Volunteering with the Learning Farm Chickens

A December Volunteer at the End of the Year!

posted by Sharon Gaughan

Sara Teemer, a freshman at DePaul University and a Mundelein resident, volunteered for the Learning Farm during her December break from college. For several weeks, Sara came to the farm for 3-4 hours every Tuesday and Thursday. Sara has a strong interest in animals, so at least some of her time each visit was spent working with and for our chicken flock -- but since she's studying to be a high school biology teacher at DePaul, we also got her involved with Mr. C. and the Montessori students.

I asked Sara if she would be interested in writing a post about her experience for our hen blog.  Here are Sara's words, and some photos that I took of her hard at work with our girls...

Volunteering at the Learning Farm
by Sara Teemer

I’ve always loved and been surrounded by animals. I’ve been kissed by a sea lion, fed a sting ray its dinner, and have even ridden an elephant. But before coming to the Prairie Crossing Learning Farm, I had never seen a chicken in person. Then on my very first day, there I was, face-to-face with one.

In addition to never seeing a chicken before, I had also never been on a farm other than ones that were meant for tourists in random parts of the mid-west. I also had no idea that my time on the farm would teach me more than a textbook ever could.

As many of us know, the month of December has the potential to be dull, monotonous, and very very cold, but from my very first day on the farm, I knew my December would be the complete opposite.

Among the different things I did over my few weeks on the farm, I really enjoyed working with the Montessori students and getting to practice my education skills. Most of my own learning came from Sharon and the chickens, though. Feeding, chasing, and being pecked on were some of the most entertaining experiences I had with them. Sweet-natured and otherwise submissive, the ladies (as I called them) welcomed me into their coop and with unending curiosity, followed along as I forked the straw and scraped poop off perches. They also really loved the colors on my boots, apparently!
 

As my time on the farm ends, I know that I’m leaving with a great deal of knowledge (especially understanding the real meaning behind “being as close to your food as possible”) and several funny memories, like practically playing hide and seek with Rutabaga as I tried to chase her out of the parking lot and back into the Children’s Garden.

Despite the fact that work got dirty – poop, mud, and worms aren't as bad as you think! – it was hard work that truly made me understand just how important farming and local agriculture is. We have the potential to be our best selves with healthy eating, and take care of the Earth with the same care it's provided us. 

I know that I wouldn’t have traded my winter break for any other experience, poop and all.

 

Forking straw in the henhouse...

 

Spreading feed in the chicken yard...

 

Picking kale to feed the chickens...

Happy Holidays!

 

 

Wishing you the very

Happiest of Holidays!

...from the Learning Farm staff
and all the happy, healthy chickens in our flock!

 

 

Feeding Our Chickens...

Chicken Gruel!
by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

In September, I had the opportunity to attend the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello in Virginia. I was interested in the festival for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which was the variety of “chicken workshops” that they were offering.  

One of the workshops that I attended was given by Pat Foreman, the author of several books on chicken keeping, including City Chicks: Keeping Micro-flocks of Chickens as Garden Helpers, Compost Creators, Bio-recyclers and Local Food Suppliers (Good Earth Publications, 2010). I purchased a copy of City Chicks while I was there, and read it through cover to cover after returning from Virginia.

Pat has included a wealth of information in this book – but I’d like to share one particular thing I learned that was most immediately interesting and useful for me.

I had noticed for a long time that chicken feed has quite the variety of particle sizes – and I had also noticed for a long time that the chickens have a distinct preference for the larger bits and pieces. In City Chicks Pat explains, “Given a choice, they would rather eat large grains than fine crumble.  Perhaps larger pieces of food fill their crops faster and create a feeling of satiety, or maybe the larger pieces are just easier to see” (p. 153).

Before reading, I had wrongly assumed that the finer feed was the result of the feed company simply grinding it more than they needed to – and what a waste!  But Pat goes on to explain that, “The finer feed contains nutrients such as probiotics and vitamins, so it’s valuable and you want the hens to consume it. Add water or milk to the rejected food…to make a dough-like mash and the chickens will gobble it down greedily” (p. 153).

So, I tried it! I tried it first with Rhubarb and Rutabaga, the Children’s Garden chickens – scooping a bit of the leftover finer feed from their regular feeder, pouring that into a small plastic container, and then adding enough water to make the wet oatmeal consistency.  

