I babysat 7 chickens last week. This fact may surprise those of you who know how I feel about animals, but I found the chickens relatively amusing, and I thoroughly enjoyed the role of urban farmer.
The chickens belong to one of my girlfriends from book club who, in addition to 7 chickens, has a husband and three children in West Seattle. They went on vacation for a week and asked me to house sit.
I lived most of the week with a heightened sense of anxiety: I was certain that I would unintentionally kill one of the chickens or that a raccoon would eat them all up before I could get home and lock up the coop.
Dead chickens filled my dreams at night.
My daily chores consisted of giving them food and water in the morning, and collecting their eggs and locking their coop at night. I also tried to talk to them as much as possible in case they were bored or lonely.
One interesting chicken fact I learned is that, unlike human women, their eggs and their poo come out of the same hole. I gave those eggs an intense scrub with lots of hot water before putting them in the cartons.
I love the urban farming ideals of sustainability and self-reliance and of being more connected to our food production. But I don't know if I am ready for my own flock of birds quite yet; I think I'll start with some vegetable plants.
Hey lady! Sorry to interrupt your hard work.
The spoon is for fetching eggs laid at the back of the coop.
The coop where they roost on their own at dusk.
Chicken play pen.
They are occasionally invited out into the grassy yard as well.
5 comments:
Didn't think about the eggs coming from the same place . . . let's hope they get washed before getting to the grocery store!
You are funny! I will let Greg and Lisa know you are an experienced chicken babysitter for the next time they need one (;
My aunt and uncle have chickens here in California
They are really fun! They have all different kinds so its fun to see all the different kinds of eggs!
Jen's posts are such fun to read that I think this blog needs daily posts. Who's in favor?
Interesting tidbit: when eggs come out of the chicken, they have a coating on them called a bloom. The bloom will keep them fresh for several months, even without refrigeration. In the US, the bloom is washed off before the eggs are sold, which is why they are kept in the fridge here, but not in most other countries. Of course, in the other countries, the eggs need to be washed before they are cracked (or they can be cracked NOT directly over the bowl, making sure the egg doesn't touch the shell). If you want to re-create the bloom so you can safely store eggs outside of the fridge (for several months), you can thoroughly cover the eggs in mineral oil.
I learned all of this recently and found it extraordinarily fascinating. Thought you might too. =)
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