puffballs. 

I had talked about buying some chicks this year to Husband.  Looking at the 11 we have at this point, he grinned and quipped, "and you wanted to buy a few chicks!" And laughed! 

The saga is continuing, too, as Auntie Bird is still sitting. I had given her three eggs to work on.

Last time I checked it, there was about 10.

I will never learn...     :)

You know you are at my house when...

You know you are at my house when-

It's not unusual to have to be fully dressed by 5 am, because neighbors might stop by to chat.  (One is RETIRED, and still does this!)

The road is just as likely to have a horse and cart, as a car.  Or riders on horses...

Neighbors stop on the road when they see each other, to talk.  In cars.  Blocking both lanes.  And most of the time, others wait, then might just be next in line to talk!

The conversations are as often about who has a new calf, lamb, or colt, as doings by people...

Vehicles run from cars with large back seats, to trucks of varying sizes, to horse trailers (lots of those), to farm equipment.  And you might see all of them in one day, if it's spring, or fall.  And most times, the vehicles have plastic sheeting for moving animals or plants.

Seeing a vehicle go by with hay, is no big deal.  Even if it's a Volkswagen with the bale tied on top...

Having a field on fire is now not as common, but was something that you were as likely to go out and watch, rather than call the fire department over.

Going to someone's house, you know what the neighbor's dog's name is, how many gates you need to go through, (and if they need to be open or closed), and where they might be on the place during the day.  Don't go to the house in the morning, they'll be in the barn.  In my husband's case, the shop.

The mail lady HATES this time of year.  She has been known to plan her route differently.  A mail truck full of baby chicks is NOISY!

You know which neighbor you can borrow from, be it an emergency cup of sugar, screw driver, bale of hay, or even a welder...  Or conversely, that you can loan to, and know it will be returned.

Trading goods with great regularity, Oh, you have eggs, what can I trade you for?  Skills are traded, too.

Neighbors are happy to receive veggies, but you do have to be careful not to push it, or you get zucchini logs on your front porch.  Good thing most animals like said logs...

Jams, jellies, cookies, and quick breads are very common Christmas presents!

Horses or cows out, means a group effort.  Generally, it also leads to a chat over the fence when said animal is back home, as well as a fence check, to make sure that the next animal out isn't too quickly repeated!

I hope that my neighbors love being here as much as I do...