The Unpredictable Life of a Chicken (aka - The Perils of Keeping Hens)

We started with 5 adorable chicks almost 6 years ago and it's been a steady decline ever since.  These cute chicks grew into lovely hens - and all of them make a great meal for local racoons and skunks and possum.
The trick is to get the chickens shut into the coop before nightfall.  Easy Enough!  Though not always.

The first hen to go wasn't exactly a hen, no, actually we had one rooster in the clutch.   We didn't find this out right away, but once they grew we realized it and we gave him back to the farmer.   He was a big aggressive protective rooster who liked to chase everyone (including me!) away from the hens.  One gone, 4 to go.

Next we lost Puffy Head.   She was a gentle Polish chicken with a plume of feathers coming out of her head. She was the easiest chicken for the boys to pick up, so in a sense she helped train them not to be afraid of the hens.  Sadly, she became dinner to a racoon one night and we were left with 3.

Our neighbor gifted us with an Americana bird - a small brown chicken similar to one of ours, and we grew to 4 again.  Emily, our new chicken, and Eagle, our Americana got along well and for a whole year we had a strong clutch of chickens clucking and poking around our yard.  All was well in chicken land.

However this didn't last.  One night we stayed out late at the local fair, and when we returned at 10 pm we knew we were in trouble.   We found that another raccoon chose Scaredy Cat for dinner - our biggest chicken of all.  We like to think that Scaredy Cat - who ironically was a fierce girl, ran to protect the rest of the hens and bravely gave her life for the good of the brood.  There were lots of feathers and clearly the other hens were clearly traumatized.   Each one of them clucked up a storm when we found them.  I like to think they were telling me all about the tragedy.

After this we became ever more diligent about getting that coop door shut at night and it was a long time before we lost another hen.  The next one to go was Emily.   Unfortunately we were home for this horrific event and heard the racoon drag her away in the middle of the night.  It was on the one and only night we ever totally forgot to shut the hen house door.

This left us with two - Freckles our big white hen, and Eagle our smaller brown hen.   Freckles is social, chatty, big and clearly the dominant hen.   Eagle is skittish, defers to Freckles and waits politely until Freckles has eaten before she'll approach the same food.  I like to think they love each other and are great pals.

A few nights ago I had intended to go shut the hens in at about 8pm, but I got distracted doing dinner dishes and forgot.  At 10pm I ran out and realized that the chickens were not in the coop.  I found Freckles sitting on the grill (which is where they roost if they can't get into the coop) and I lifted her down and put her in. When I put her down, I noticed that my hand was a little bloody.   I also knew that Eagle was nowhere in site and I assumed the worst.   Anna and I searched the yard for Eagle and we found her safe and sound roosting on a wheelbarrow.  We put Eagle in and then inspected the damage to Freckles.   It's hard figuring out where a chicken is injured with all those feathers!  In the end, we decided it was her foot.  We think a predator took a big bite, taking off 1/2 of her toe.  We brought her in and tried to clean her injured foot.  We let Eagle and Freckles spend the night in our bathroom hoping that would help somehow.   I have no idea how chickens heal, if they heal. They certainly can't lick their wounds like cats or dogs do.  She survived the night and in the morning we put them both outside.

It's been 3 days now.  Freckles is alive, but didn't come out of her coop at all yesterday.  Eagle hung with her the whole day.   I am not sure whether she'll just heal or if something worse will happen.   So we are waiting it out.  Today they both came out to eat and look around.   I noticed Freckles poor toe was black - and I am hoping that is what it looks like as it heals- if it heals.  We have a back-up plan if she gets worse. The plan involves a friend of ours who hunts birds and knows how to end the life of an injured bird.  Not the best choice, but a good one if we need it.

Upon reflection, I know that there is no way to keep chickens 100% safe from predators, and after 6 years of keeping hens, we might decide that we've had our run as chicken keepers.  If Freckles has to be put down, we'll find a friend to give Eagle to; I can't imagine she'll survive alone without her dear hen friend Freckles.

And life with chickens continues either with 2 chickens and one missing toe, or no chickens at all.

**Update on 2/22/16

Freckles is alive and well.   She certainly is missing 2 of three toes - well at least 1/2 of them anyway, but this hasn't taken her down.  She limps a little bit, but certainly comes out each day to eat and drink on these cold winter days.

Lucky Kid

I can't stop thinking about how lucky Anders is.  His entire fifth grade class will be working with public mural artist, Mary Lacy.  She's done some amazing work around the city and will now be doing some integrated art and math work with 46 kids at Anders school.   They will be collaborating on a painted caterpillar that will be climbing the hallway up to the second floor.   The caterpillar will then burst out into a group of about 20 butterflies painted by the kids that will be installed up high on the walls of the stairwell up.  It's going to be magical.  It's going to memorable.  It's going to be yet another way Anders has some deep art learning in his elementary years.    OH he is sure one lucky kid.  Here's a few images from his field trips and then his work on his butterfly.

Such Good Friends

Finley, Anders, Julian, and Ben

These guys have been good friends for so many years now, and as the second half of fifth grade begins, I have to acknowledge how grateful I am for these boys.  Each boy is unique in wonderful ways, but what I most love is the fact that they are kind boys, funny boys, quirky boys, and loyal friends.   This is one reason why I am happy for the year to take it's good old sweet time.  They'll split into two groups as they go on to middle school and I know Anders will be a wee bit verklempt come June.   

