Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Reunited and It Feels So Good.....

There's a new kid in town.....

This little hen is so sweet, it makes your teeth hurt. If ever there was a chicken that I wanted to live in the house with me, it would be this one. Introducing......Sugar Pie.


My neighbor Danielle and I went to the Poultry Auction on Monday morning. It's a fascinating story actually. Danielle lives about a quarter of a mile up the road, and I didn't really meet her until my newspaper article. She doesn't subscribe to the paper, but it was in her driveway. We've been talking since! She's definitely a kindred spirit. It's wonderful to have a neighbor as crazy as you are! She has chickens, bakes bread all the time, gardens...it's too good to be true!

The Poultry Auction. The adjectives that come to mind are: stinky, noisy, confusing, fun, and sad. So many chickens that need a good home. So many people there looking like they are looking for supper. I think I need to open a Chicken Rescue and Rehab. A lot of those birds seemed awfully stressed out.

Danielle placed a bid on and won a cage with about seven or eight hens. She asked if I'd like some...and I just took one. I thought...shoot, I really don't have the room for more...and then I saw that face. That chicken pin head face. Darn it!

I picked this one.

Can you just imagine how Sugar Pie felt in this situation? Oh my. I know that chickens have to do their pecking order, but I hate it. I want to give them all a good spanking and a time out. I really thought Mrs. Puffington had more finesse, but she was one of the worst offenders. I think she was jealous of the lovely black and red speckled feathers that Sugar Pie has. Just like humans, we always want what we don't have.

Glen was out working on the house, and he came in to report how Sugar Pie was following him around the yard like a dog....and then Sugar Pie followed him right in the house!


I put Sugar Pie in the roost box last night, and I just had to walk away. I warned the other birds to mind their manners, but you know how chickens are....

This morning, when they wouldn't even let her near the food or water, I got an idea. Maybe if I got ANOTHER one of those hens from Danielle, at least Sugar Pie would have an ally. A buddy, a familiar beak.

You know, most neighbors borrow things like cups of sugar.....

"Aaaarrronnnn......um, can you get the scooter out of the garage and run up to Danielle's and get a chicken?"

There he goes...to get Sugar Pie someone to lean on.



Here he comes, carrying precious cargo.....


And here she is....we named her 'Scooter'. :-)

And here they are.....reunited.

They hung out all day together. Everyone needs a pal.

Putting them in the coop tonight was very hard. I'll be out there at the crack of dawn tomorrow to make sure they aren't mistreated!

Can chickens be potty trained? I really think these two need to be house birds. They could roost in the kitchen. This winter, they could sit next to the stove while I bake. I could teach them to knit. All the other girls would be SO jealous, they've never mastered the 'two needle thing'.

17 comments:

  1. Oh Jayme, have I got a link for you sister!!!!!!! :)

    http://www.thegoosesmother.com/id47.html

    OMG, you so have to get one and try it and blog ALL about it!!!! :)LOL

    Sugar Pie and Scooter are precious...Aaron looked so cool going to fetch a chicken!

    And I about spit sweet tea when you wrote "So many chickens that need a good home. So many people there looking like they are looking for supper." :) I have recently heard there are some small animal auctions locally and I really want to go. I so now I just need an equally nutty neighbor to go with me! :) How lucky for you to have found a neat neighbor! :)

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  2. This winter I want to sit my the stove while you bake I want to learn to knit!!! :D by the way sorry I still have your bike helmet :( my bad........

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  3. I once trained a parrot totally on accident to only do his business on white t-shirts by wearing one on my shoulder when I carried him when he was a tiny baby bird. Then he would only go on white t-shirts, or the floor or his cage- I guess it is like puppy training pads? Maybe this could translate to a hen training method?

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  4. OH...how sweet.
    All 6 of mine follow my husband around. They only come in the house when a daughter brings them in as she did Saturday.
    I wonder if the other hens would learn a lesson on pecking order if they were put into a strange environment?

