CLICK FOR NOV PICS - A nice picture sent to me by a good friend who we often hike with. This was taken a few months ago but only came to me today. Isn't Mr. Ben precious? He is starting to read! He is sounding out words. Such a cute. And he's doing all kinds of math and building domino pyramids with his brother. Sam would like 19,000 dominoes. Does anyone want to get rid of theirs?

MOVIE: 2012_Nov_Gordon crows. This is after 4 days of practice, but still cute!!!

When we came back from walking to school with Sam this morning, guess who was flapping and crowing!? GORDON! He has found his rooster voice! He is getting very full of himself. Such pretty feathers and walking so smartly. This is going to get interesting. Merlin seems unperturbed. He clearly thinks he rules the roost still. I ripped out most of the garden beds and let the chickens have at it. They enjoyed tilling the soil for me.

We got two cute Barred Rock girls and two Rhode Island Reds from Bay Hay – the last of their fall chickens. Dave likes Barred Rocks and I really wanted one, too. Well, Jersey really hurt one Barred Rock. Ripped skin right off her neck and hurt her leg. After nursing the poor thing for 5 days in a separate hospital in the garage, separate recess time, hand feeding, etc., I went to Lisa Barfield DVM at Winslow Animal Clinic after calling and talking over options with her. (As in can’t really diagnose without X-ray but that will run $150. You can’t really do much for chickens anyway. They recover from trauma well, just not illness.) She was SO sweet – she popped out of her busy exam rooms and felt the hen’s leg and said it was broken. Didn’t charge me. I brought her a bottle of wine and a very silly card with pictures drawn of my chicken infirmary – apartment and separate run area (I was busy with hammer and staple gun this weekend!). I am keeping both Barred Rocks separate but visible to the rest of the flock, and providing separate food, water, and sleeping area. However, tonight I found the little girls had broken free of their separate run and sneaked into the coop all on their own! Wow. Chickens will find a way, that’s what my father in law says. Never ceases to amaze me.