“Yum! Chicken gruel,” I thought. And Rhubarb and Rutabaga did indeed “gobble it down greedily.”  

But I had no idea what “gobbling down greedily” looked like until I did the same for our new flock of Bovans Brown hens!  I prepared the “chicken gruel” in a portable feeder (a long trough, about 5 feet in length) while still outside the chicken yard, then I brought the feeder into the chicken yard and set it on the ground. A feeding frenzy erupted before my very eyes, despite the fact that these chickens had already been fed prior to this gruel offering!

 

So now we've starting make chicken gruel for our hens about 2-3 times a week.  And now when they see that portable feeder, they know what’s coming. They no longer wait until the feeder is on the ground, but several will jump up onto it as I try to carry it further into the chicken yard.

Little do our hens know, they are greedily gobbling down the exact same thing that they earlier rejected eating from their regular feeders. All we did was add water and stir!

Pat Foreman, my chicken hat is off to you!

 

Chicken Greetings!

A Chicken Greets the New Week...
posted by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

At the start of a new week on the Learning Farm, I thought I would share a brief inspirational posting from the blog of author Jon Katz, Bedlam Farm Journal (December 3, 2012):


Out of the Roost.  Get Started on the Week.

On a Monday morning, I sought inspiration from the first chicken coming out of the coop, out of her roost. She  pops up on the edge, takes a look around, and plunges into a new week. She does not need the news to begin her day with sorrow and anger, she needs no warnings or tests or pills, she is first out looking for seeds, meal and whatever bugs and worms are surviving the end of warm weather. This is how I will begin my Monday. I will get to work on my training e-book, write it well, be grateful for every minute of my life.

"Chicken Literature"

Chicken Boy – the Book, the CD…

by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

Several years ago, I read a book for kids (ages 10 and up, according to the book jacket) called Chicken Boy by Frances O’Roark Dowell (Antheneum Books, 2005).  I remember that I enjoyed reading it, but couldn’t remember much of the storyline – so recently I checked it out of the public library on CD.  

I listen to a lot of books on CD – mostly in the car, but also sometimes at home while doing some kind of mindless task.  One of the things that I’ve come to appreciate about listening to fiction on CD, is the performance quality that a talented reader can bring to the story.  The recording of Chicken Boy is a good example of that.

Tobin is "Chicken Boy."  Tobin is a seventh grader, going through a difficult time, but with the help of a new friend (Henry) and a few chickens, he makes his way through.

Here are some of my favorite “chicken quotes” from Chicken Boy...

“They want to know if we’ve got food,” Henry explained.  “To them, the world’s one big chicken restaurant and we are merely waiters.” (p. 33)

“Tobin, my man, you are going to learn about chickens.  And when you learn about chickens, you will learn about life.”  (Henry, p. 45)

There were a couple of reasons Henry knew so much about chickens.  One was that he thought chickens were the center of the universe.  The other was that he was doing an extra credit project on the inner lives of chickens for science class.

“Mr. Peabody doesn’t actually believe that chickens have inner lives,” Henry explained to me…  “According to him, their brains are too small.  But he hasn’t spent enough time around real, live chickens.  If he had, he’d know there’s a lot going on inside those little heads of theirs.”  (p. 49)

“Henry let me ask you something,” Granny went on…  “Have you once really and truly looked a chicken in the eye?  Son, if you have, you know there ain’t nothing there.”

“Mrs. Fletcher, I have to respectfully disagree with you.  I have looked a chicken in the eye, and what I’ve seen could fill a book.”  (p. 109)

As soon as they saw us, the chickens began to cluck and squawk.  That’s one of the things I liked best about keeping chickens, how they fussed when I showed up, like I was some big treat they’d been waiting for all day.  (Tobin, p. 111)

You might not know it, but you can get to missing a chicken.  (Tobin, p. 194)

I used to think chickens were dumb, and now I don’t.  I never would have thought you could be friends with a chicken, but now I do think that.  So how come I changed my mind?

Maybe I got to liking chickens because my chickens were like me.  Not as dumb or prehistoric as you might think after you studied on them some.  (Tobin, p. 200)

Learning About Chickens...

The A-B-C’s of Chickens!

by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

To keep me thinking and reading about chickens on a daily basis, I subscribe to several other “chicken blogs.”  I’m continually amazed by how different each blogger is in their blogging approach, and in the variety of topics and types of information they choose to include.

