Chickens
The first chickens we bought were 2 very slow white chickens and some Turkens from the local auction for .75 a piece. All the “good layin” hens must have sold last week because all ours were roosters. Because we don’t eat meat the butt ugly animals served no purpose other than to eat, tear the herb and flower beds around the house apart, and to wake me up at 4 am. They are actually a breed of chicken called a “Transylvanian Chicken” that were once one of the most popular breeds in the Ozarks. They lay large brown eggs. That is if they are hens. They also have the rather unfortunate genetic trait of being both ugly AND stupid. In no time at all nature balanced itself out and they became food for every hawk in the National forest. We were soon reduced to one very nervous Turken.
We then ordered some day old chicks through the mail. It got a little cold at the Post Office over the weekend and we received 25 dead chicks. The next ones we received were mostly alive. We kept them in the house until I put a top on the chicken run. Though I am a vegetarian, I admit that I had been slow in doing this when the "screeching at 4am" Turkens were in the same area. The new chicks started laying eggs like mad about 6 months later after we moved them to roosts we put in the barn. They are called “Red Star” and sleep pretty late.
We won six young Guinea Hens at a Master Gardeners meeting that are now in the chick house. They are supposed to eat bugs out of the gardens. They sleep late too.
