Wednesday, September 29, 2010

News Flash - all Chooks are Home in bed er on their roost!

NEWS BULLETIN!!! - all the birds are home now. When Ron got home from work Ruby was hanging with her peeps in the front garden. Everyone seems fine. Hmmm...the secret life of chickens. I'm glad because - I like them, laying or not, and we haven't lost any to predators yet and I want to keep it that way while still providing the freedom they're used to. so. there.


I got home late last night from a meeting so slid into bed with the one not knowing what his evening had wrought. When he brought me my morning coffee (yes, I'm well aware that I'm spoiled!) he told me that when he and the step-dot had gotten back from her violin lesson they found Jackmo (the roo) and two of the hens (Bea and Sissy Miss Prissy)  on top of the canoe! It was dark and they should've been in their pen and two birds were missing - Ruby and Dearie. Ron carried the birds to the coop and locked them up for the evening. For those of you who wonder at the carrying thing - as soon as dusk hits if you want birds somewhere other than where they are - you must carry them - they are totally blind at night which is why they beetle back to their roosts so predictably every evening.  This morning Dearie showed up and wouldn't tell Ron where she'd been. Alas, alack - no Ruby. Not to sound totally cold-hearted but Ruby was the one for the knackers as she was only laying soft eggs. She may show up yet. This is our first time of having the birds picked off by the local wildlife so we've done pretty well.
I'm off this morning to a meeting with other fellow victims pals who have to fill out the standing offer forms. I won't go into this process except to say that it says something that we are gathering together in the hopes of doing this mammoth mare's nest of a job together. Wish me luck.
I might spend some time this afternoon looking for a mill or sieve for my tomatoes - so I can make sauce without skinning and de-seeding them all. Then I might look for a canner too. Who knows...
Or we might just eat them all as is in the next few days in a massive tomato eating frenzy.

7 comments:

Liza said...

Poor little chickie! As for the tomatoes, roast some in a slow oven with garlic and olive oil, salt and pepper, then give a whir in the food processor (or food mill). You can toss them with pasta or better yet, freeze them. Think how good that will taste in the dead of winter!

Mason Canyon said...

Good luck with your meeting, hope all goes well. Hopefully Ruby will return and be a better hen for running away. :)

Mason
Thoughts in Progress

Gardeningbren said...

Lee Valley seems to have a skookum food mill..check there. Home Hardware has cheapest canner I could find.

Sorry about the Chooks...so found in the canoe..any footprints in the mud or shoreline? Fingers crossed, the culprit won't be back but....keep your peepers open at dusk tonight.

Hart Johnson said...

I hope Ruby just shacked up with some handsome rooster for the night and she comes home! Sounds like that was what Dearie was up to, the Tart...

Good luck with your other projects!

Jan Morrison said...

Liza - I'm going to do that before I go to bed! I looked at a mill today but it was $60!!!!! Crazy. If I whirl it up of course there won't be any problem with the skins. Yay!

And as for you all - Mason, Brenda and Tartlette - the little vixen is home, her dancing shoes all worn out!

Tabitha Bird said...

I love hearing about your chickens. Makes me wish we had some...

Anonymous said...

As the mother of a hound who would run 5 km's across highways to get to a friends chicken pen, I understand how important keeping them safe is. Hound grew out of his habit, thank goodness.