One of the blogs that I follow, Fresh Eggs Daily (http://fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com/) had a particularly fun post on November 26, 2012.  It was entitled, “A is for Albumen – Decoding Chicken Terms.” 

I learned a few new things while reading these Chicken A-B-C’s – check it out, if you’re interested, and see what new chickens terms you might learn!

Eggs Available!

Free Range, Farm Fresh Eggs Available!

by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

Just a quick post to let you know that our new flock of 100 Bovans Brown hens (plus Rhubarb and Rutabaga) have been busy producing an average of 97 eggs each day for us!  So, as you might expect, we currently have plenty of free range, farm fresh eggs available for sale in the Long Barn ($5.00/dozen)! 

How do you enjoy your farm-fresh eggs? 

Scrambled?  Sunny-side up?  Poached?  Deviled?  Perhaps in a veggie or a Denver omelet?  There are many, many egg-cellent possibilities!

Chicken Interactions

Chicken Interactions:

Interspecific, Intraspecific…

by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

This past weekend was another warm and sunny gift – so Rhubarb and Rutabaga had another field trip to my backyard.  They stayed for about four hours on Sunday, while I puttered around doing various yardwork tasks.

I observed some interesting interactions during this time – both between Rhubarb and Rutabaga, and between the hens and some non-chicken critters.

 

The first happened very shortly after they arrived.  They started exploring the yard as usual, but then suddenly stopped. Rhubarb started giving a mildly agitated warning call.  Rutabaga joined in.  At first, I couldn’t figure out the cause – but I followed their gaze and fairly quickly spotted the intruder.  A rabbit, hunkered down in the bushes.  Abruptly, the rabbit took off, further startling the chickens (who was more afraid of whom?) – then all was well in their chicken world once again. 

Chicken-cat interaction…  I have a an indoor cat named Moira – the furthest outside she’s allowed to go is my screened-in back porch.  Moira is a bit of a “chicken” herself – if I can use that term.  Once last year, when I brought a sick chicken home in the same dog carrier (and brought the carrier onto the screened-in back porch), Moira tore back into the house (I’ve never seen her run so fast!), absolutely terrified of this strange new creature. 

But when I bring Rhubarb and Rutabaga home, Moira intently (albeit cautiously) watches from inside the screened-in back porch, while the hens mostly ignore her as they wander around outside the screened-in back porch.  Either Moira has become a bit less chicken, or all she needs is that thin screen to help her feel safe. 

Check out the photos!

 

Can you see the cat, watching from the back?

 

There she is!

 

And finally, the chicken-to-chicken interactions.  There are many, but my favorite this time was also a first for me to observe.  After several hours of scratching around the backyard, Rhubarb and Rutabaga settled into some preening behavior – each preening themselves while standing close, side-by-side.  A sure sign that the hens are feeling safe and content.  Then I noticed Rhubarb reach over and start preening Rutabaga, as Rutabaga continued to preen herself.  She continued to “help” for several minutes.  Too cute!  I wish I had been quick enough to catch that with my camera – but, alas, I did not…

Thanksgiving tomorrow… 

I am thankful that my job gives me the opportunity to work with chickens – Rhubarb, Rutabaga, and the rest of our flock.  I am thankful that our new flock of hens is producing many, many farm fresh eggs for our customers.  I am thankful for Anya (our Hen House Helper Coordinator) and our great group of Hen House Helpers – dedicated folks who help us care for our hens every day.  Thank you!

Here’s hoping that you have many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving – and that you have the opportunity to share the day with those you love. 

Thanks for reading!

 

New Chicken Flock

New Flock in their New Home…

by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director



Our newly-purchased flock of one hundred Bovans Brown hens are now in our newly cleaned winter coop.  Home Sweet (New) Home!

We caught and moved the hens during the morning hours on Tuesday this week.  They settled into their new space relatively quickly.  We kept them inside the coop for the first couple of hours, giving them fresh food and water after a bit of settling down and exploring time. 



finding the water...

By mid-afternoon, we opened the door to the attached chicken yard to let them explore further.  All but two hens managed to find their way back into the coop as dusk fell that first night.  By the second night, all of them had it figured out.

