Miller Farm Friday Archives - Page 37 of 48

17 04, 2015

Feathers from Heaven

By judythemorgan|2015-04-17T06:00:34-05:00April 17th, 2015|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

By Guest Blogger Chicken Wrangler Sara

As I was walking back to the chicken yard last week a feather fell from the sky. It was quite small and very white. In fact, if it were colder outside I might have mistaken it for a snowflake.

I stood still for a minute to see if more were forthcoming. Or perhaps an entire bird was soon to follow. That would be one way to increase our flock.

Neither of these things happened. I picked the feather up and put it in my pocket thus confirming that it was not a snowflake.

I remember as a child taking walks with my grandfather around the lake near their apartment in Austin. One time I picked up a feather. This one was not white and was much larger. My grandfather put it in his Bible where it remained until his death.

As life gets more hectic and being a grownup becomes harder, it was nice to reconnect with a childhood pastime of picking up feathers. Perhaps I should keep this little white feather in my Bible for when I feel childish.

10 04, 2015

Spreading Her Wings

By judythemorgan|2015-04-10T06:00:33-05:00April 10th, 2015|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

by Guest Blogger Chicken Wrangler Sara

I looked out the window last week and discovered one of the chickens on top of the shed.

This was a new trick so I snapped a picture from the back patio. Then I cautiously walked to the coop to try to coax the bird down on the correct side of the fence.

Fortunately I was successful.

Later in the week I discovered the same bird in the yard next door. She was enjoying the lush, green grass.

I thought about retrieving her but that meant walking all the way around the front of the house and through the neighbor’s gate.Or I could jump the fence.

I decided to go inside and pretend I didn’t see anything.

I told Beekeeper Brian we had a wandering chicken. He assured me she would return at nightfall. He also suggested I clip her wings when she did.

Sure enough, when I went to close up the chickens, there she was. I clipped her wings, much to her dismay. When I left, she was trying to fly up to the top of the nest boxes to roost. She has remained on the ground in her chicken yard since then.

Now the gray bantam, however…..

3 04, 2015

One of These Dogs is not Like the Others

By judythemorgan|2015-04-03T06:00:19-05:00April 3rd, 2015|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|4 Comments

By Chicken Wrangler Sara

As I was driving down our street last week, I spotted a loose dog. This happens periodically and I don’t always take any action.

This dog, however, was dragging a leash. I figured someone would be chasing it so I stopped to help. An older couple driving slowly in a car pulled up beside me. I figured they were the owners, but alas, they were also Good Samaritan dog catchers.

Between us and a man out working in his yard, we were able to grab the leash. There was no collar. The leash was simply draped around the dog’s neck. What’s more, the dog was very skinny and very scared.

I tried to pick her up to put her in my car and she winced and snapped at me.

I knew her life had not been good.

I called Beekeeper Brian and then walked the dog to our house. Beekeeper Brian gave her some food while I went to retrieve my car. We coaxed her into the backyard and went to run some errands.

When we returned, Matt was sitting in the backyard with her. “I named her Anabelle” he said. Within a couple of hours, she was following him around the yard. She even let him pick her up.

Over the next few days I called the local animal shelters and checked the Facebook Lost and Found page for our area. No one was looking for Anabelle. Matt was glad.

Anabelle gets along great with the dachshunds. She chases Tucker as he chases his ball. He gets slightly annoyed with her at times but then he gets annoyed with anyone who gets between him and his ball.

We’re looking for a good home for Anabelle. Matt loves her, but he will be going off to college in August. He’s willing to let her go to the right “forever” home.

Meanwhile, I have quite a canine trail following me to check the chickens. If Anabelle were a dachshund I probably wouldn’t even notice.

27 03, 2015

Why We Have Chickens

By judythemorgan|2015-03-27T06:00:55-05:00March 27th, 2015|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

by Guest Blogger Chicken Wrangler Sara

Most people assume we have chickens for the fresh eggs they provide. While this is certainly true, there is also the entertainment factor.

For example, I looked out my kitchen window last week and saw this:

They are standing on Beekeeper Brian’s bee hives.

Even if I wanted to pose them like this, I would not attempt it. I took several pictures through the window figuring that as soon as I opened the back door, they would all jump down.

Then I decided to risk it:The white chicken saw me first – and jumped down.The others soon followed.

I’m thinking of installing a chicken-cam to record all day. There’s no telling what I miss when I have to go to work. I’d much rather stay home and watch the chickens.

Of course, the children I teach can be equally entertaining at times.

20 03, 2015

Repairing Chickens

By judythemorgan|2015-03-20T06:00:19-05:00March 20th, 2015|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

By Guest Blogger Chicken Wrangler Sara

I recently gathered all my materials to teach the song “Chicken on a Fencepost” to my 3^rd and 4^th graders. (See previous post Chicken on Fencepost for a look at the music.)

This included two chicken puppets that make chicken noises when “played” just right. I made them several years ago and the sound was so authentic, the chickens in the backyard came running to meet their new friends.

The sound is made by running a damp sponge along a string running through the top of a cup which is decorated to look like a chicken. The students love it. (And so do I.)

As I demonstrated the proper technique, a tragedy occurred. The string broke.

Then the comb fell over. It was a sad sight.

Fortunately I had another, smaller, chicken puppet that worked for the moment. Of course, everyone wants to use the bigger chicken so I’ll have to fix it eventually.

I am probably the only person on earth who has a “to do” list which includes “repair chicken.”

6 03, 2015

That’s No Chicken

By judythemorgan|2015-03-06T06:00:53-06:00March 6th, 2015|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

by Chicken Wrangler Sara

I was working at my computer this week when I caught a glimpse of something out the front window. At first glance it appeared that a chicken was in the road. (Was it trying to cross? If so, why?)

