Today my I went to visit my friends Beau and Ron. They surprised me with this rooster. I brought it home and set it in the driveway for the chickens to check out. Fo was the only one who was interested. She stood there for the longest time inspecting this new addition…and since she could only see his feet she probably wondered if he was just standing there inspecting her back:

I locked the chickens up last night and everything seemed as it should be. I closed the garage. We all went to bed as usual. Then, this morning Brett let out all the chickens and Foshizzle was missing. He couldn’t find her anywhere so he walked to garage and guess who walked out? Fo. 

I must have walked into the garage at least a dozen times last night to get firewood. Foshizzle was in there somewhere but she never made a peep! We can’t even figure out where she was hiding. My only guess is that she crawled into something and then with her poofy blinders on she couldn’t find her way out. At least she was safe and sound in there all night! She’s a mess. 

I wonder if any of the other chickens even noticed that she was gone. It’s like they barely notice her sometimes…or maybe they just let her be. There’s a pecking order among the chickens. They can be so mean to each other sometimes, just to prove a point on where they stand. But not one chicken ever messes with Foshizzle, and Foshizzle never messes with any other chicken. She just floats in between them all like she’s Switzerland. I think I should make that her middle name: Foshizzle Switzerland. 

Do Not Forget to Look Up – a new story in the Chicken Chronicles!

Yesterday Foshizzle was squawking so loud. It was obvious that she was trying to tell me something. She followed me for a while. Then she stood on top of a large boulder so she’d be taller. Then she followed me some more. Squawking the whole time just like this:

 

A video posted by Ashley Hackshaw (@lilblueboo) on Nov 12, 2016 at 12:46pm PST

At some point I figured out that she was looking for somewhere to lay her egg! When I saw her try and crawl under our wide chicken Sunny, as if Sunny were some kind of shelter, I realized that earlier in the morning I’d moved the piece of wood she sometimes crawls behind to lay her egg. I picked her up and carried her into the coop and set her in one of the nesting boxes. As soon as I set her down I could see her sigh with relief! Within seconds she started making a little nest in the fresh shavings and then daintily picking up shavings in front of her to tidy up. She was so content after that. Doesn’t she look so cute in the box?

I don’t think she ever knew those nesting boxes were there since they are above her limited sight line.  She probably has been wondering over the past few months where all the other chickens lay their eggs! In the past I’ve found her eggs under the Radio Flyer wagon, in the corner of the run, under a broken statue, in the corner of the garage…she’s never really complained until today. Maybe she was distressed because it’s so cold, and she was worried about her egg getting cold too. What a sweetie pie she is. Sometimes I have to pay extra attention to the other chickens just so they don’t ever suspect that Fo is my favorite. I shouldn’t play favorites, but that huge beautiful feather plume and her quirky personality is just irresistible. 

I just wanted to show you the difference between Fo and Ditto. They are both White Crested Polish hens but their plumes are completely different! Fo’s is enormous, and grows down way in front her eyes. Ditto’s grows in a completely different pattern and doesn’t impair her vision at all.

And then there’s Plump who has recently lost almost every feather on her head! Don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal. She’s molting, which is just the natural process of losing feathers so they are replaced with brand spanking new ones before it gets too cold. What I can ‘t get over is how tiny she actually is under all that plumage! She looks like she’s wearing a fancy Elizabethan ruffled collar now.

You can find more tales from the Chicken Chronicles here! 

I’ve been collecting the beautiful feathers as all the hens lose them, and miniaturizing them so that they fit into these little glass jars. A few feathers in each one. They are available in my Etsy shop if you are interested!

Also, I found this yesterday and it made me laugh. It’s totally something I would do. I’m not a vegan, but I’m always preparing interesting meals for the chickens to enjoy. 

How to make a chicken salad:
Step 1: Prepare a salad.
Step 2: Give to a chicken. 

Foshizzle for President! This is one of my favorite photos of FoShizzle because you can actually see her eyes. My phone was on the ground looking upwards when I snapped it. Doesn’t she look Presidential?  She reminds me of an eagle here. Fo, you are so fierce! 

I voted this morning, but not for Fo. She’s okay with that. When I got to the polling place early this morning, 75 people had voted ahead of me which is a big turnout for our small town. I was #76. Election Day always reminds me of my grandfather who worked at the polls every year up until the year he died.