As mentioned in my previous post, these birds are just under a year old.  As we might have expected, they’ve come with a few odd habits.  Despite plenty of roosts in this winter coop, some of the hens choose to sleep huddled up together in a corner on the floor.  We’ve spent some time the first few nights, gently picking them up and placing them onto the roosts as darkness falls.  Some of them stay put, others jump back down and return to their corner huddle.  Perhaps they’ll figure it out after a few nights; perhaps they’ll always prefer to sleep in their hen huddle.  Time will tell…

I’ve attached some photos of the new girls in their new home – a few of them finding the water, finding the food, and finding just the right nest box!

 finding the food...

and finding just the right nest box!

  

Changes in our Chicken Flock

Chicken Transitions...

by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

It’s a time of transition for chickens at the Learning Farm…

Last Saturday we held a chicken adoption day for our flock of 2-year-old Buff Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds, Black Australorps, and Barred Plymouth Rocks.  Five adoptees (some individuals, some families) came during the first hour, each choosing 2-4 chickens to take home.  Then, to our surprise, a couple arrived from central Illinois saying that they were willing to take as many of our hens as they could. 

They explained that they are leaders of a community group that’s dedicated to promoting gardening, healthy eating, and backyard chickens. They have about fifty member families wanting to get started with backyard chickens, and their thought was that our 2-year-old hens would be a good way for these families to start out without being overwhelmed.  And so, the remaining chickens that we had available for adoption traveled south to central Illinois toward their new backyard homes! 

So that we can continue to provide eggs to our loyal customers through the winter, next week the Learning Farm will be purchasing 100 Bovans Brown layers from Sandhill Organics.  Bovans Brown hens look similar to Rhode Island Red hens – but they are a hybrid, not a true breed.  They are said to be docile and excellent brown egg layers.  The hens that we will be purchasing from Sandhill are less than a year old, so still in the prime of their egg-laying.

 

 

Fresh and clean winter chicken coop!

We’ve been working hard to clean up our winter chicken coop and adjoining fenced-in chicken yard in preparation for the new flock.  Yesterday I brought the Children’s Garden chickens, Rhubarb and Rutabaga, over to join me while I worked on some of the final coop and yard preparations.  They seemed to enjoy exploring the “new digs.”  I would like to think that they approved.

Next week, an update on the new flock!

Field trips for Chickens!

Rhubarb and Rutabaga on a Field Trip!

 by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

What great fall weather we had this past weekend – cool, but not cold – and sunny!  The kind of weather that invites you outdoors to rake the leaves, cut back some of the native perennials, and plant the garlic – if you’re a gardener (which, of course, I am).  And the kind of weather that invites you to scratch around in the fallen leaves and the native perennials (but hopefully not in the newly-planted garlic) looking for insects, worms, and seeds – if you’re a chicken (which, of course, Rhubarb and Rutabaga are).

When I’m physically present at the Learning Farm, “the girls” are allowed to roam freely in and around the Children’s Garden for much of the time.  But on weekends when I’m generally not around, I feel badly that they’re “cooped up” in their small chicken tractor.  So, on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons this past weekend, I invited Rhubarb and Rutabaga on a field trip to my backyard! 

They traveled comfortably in a large dog carrier, in the back of my Subaru wagon.  As soon as the dog carrier door was opened, they strutted into my yard as if they knew exactly where they were and what they were there to do (they had, in fact, visited my backyard once before – but only for about an hour a couple of weekends ago).

We spent 3-4 hours on each afternoon working side-by-side on the tasks before us.  The girls were busy digging, scratching and eating nearly the entire time.  They became particularly excited when I decided to dig up a section of sod to expand one of the garden spaces – WORMS!

At one point, holding my hoe in a horizontal position and contemplating the configuration of my garlic planting, I was taken by surprise as the hoe became several pounds heavier.  Rhubarb saw in the hoe handle the perfect perch, and had jumped up onto it.  As I steadied the hoe against my legs, I watched Rutabaga – not wanting to be left out of the fun – walk over, jump up, and join Rhubarb on their newly-found perch.  They didn’t stay for long – in fact, both jumping down in perfect unison, a synchronized chicken-ballet.

Late in the afternoon, when I sat down on the garden bench for a rest and a snack, the girls came over to join me.  They stood preening themselves for a few minutes, then Rutabaga jumped up onto the bench beside me to investigate my snack.  I wasn’t sure that salted plantain chips were the best snack for a chicken, so I declined to share.  She jumped back down and off the two of them went to dig and scratch some more.

What a fun and entertaining way to get my yard work done!  Granted, I may have gotten a bit more accomplished without the chicken distractions – but how much more enjoyable it was to have those distractions while I worked!