Moms

I just happened to find these photo's from the summer...and when I look at them I feel so deeply happy.  I just love this life with Anders and Kuba...and us...the mom's. 

Our Family Gratitude List - 2015

A  Anders, Anna, Adalyn, Annie, Ant Farms, Art, Animals

B  Birds, Books, Blog, Ben, Bonnie, Blue Skies, Bees, Bernie

C Cousins, Cat, Chickens, Christmas Cards, Colors, Cape Cod, Clouds

D Dumplings, Doughnuts, Dreamcatchers, Decorating, Dia Beacon, Donna Mattucci

E Elephants, being Eight years old, Eva, Eggrolls, Endings, Jamie and AJ get Engaged!

F Family, Food, Fifth grade, Finley, Fossas, Field trips, Friends

G Grandparents, Gus, Games, Gap underwear, Giraffes, Gay Marriage

H Hazel, Holidays, Home, Health, the Holcrofts, Heirlooms from Sweden

I Ipads, Ice cream, IAA

J Judy, Jokes, walking the Jetty in Provincetown

K Kuba, Kaj, Kate, Kindness

L Love, Mr. Leal, Life With Anders and Kuba 

M Minecraft, Movies, Meg, Marine Specialties Store, Music, being Married

N  Bird Nests

O Owls,  the Ocean

P Peace,  Parents, Playing Piano, Presents, Pigs, taking Photographs, Percy Jackson, Pokeman
     Cards, Plasma Cars, Pomeroy Park

Q a Quiet Mind

R learning to Ride a bike, Reading

S Second Grade, Skunks, School, Soccer, Sleepovers, Sandy, Susan, Starwars, Sleep, Sketchbook,
    Swedish linens, Sophia, Swedish Relatives, Sunshine, Sandra

T being Ten years old, Tupper Lake, Trees, family Traditions

U Uncles 

V Vacations, Vitamin D

W Watch Island, Writing, Whale Watching, the Weekly Leal, Water

X feliX

Y Youtube: Popular MMO's

Z Ziplines

Kuba's Christmas List

I don't think Santa would ever give a but slaping belt - even if it's on the list of a very good boy.

So Long 2015 - Welcome a Brighter 2016!

As 2015 is coming to an end, I like to reflect on the past year and write about the hope of 2016.
We've faced some big stress this year...career changes, a financial squeeze, and health challenges in our aging parents to name a few.  It's been tough.  But life is like that, up and down.  Which is why I like the photo's above of the boys jumping.  Leaping up towards the light, over and over again.  A real metaphor for my experience of 2015.   

Both of the boy's grandfather's had health issues this year - my dad had a stroke and Anna's dad had a stent put in his heart.  They were both remarkably strong and are faring well as the year closes.  I like to believe that they are even better prepared to face 2016.

To say we soared through this year would be a lie.   Anna and I hobbled and at times we crawled.  Anna's business came to a close and this was heartbreaking and difficult.  She invested so much passion, heart and soul, but in the end realized that the best thing she could possibly to do was to let go.  And she did.  She was remarkable in her ability to handle such a difficult situation and to live by her values all the way to the end.  Sometimes life is like that too, deceptive.  And you have to find your way to the light again.  This experience sharpened our priorities... living and working with integrity and surrounding ourselves with love, friends and family.  It has been a great life lesson for sure and I know that often the greatest challenges can bring unforeseen gifts.  

Which brings us to the gifts of the past year (and their were plenty):

First of all we have a new nephew, Kaj, and a new great niece, Adalyn.  They have been such delightful additions to 2015.   

Next, our niece Jamie got engaged to her boyfriend whom we love.   We are so looking forward to their wedding in 2016. 

Also, the boys had a very good year.  Eight and ten are beautiful ages and the boys have grown into these so nicely.  They both love school - remarkable!- and each invest fully in their learning.  They are bright, curious, and engaged kids.   They have been healthy, strong.  They have many friends and  possess a real loyalty to them.  They remain best of friends with one another and look out for each other in a way that makes my heart swell.  They are both amazing readers, fabulous mathematicians and imaginative artists.  Their school provides ample opportunities to create and for this I am grateful.  They are quite tall, still fabulously blonde, truly handsome and loving. Kindness is important to them.  As a family we have this at the top of our list and they echo this in their daily lives.  This is a real gift. 

This year brought some great vacations...Watch Island in the Adirondacks and Truro in Cape Cod. Both fantastic, both gorgeous, both fun, both full of connection.   We have spent a lot of time with our families this year - in New Hampshire, New York and here in Vermont. We also were lucky to spend some of our vacation time with our friends.   Families together with kids of similar ages is a great way to spend time. 

Anna opened a new business, Struktur, with her good friend Sandra and this has been a welcome change. Sandra is a phenomenal business partner and they are off to a fantastic start.   Work for me remains highly engaging and fulfilling - I continue to feel super duper lucky to play a role in transforming the way children learn in schools.

We bought tickets to Sweden in 2015 and are headed there in the summer of 2016.  This is thrilling us already.  We'll be gone for almost 5 weeks, visiting Swedish family and traveling throughout the country.   We are so looking forward to this trip. 

I started taking yoga classes in 2015, and the funniest thing of all, is that I never anticipated how much I would love it.   It's perhaps the best thing that has happened to me this year.  Gifting me with a body wisdom and peaceful knowing that soothes even the tiniest part of me. 

Without a doubt we are ready to let 2015 go and we welcome all the shininess of 2016.