The first egg

Finally.

The story of a blow dryer and chicken

Well, We certainly have had some misadventures in the chicken raising lifestyle. The first misadventure is that the three littlest chickens got out of their cage and Luna acted on her doggie instincts and killed them. It was a horrible night. Thankfully I was crying too hard to really see what I was cleaning up. So what is my first reaction? Oh no, the chicken books say you have to have at least three chickens and we only have two left." So I hoped on craigslist and found someone selling chickens. 

This is Luna's Wild Beast pose

Well I went to pick up the chickens and low and behold the place was a disaster. The chickens didn't look to great but the animal lover in me couldn't bear to walk away and leave them there, with no food or water, and a very dirty cage. So We caught three for me to take home. Their wings weren't clipped. (foreshadowing)

 I got them home and locked up Luna and first things first this one chicken with a strength that belied her small frame got away from me and flew up and over the chicken pen fence. "Ahhh, I screamed, and went to hunt her down, but she was wiley and I could not find her. So I spent all morning creating a temporary fence around the back part of the house so that I could let Luna out but hopefully protect my rouge chicken from certain death. I was pretty sure when I got home that she would be gone for good anyway. But the story has a good ending!

Colin is a chicken whisper-er!  Yes you read that correctly. He had the great idea of hunting her out with Luna's nose. So we got Luna harnessed up and we got a big bucket (just in case that would come in handy) and I let Luna drag me around where I thought the chicken would be. She started sniffing crazy style and I pulled her back and Colin saw the rouge chicken and clamped a glove over her but she was so strong and crafty he couldn't pick her up. So he sat pinning her to the ground for a bit and then she finally gave up. He scooped her up and we clipped her wings and then locked her in the coop for three days. As if that isn't enough there is more.

So then when I was attending the chickens in the locked coops I noticed something. ( If you are faint of stomach stop reading now.) Well one of the other new chickens butt was covered in S-H-I-T. And then I realized why, her vent was prolapsed. What is a vent? We it is the everything shoot. Poop, pee, eggs, if it comes out of chicken, it comes out of the vent. Well, I was horrified. I googled and googled and came up with a plan. The plan was to dunk the sick chicken in hot water with a bit of peroxide. So I did that. Then Colin did it twice. Then we only fed her yogurt for a few days and then I dunked her again and horrors of all horrors I tried what the interweb said to do, an I pushed her vent back into her. So gross! But she is doing well now. I am so happy for her and so happy I did not loose my lunch. Anyway, I bet your asking what this has to do with a blow dryer? I'll tell you. The last time I dunked her I blow dried her. I thought for sure she would hate it but she was almost purring, making these low cluck clucking sounds.

Well never in my life did I think that I would be blow drying a chicken, I mean, I don't even blow dry my own hair. The lesson of the day is chickens are not easy, not easy at all. And we haven't even gotten any eggs for all our troubles.

Even after all this hassle, I decided I want to get a Turkey next spring. I must really be insane.