Fortunately, I have a tall privacy fence which keeps Rhubarb and Rutabaga safely inside my large backyard.  Unfortunately, I live in Wildwood where keeping backyard chickens is not allowed.  So for now, I’m limited to borrowing the girls for a few hours on occasion.  For now…

Learning Farm Chickens Available for Adopting...

Here is some information that may be of interest to those of you who enjoy our Learning Farm chickens...

Chicken Adoptions!

The Prairie Crossing Learning Farm in Grayslake is seeking adoptive homes for our chickens! The current flock of pasture-raised chickens came to the Learning Farm as one-day-old chicks 2 years ago. They immediately engage farm visitors with their gentle clucking, and entertaining chicken behaviors! The chickens have provided certified organic eggs to Learning Farm customers, educational opportunities to Farm Campers and tour participants, and real farm work volunteer opportunities to our dedicated Hen House Helpers.

The reality of farm life and economics is that the Learning Farm is unable to continue to support this aging flock. During this past year, egg production has diminished significantly and we have been unable to provide enough eggs to our loyal customers. Most commercial operations maintain their flocks for only one year, but the Learning Farm committed to maintaining this flock for two years -- until November of 2012.

We will offer free hens (no roosters) to adoptive homes on Saturday, November 3 from 2-4 p.m. All chicken adoptions must take place during this timeframe, so we are providing as much advance notice as possible. Please come to the farm during this timeframe to select chickens, or send someone else on your behalf. Many towns have regulations about maintaining chickens in your backyard, so please make sure you know what those are before taking home a chicken. All chicken adoptions are final, and are first come/first served. Please bring a large box or dog crate lined with newspaper to transport your chicken(s). Our address is 32400 N. Harris Road, Grayslake, IL 60030.  Please read the very bottom of our website for directions to our farm as some internet maps are incorrect – www.prairiecrossing.com/farm/learning.php.  

The Learning Farm flock is composed the following varieties of heritage breed chickens:

• Barred Rocks
• Black Australorps
• Buff Orpingtons
• Rhode Island Reds

We hope to connect many backyard chicken enthusiasts with our chickens as possible. Please help us spread the word! After this chicken adoption day, the rest of the flock will be humanely butchered. We are still working through the details on when a new flock of chickens will be brought to the Learning Farm, so stay posted for more information. The Learning Farm remains committed to raising chickens for educational opportunities, production of local eggs, and meaningful volunteer experiences.

Erin Cummisford
Liberty Prairie Foundation

Chickens in the Children's Garden!

Chickens in the Children’s Garden!

by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

If you’ve visited the Learning Farm Children’s Garden recently, you may have noticed a new and exciting addition!   We now have a small chicken tractor, housing two chickens borrowed from our main Learning Farm flock. 

It’s long been a dream of mine to bring some chickens into the Children’s Garden, where so much of our educational programming happens – or at least begins and sometimes ends!  Now our visitors can visit at least a couple of our chickens, even if they don’t have the time or ability to trek out into the fields where the others are pastured.

It would have been ideal if I could have brought one of each of our four breeds into the Children’s Garden, but this chicken tractor is way too small for that.  I purchased the chicken tractor online.  It was advertised as being large enough for three standard-size hens – but the reality is, it’s barely large enough for two.  So, who to choose?  After some thought, I decided on one of our Buff Orpingtons (my personal favorite of the four breeds) and a Rhode Island Red (often a kid-favorite, being the closest to the “Little Red Hen”).

Children often ask me if our chickens have names.  It would be near impossible to name and keep track of all the chickens in our main flock – but two chickens in the Children’s Garden is a different story.  These girls would definitely need names!  But how to decide?  The names would need to be fun, but meaningful – and perhaps even a learning tool.

After much thought, it was decided – Rhubarb and Rutabaga!  I love growing and eating both rhubarb and rutabaga – and, the words are just plain fun to say!  So, the Rhode Island Red became Rhubarb (rhubarb stems are red in color) and the Buff Orpington became Rutabaga (the flesh of a rutabaga is somewhat buff in color).

Rhubarb and Rutabaga have settled into their new home and their new routine quite nicely.  I let them out of their chicken tractor for at least part of everyday – to give them an opportunity to stretch their legs and scratch for bugs and other chicken-goodies.  They’re only free to wander when I’m somewhat nearby to check on them, but they generally stay within the Children’s Garden fence or just a few chicken-steps beyond.  They seem to have accepted the chicken tractor as their new home and the Children’s Garden as their new backyard – and the two seem to have become BHFs (Best Hen Friends).