I got up and started toward the door, wondering if it was one of ours chicks or another stray chicken (see You’re not My Chicken! You’re a Snort.)

About that time a car drove by and the bird took flight.

It looked like a small plane – huge wingspan. It was a turkey vulture. It flew to the roof across the street then waited in the yard for a while.

Eventually it flew away.

Yesterday the grandmother of a piano student was waiting in the driveway and said she saw some huge birds circling the back yard. I sure hope it wasn’t the turkey vulture and his friends. Chickens I will wrangle but I draw the line at turkey vultures.

27 02, 2015

Operettas and New Chicks

By judythemorgan|2015-02-27T06:00:23-06:00February 27th, 2015|Miller Farm Friday|2 Comments

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

The private school where I teach music does a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta each year and has for the past 37 years. When I took the job I specified that I could not help with the operetta. Our children were still in elementary school and I knew the time commitment of a performance would be beyond my ability. This was fine as I was teaching only the elementary grades.

Our enrollment has declined over the past few years so I am now the only music teacher which means I am helping with the operetta.

This year the Gala performance was last Friday evening. We had rehearsals all day every day last week. My Tuesday/Thursday teaching job became a Monday through Friday job. Brian asked me Wednesday evening if I would have time on Thursday to pick up 25 chicks he had ordered.

I took a deep breath and said “Sure, I can go during lunch.”

Now picking up chicks sounds pretty simple but, remember, they have bird brains. Each chick must have their beak dipped in the water trough so they know where to get water. Knowing the limited amount of time I had for lunch, I decided to enlist some help. I couldn’t afford to miss any rehearsal time.

One of the students in the operetta is an experienced chick handler so I took her with me. She knew exactly what to do.

I explained to the directors where I was going and what I was doing. They had no idea how much was involved with picking up the chicks. I felt more like an animal science teacher than a music director.

Now we have chicks in the brooder in the garage once again.

We can hear them cheeping happily as we eat breakfast every morning. I check them regularly to make sure they have food and water along with the quail, big chickens, bantam chickens, dogs and humans.

Helping with the operetta doesn’t seem like so much work any more.

20 02, 2015

Mythbusting on Miller Farm

By judythemorgan|2015-02-20T06:00:55-06:00February 20th, 2015|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

By Chicken Wrangler Sara

There are many things I have been told throughout my life that I have come to realize are just not true. For example, I’ve always thought that a bee can only sting someone once and then it dies. I learned this weekend that is a myth.

We had an unusually warm day on Saturday so the bees thought it was Spring and were out gathering pollen. One of the hives sits on the back porch right next to the path I take to the chicken coop. During the real Spring, I alter my path so as not to disturb the bees. This being February, I didn’t think about walking around the busy bees.

Halfway to the chicken yard I felt a sting on my back. I instinctively reached back to brush away the bee and quickly felt a sting on my finger. Then there was buzzing in my hair. I began to walk quickly around the yard saying “go away, go away.” This was one of the times I was grateful for the privacy fence. Then the buzzing stopped.

I took care of the chickens then went back inside (via the alternate path) to have Brian check my back for a stinger. There was none but I had definitely been stung. Then the buzzing started again. I headed for the door but Brian called me back so he could find the bee. It took every bit of self- control I had to stand still while he searched my hair. He knocked the bee to the ground and then used a napkin to pick it up. It had lost its stinger but was still alive – until Brian squished it. That reminds me of a song – I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee…..but I digress.

So the myth of bees only stinging once is busted. Next, I’ll tackle the myth that only roosters crow.

13 02, 2015

Chicken Cookies

By judythemorgan|2015-02-13T06:00:24-06:00February 13th, 2015|Miller Farm Friday|4 Comments

By Chicken Wrangler Sara

Our school secretary/business administrator is a wonderful lady. I’ve always known that the school secretary is the one who runs the school, and that is never truer than in a small private school. When she was gone for a few days taking care of her husband it took 4 people to do her job.

She has two grandsons who were in my music classes when they were at the school. They frequently visit so I keep an eye out at the food pantry for things they might enjoy. Each week I stop by the school on my way home to deliver whatever prizes I have found.

Last Friday Mary had a prize for me. She had been working at a garage sale and found a basket of cookie cutters. Among them was this:She immediately thought of me.

I was thrilled. I have quite a collection of cookie cutters – thanks to my mother – but a chicken was not among them.

Over the weekend, along with canning 6 pints of tomato sauce, 6 pints of spiced apples, 4 half pints of apple butter, and freezing 10 cups of mashed sweet potatoes, I made chicken cookies.

I took them to school and left them in the teacher workroom with a note explaining that they were chicken cookies – sugar cookies shaped like chickens, not cookies made from chicken. At least one teacher was glad for the clarification.

6 02, 2015

Mutant Bee

By judythemorgan|2015-02-06T06:00:19-06:00February 6th, 2015|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

by Guest Blogger Chicken Wrangler Sara

Last Wednesday was one of those days where there were more things on my to-do list than hours in the day. I knew this as I was swimming at 5:30am and was already stressing about it. Not a good sign.

A trip to Wal-Mart was on my list which, in and of itself, is a stress inducer. Since I was going anyway, I decided to take our recyclables. This included plastic, paper and tin cans. Our Wal-Mart has a drive through recycling center so I don’t even have to get out of the car.

As I pulled up, I saw a group of small children gathered around the plastic sorting bin. Standing behind the bin was a bee. Not just a regular bee but a human sized bee. I took a picture.

The kids were from a local school and were on a fieldtrip learning about recycling.

I had to smile in spite of my stressed out self. I figured the day was turning out to be ok after all.

Now if I can just get my hands on that bee suit… I’m sure I can think of a place to wear it.