Cucumber Fright

This afternoon I helped Grandma pick some sweet corn.  I came home with a Big Red full of sweet corn and 4 cucumbers.  The chickens love to finish off on our corn after dinner. It took a few days for the little chickens to get over their fear of cucumbers.

And right behind my back the sneaky chickens squeeze through the fence.

 

 

 

Here's my sweet hen, Adeline.

The Lucky Toad

A toad hopped along the outside of the chicken fence.  I quickly put down my pail to catch the tiny toad.  I crouched down and got ready to grab it when it hopped through the fence and a hen dove for the toad.  My heart sank as the chicken ran away with the helpless creature dangling from her beak.  The hen dropped it, glanced downwards, and walked away. The toad flipped upside down like a dog doing his "play dead" trick.  I found some plastic and while trying to scrape it up it opened its eyes and closed them.  Then the toad scramble up and hopped away. Oh no, chickens ran to the moving object in seconds. I shooed them away but one hen got it and ran.  "He's dead this time for sure," I groaned.  The hen dropped it and went. The toad looked like a chunk of dirt.  But, it got up again and this time I tossed the plastic and grabbed it with my hands.  I filled up a pail with water and plopped the toad in the water. I was very suprised when I didn't see any blood or cuts. It was perfectly fine. I messed with it in the water and then placed it in Mom's garden. What a lucky toad, surviving 2 hens.

                                                                                                                         

Getting Along

This morning I was greeted by a toad.  I missed hearing the broilers crowing.  Now the 4 hens are with the chicks. They are't getting along very well, they just stay in 2 groups.

Otto sits and waits for me to shoot.  Once the arrow goes Otto runs to the bale, takes a glance at the target, and comes back.

Busy 10 Days

These past 2 weeks I have been gone to the Cornhusker State Games and church camp.  The first day of the Nebraska games I shot with 4 great archers so we broke a lot of arrows.

 

Only the girls went to Lincoln, Nebraska.  Bea got creative and made "archery art".

 

I got second in the tournament and missed first by 3 points.

 

 

We came home Sunday and left for camp Monday morning.  The last full day at camp I climbed Harney.  Another girl from my church hiked with me. We made it!

 

 

On the way home we stopped at the Purple Pie Place in Custer.

 

 

 

Butchering Chickens

We are done butchering the three broilers.  We started at four and got it done in about an hour.  Bea accompanied me as my camera lady.

1. Load up the broilers.  I found my cage in the machine shed that I normally use for broody hens.  Bea opened the cage door as I picked up a fat broiler and squeezed it through.  Bea was worried that a chicken would peck her finger off since it hadn't eaten all day.
 

 

We're here!

 

 

2. Death Time.  Grandma says,"Go get one, Mary."  I walk over and grab a rooster by its legs and give it to Grandma.  Grandma put the chicken's head in between nails, but the nails weren't wide enough for it's big head. So, Uncle Darrell went to get 2 nails to pound in the stump.  We waited with Grandma holding on to the bird and me messing with its wattle.

 

 Darrel pounded the nails in, but they were to wide so the broilers head would've slipped through.  So Darrell fiddled with the nails until Grandma was satisfied.

  

Then chop!

 

Next in line is the hen.

 

3. Ha Ha Ha! It's MY turn! I held the broiler rooster by the legs waiting for Darrell to hit it.  I stood there holding the chicken letting it flap and wiggle around spurting blood all over.

 

 4. Pull skin and feathers off.  We hung the 3 broilers on hooks on the fence to let the blood drain.  Then Grandma got her knife out and started pulling and cutting the skin off.  Then she gave it to me and I picked off excess feathers.
 

 

The bantam rooster enjoyed watching us.  Grandma asked it a few times, "Are you learning something?"

 

I don't remember what we were looking at. I think it was my Dad.

 

5. Get the gross stuff out.  Grandma started cutting, slicing, pulling, digging, and then throwing away the insides.  The stuff that you do keep is the liver, gizzard, and the heart.  Then you wash the chicken again a few times.
 



 

 

It was very noisy while we we're cleaning.  Tractors, combines, sprayers, and semi trucks were going by and getting fixed.  I had to lean in close to hear Grandma.   Also, the lawn mower was going.  He mowed the front and back of the chicken coops.

 

6. The finished product: three chickies in the tub.

 

 

 

 

7.  Put it in the fridge.  I put the bathing chickens in the Big Red and drove slowly over to the house and carried it downstairs.  Now they are in pans sitting in Grandma's basement fridge.



Butchering Day

Today is Butchering Day! 

Dad came home last night and said that we'll butcher tomorrow, and that I needed to call Grandma.  Grandma and I agreed that sometime this afternoon whenever I'm ready we'll do it.

 

 

Hey, the good thing is that I shot out the center of my target!

 

 

A Hot Afternoon

It was hot this afternoon!  I was shooting archery outside sweating like crazy. Bea and Fred swam all afternoon.  The broilers just sat in the weeds panting and once in awhile got up to eat.  Right now they are sitting by the gate enjoying the breeze because the sun is not shining on them.

 

 

 

 

Otto just sat in the garage.  He lays there like a dead fish.  Its too hot to move.