So, next time you’re in the area, you’re invited come say hello to the Rhubarb and Rutabaga.  They’ll be living in the Children’s Garden for the remainder of the autumn months.  And if I’m nearby when you visit, I’ll be more than happy to help you feed them a special chicken-treat!

Hope to see you in the Children's Garden soon!

Take the Chicken Challenge!

We've recently hosted several general farm and "Be a Chicken Farmer" tours at the Prairie Crossing Learning Farm, and it's been fun to introduce area children to our chickens.  I wanted to share some interesting chicken facts that we've shared with our farm visitors in this True/False Chicken Challenge!  The answers are located at the bottom of the blog post.  Don't peek! 

1. Chickens have to be rounded up to come inside at night.
2. Roosters are needed for hens to lay eggs.
3. You can tell what color a hen's eggs will be by looking at her ear lobes.
4. Roosters only crow at sunrise.
5. Chickens sleep in their nests.

How did you do?  Are you feeling cluckingly confident, or chicken challenged?  And now, here are the answers (drum roll, please):

1.  Chickens do not need to be rounded up at night -- they instinctively know to get inside when it gets dark so they will be protected from predators.  We merely secure the door, thankfully.

2.  Although they probably wouldn't believe us, the roosters are NOT necessary for the hens to lay eggs.  Hens lay eggs regardless of whether there are roosters to mate with and fertilize their eggs.  Eggs are collected 1-2 times each day and refrigerated, which stops an embryo from forming IF a rooster shared a special moment with that particular hen.

3.  Strange, but generally true.  The Learning Farm chickens have red ear lobes, which indicates that they lay brown eggs.  Chickens with white ear lobes lay white or lightly colored eggs.  Chickens with pierced ear lobes do not hang around our flock and are clearly rebelling against something ... but would still lay eggs I imagine.

4. Roosters crow any time they feel like crowing!  They can be really loud, which is one reason why cities that allow backyard chickens do not normally allow roosters, only hens.

5. Chickens do not sleep in their nests, but instead perch on roosts.  The roosts look like wide ladders full of cooing chickens snuggled together on the rungs at night.

If you would like to chicken-challenge your children, sign them up for Farm Camp at the Learning Farm this summer! We have several camps specifically focused on chickens, but all camps include some chicken experiences.  Spaces are limited, so register at www.prairiecrossing.com/farm/learning.php today!  Information about farm tours is located on the website too.

Special Needs Chickens

About a month ago, we discovered that one of our chickens could no longer move one of her legs. We brought her into our office to isolate her and see if her health improved -- she seemed generally healthy, except for her leg. She lived like a queen in a large dog crate for about a week, supplementing her regular diet with fresh greens that by luck had been started as a seed viability test. We changed her newspaper bedding many times a day. Her digestive system certainly worked. This was not a sustainable solution for our farm chicken ....

In a small backyard chicken setting, a chicken with only one functional leg might be manageable. In a modest-sized farm chicken operation like the Learning Farm's, this chicken required special care that we did not have the capacity to provide. She was not able to compete with the other hens to access food and water, and would not survive in the flock. We were not able to continue nursing her inside for the long term, and her leg was not improving.

The hens' future looked uncertain, but bleak. Culling birds who are injured, diseased, or past their egg production years is an unfortunate production-flock management reality. None of us were eager to end this hen's life, but we knew we were unable to care for her.

I dug through my email box and located a woman who adopted a few hens from our last flock. I emailed her, changed the newspaper in the crate again, waited, and hoped for a new home for this chicken.

Success! Within short order (but a few more newspaper changes) this person connected me with a woman who not only wanted to adopt this chicken, but actually had a home for her in a special needs flock. The perfect scenario! Kerri is a vet tech and "chicken eggspert" who has chickens of her own, in addition to helping other poultry hobbyists (www.thechickeneggspert.com). Kerri dubbed the chicken "Rhoda" (she is a Rhode Island Red), and took her home to join a one-eyed rooster, a one-legged hen, and a few new friends. Whew!

