Chickens

On Monday May 17, I went with Uncle Paul, Candy, and Gabe to the Marlette stockyards. My plan was to buy four mature laying hens. The selection wasn't as nice as I would have liked. One guy had a number of hens, but they looked pretty beat up. He said they just came from the Amish hatcheries, where they put them in with a lot of roosters to ensure fertile eggs. Anyone who's ever seen the rooster-hen relationship knows what a violent affair their intimacies are. I did buy two Aracauna hens from him for five dollars apiece. According to him, they are about a year old, which gives them about another two years of laying. I also bought one Plymouth Rock Bantam from some dude with no teeth. It's a pretty bird, but I wasn't really looking for banties, because their eggs are so small, but I got one for five dollars, and I'm happy with her.

Uncle Paul said he would give me a hen when we got back. When we were collecting her, I thought it looked suspiciously rooster-like, but I made the mistake of trusting my uncle, and taking her/him home. He is a little guy, but I'm pretty sure Uncle Paul knew he was a rooster, and I suppose he thinks he's pretty funny. I figured it out the first morning when he struggled to let out a few ugly crows. According to everyone, the chickens might take a few days to start laying, because the move stresses them out. I've already gotten two eggs out of my bantie, but I've yet to encounter one of those beautiful pale blue Aracauna eggs.