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  5. Capt's Wife....I almost fell on the floor....oh my goodness. I asked my husband if the chicken wore a diaper if I could keep it in the house. The way he said 'no' was pretty solid. Rats!

    Donna, ok honey, you can sit by the stove and learn to knit. :-)

    TZel...isn't that something? Birds are so smart.

    Susan....I should take all my girls to someone elses coop for a day...that WOULD teach them a lesson!

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  6. New BFF, once again you cracked off yesterdays makeup first thing in the am!
    Come to southern IN!! We can hit the poultry auction on Tuesdays and the Scottsburg Sat. am fleamarket has lots of birds. Our local feed store does too. Have to glue blinders on the husbandunit when he makes a feed run.

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  7. You are so funny, you "quack" me up!Keep up the good writing!!!!
    Martha
    Alabama Grandmother

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  8. Please, not so early in the morning! I spit my coffee AND about fell off my chair. :)

    Yes, I hate the pecking order thing. Too much like Jr. High.

    We had a "special needs" chicken for awhile named Fuzzy Britches. She would come in the house and walk around a little bit. It about drove my mother crazy just to think about it.

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  9. LOVE IT JAYME!! Chicken rescue!
    I better not go to one of them auctions! I don't have room! HA!

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  10. Jayme,
    Couldn't you just order/make the harness & diapies, put it on a chicken & bring it in the house in the morning after Glen leaves? Wouldn't he come home to find you blissfully happy and immediately see the "error" of his opinion?
    Of course, if Glen is anything like my own Dr. Love, you know better than to try that! I've been warned that additional kitty-girls or a dog of any sort warrants Dr. Love's departure. And I like him too much to risk that!
    Hugs from Mid-Central IN, Leslie

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  11. Jayme, the chicken rescue girl.
    Those girls don't know who there dealing with and not to mess with such a good coop keeper, they better keep themselfs on good behavior.
    Your new girls are so cute, love their names and story, yet another chapter to the chicken stories, how fun !
    Aaron looked so professional as a chicken rescue person, so grown up on your scooter.
    Tell Donna to move over, I want to join her and the chickens by your stove if your giving food and lessons.
    I think it was so adorable that Sugar Pie followed Glen around and then into the house, he might have a good buddy, he could teach a few of his fixins to, or at least have someone to talk to while working outside.
    If you get anymore chickens, you will have to open up your squirrel for them, ha ha !

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  12. Queenbuffness...I do head south at times, I will let you know when I do! Would be fun to meet up.

    Martha, thanks so much for coming over...always love a visit from you.

    Mama Hen....I think chickens should be in the house. Oh my gosh, my husband would die! LOL

    Carol...so glad you can leave comments again! I thought of having Sugar Pie in the house today for a bit...but I can't even let myself go there...I just can't!

    Leslie..yep, I think I'm at my limit. He keeps saying no to the cow too....I'm working on him though.

    L...I guess the silly chicken stories are just never gonna end! Don't let Glen fool you...he loves the chickens as much as I do.

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  13. Soooo....

    Scooter's a biker chick? LOL

    Peggy

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  14. Peggy...that is HYSTERICAL! So witty! I wish I would have thought of that! I was just thinking of you today. Would love to get caught up on your life the last 25 years.

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  15. You are definitely the funniest person I have met on the blogworld. I want your life and you writing skills and your humor and Aaron is wonderful. The two chickens have bonded and seems to have such a special and sweet friendship.

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  16. Janet me chicken all but lives in me kitchen lol, she follows me around like a puppy and when Im on the computer she sits at my feet, and whilst cooking and baking is going on in the kitchen she hops into the veggie basket OR the cat basket and snuggles in until Im done :).....

    ps....... Ive been reading your blob for a few weeks now and Ive been lurking, just wanted to say, I LOVE your blob......

    x

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  17. MarmiteToasty....you crack me up! Thanks for coming out of lurking and posting a comment...now I can go visit YOUR BLOB! :-)

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