I recently heard from Kerri that she x-rayed Rhoda's hip and found that it was dislocated. While Rhoda was under anesthesia, she put the hip back into place, but the surrounding tendons and ligaments were unable to adequately support the joint. Although her hip pops in and out depending on how she moves, it doesn't seem to be painful. Kerri continues to provide excellent care to Rhoda and hopes that with continued cage rest, eventually her ligaments will tighten up and provide more stability to her leg.

Rhoda's future plans include making new friends, munching on grass, and discovering bugs. We're happy she has found a new home, and thankful for people like Kerri who work hard to care for special chickens, and support the growing backyard chicken phenomena!

Hen House Helpers needed!

Have you ever wanted to work with animals? Do you want to have a unique experience that makes a difference and contributes to the availability of local food?

Volunteer as a Hen House Helper at the Prairie Crossing Learning
Farm!


The Prairie Crossing Learning Farm offers a real farm-work volunteer experience helping to care for our flock of free range chickens. Hen House Helpers (HHH) volunteer for a regular weekly shift at the farm – either in the morning (9-10 a.m.) or afternoon (3-4 p.m.).


HHHs collect the eggs, wash them, and package them for sale. There are also substitute HHH who fill in when needed – the regular HHH is responsible for finding a substitute when they can’t cover their regular shift.


I am currently looking for volunteers for the March 18 – June 9 session. I will also hold a training session for new HHH once the schedule has been finalized.


Interested? Available to cover a Tuesday afternoon or Thursday morning
shift? Please email ecummisford@prairiecrossing.com

Chicken Valentine!

I wanted to share this beautiful chicken valentine from Abby -- a talented young artist who volunteers with her family as a Hen House Helper at the Prairie Crossing Learning Farm.


I'm speculating on the artist's inspiration (always a dicey proposition), but I know that Abby developed a special relationship with one of the chickens, who she named "Lucky". I love her beautiful chicken drawing, and the possible double entendre with her use of the word "lucky". I am so thankful that Abby loves our chickens and that her mom emailed this to me on Valentine's Day!


All of our chickens are lucky to have enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers like this young girl and the rest of her family. Our Hen House Helper program connects volunteers with a rare opportunity to do real farm work with our flock of free-range chickens. It's educational, helps support Learning Farm operations, and is FUN! More information about our Hen House Helper program, including how to get involved, is at www.prairiecrossing.com/farm/learning.php


The mission of the Prairie Crossing Learning Farm is to educate and inspire people to value healthy food, land and community through experiences on our farm. We LOVE receiving stories, pictures, drawings, poetry, etc. about our farm! If you have something to share, please send it to ecummisford@prairiecrossing.com


Thank you to Abby for the picture that now hangs by my desk, and to her parents for granting their permission for me to share it!

"Chicken" Chickens

After such strange and unseasonable weather this winter, I was anxious to see how the chickens responded to the recent snow. After all, it's been a LONG time since these chickens have seen measurable snow! These chickens came to the Prairie Crossing Learning Farm last November as day-old chicks, and didn't venture outside until February. Even if they did experience snow last season, does a chicken have a long term memory? Hmmm.

I wondered if the chickens would be excited ... like my children who love to play outside until I fear for their extremities. Of if they would be exuberant ... like my dogs who run like crazy whenever it snows. Or if they would be confused ... like my cat on the day I carried him to a patch of snow on the back porch (he looked really interested from inside the house, and I thought I'd broaden his horizons).

I didn't imagine that the chickens would be too "chicken" to even venture outside. Sheesh. If you look closely at the picture above, you might see a chicken barely peeking outside at the snow. 165 chickens, and zero footprints on the very shallow snow outside their door. I've since learned that this is typical for chickens, and that they wait for humans to shovel a path for them through the snow. Not a bad gig.

It's hard for me to judge the chickens for their dislike of snow, because it's not too far removed from my own feelings. My family will affirm that I too mostly wait for others to shovel the snow. Like the chickens, I would rather be toasty warm inside during a cold wintery day instead of trudging through the snow. This reminds me that I need to give Logan Beausoleil credit for venturing out to see what the chickens were doing in the snow, and taking this picture. Because I was too chicken. And forgot my snow boots.

Whether they're enjoying this weather or not -- the chickens are working hard to produce lots of tasty organic eggs. If you're the sort who loves the snow, hike/ski/sled to the Prairie Crossing Long Barn during daylight hours and purchase some. Or send your friend. Although I forgot my snow boots yet again, I will head outside to purchase eggs tonight. They are absolutely worth it!