Keeping Older Hens

Recently I read a blog post from My Pet Chicken about reasons for keeping older hens. There were excellent pointers, but I think a few more pros of keeping older hens are worth pointing out!

Meet Leopard the Easter Egger and Chocobo the Rhode Island Red:

Leopard 'hiding'

Chocobo sunbathing

 These two ladies are (at the time of this post) over 4.5 years old, and are the two remaining hens from our original flock of four from the local feed store. They've been with us as we've learned about chicken keeping and have been through the mistakes we've made, the exciting season changes, and even new chicks arriving!

 Neither lays much anymore, especially Leopard, whom we're certain has some kind of issue with her reproductive tract. She's consistently lay soft-shelled eggs despite additional calcium or other nutrients in their feed, and has a risk of prolapsed vent - a condition where tissue inside the vent is pushed outside.

But no matter how much or how little they lay, they're here to stay. Here are my husband and my reasons for keeping older hens after their laying years are done:

1. Pets

They are, put simply, our pets.

While I understand keeping chickens as purely livestock and 'processing' older hens, these two were never intended for the freezer from the get-go. Even after learning chickens live far longer than we expected (ten years isn't unusual, and there have been accounts of up to twenty), we had no intentions of viewing them as anything other than our pets. Even if they aren't the most cuddly of creatures.

Leopard, our Easter Egger, is always certain the camera will steal her soul

Chocobo loves the camera

2. Bug Catching!

No matter if they're laying or not, they're great bug catchers! Over the years they've refined their hunting skills to catch the most discerning of grasshoppers, spiders, and the occasional snail. Leopard has developed a taste for earwigs, and Chocobo has learned if she follows wherever I'm digging there's a greater chance for worms.

More worms?

3.  Lookouts

We free-range our girls - which does come with inherit dangers.

Hawks are the most common predator we have to watch out for, and our two older girls have survived their fair share of swooping strikes from above. As such, they've learned what to watch out for and are more apt to figure out when something flying above them is harmless (like a plane or seagull) or when they should become concerned.

And when they go scrambling, the newer girls know it's time to haul tail!

4. Where to roam

They know our yard, and know the best places to go to catch the most bugs, have the most cover, and where THE BEST dust bathing areas are. They are also content to stay within the yard, and not try jumping the fences to go exploring like they did in their younger days. Since they don't go up and out, the new girls don't either.


5. Keeping the peace

This might be their distinct personalities, but these older girls are all for picking on a healthy, active chicken. When one of the flock members is a little down, though, they put a stop to others picking on her. We recently dealt with a minor case of bumblefoot, and while one of our Jersey Giants could only hobble around for a couple days while her foot healed, Chocobo would chase any of the others who tried chasing the wounded Jersey Giant.

All bets are off when Chocobo is molting, though.

BFFs!

6. Reassurance that most treats won't kill them

Chickens think anything is a danger unless proven otherwise. This goes for watermelon, corn on the cob, and cucumbers. The older girls have been around the block and know a few of the things that are harmless.


7. Reassurance the lawnmower won't kill them

This backfires sometimes as Chocobo is SO certain that she won't move away for the lawnmower. Otherwise their presence reassures the younger girls the big scary green thing is okay from a distance.


8. Being comfortable around us

They know my husband and I bring treats, new hay, and a myriad of good things. They also know sometimes we bring bad things like leg mite foot sprays, bum baths, and wanting to pick up or pet them. They take the good with the bad and show the new girls we're okay to be around - for the most part.


Chocobo and Leopard are an integral part of the flock and our lives, and they will live out the rest of their natural days with us. Neither have gone broody - ever - so I'm not sure how they would deal with raising new chicks, but they are experienced with having newcomers throw the flock dynamics into chaos, and having other members leave for good (when the other two of the original flock unfortunately passed away).

They know a thing or two about life in our yard, and even if they don't like cuddling they still love to follow us around.

And we love having them.

They love dust bathing together

- K.F. Silver

Book Review - Daisy In Chains

Daisy in Chains: A Novel by Sharon Bolton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book a while back, but have withheld from reviewing it to cipher through my exact feelings. Specifically about the ending.

On one hand the twist was appropriate for the characters, and followed a fairly logical path. I have a few questions about the details, but for the most part there were no glaring mistakes or jumps in logic I found.

I loved the psychology explored within the story about the women who are enamored with incarcerated men - often for heinous crimes AGAINST women. I felt that was very well done, and was a theme throughout the book.

I loved-loved-LOVED the power play between the main characters. And that's where I think the ending lacked. The revelation took away a vital part of that power play, and that was a huge disappointment for me. Enough of one I had to sit on this review and make sure I just didn't hate the entire thing. :P

It seemed as if the author favored an OMG twist at the expense of a vital aspect of the story. Which was sad. Because I so very loved that power play going on...

My choice wavered between three or five stars. Three stars if I couldn't ignore the ending, five stars if I could. I feel four stars is an appropriate compromise.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, but only if asked directly. This is not one I will be bringing up on my own in conversations.

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Book Review - The Progeny

The Progeny by Tosca Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Breathtaking, fast paced, intriguing...the list goes on for how I could describe The Progeny.

'Too short' could be another way.

I wanted MORE. I still want MORE.

The story starts out with the amnesia trope - the purposeful amnesia trope. You aren't left in the dark as to how it happened, and from the beginning you're given a vague reason for the logic behind erasing memories. It works because the character doesn't dwell on her lost memories. She knows they're gone, other people know they're gone, so you're not left with the awkward and annoying drama of the character trying to convince people that she really doesn't remember.

It also works because the character is not so much trying to remember what happened, as to discover what happened. She knows she can't remember, she accepts it and deals with it.

The characters are believable, they have their own reasons behind their actions, and Lee gives you a tantalizing taste of the larger workings of this mythos.

I will be waiting with baited breath for the next book in the series!

This is one of the few books I finished and wanted so desperately to know what happens to the characters but I can't because the next book isn't out. >:(

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Book Review - The Fifth Season

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The short and to-the-point review: First half of the book is a struggle. Next quarter gets exciting. Last quarter is nothing short of amazing and brings the book together in a neat, tidy package with a gold-plated bow on top. Go read this now.

The longer review:

I struggled with the first half for numerous reasons. The first and biggest one being how the author throws you into the world with little to no introductions. Even when things are made clear, they're normally done so AFTER the event/words. For instance: Rogga is a term often used, but isn't really explained for some time. Same with 'safe'. There are still some things I'm unsure of even after finishing the book. Looking through the appendices might help, but I'm a firm believer that appendices should be optional reading and not required to understand the book.

The other reason was because it had a prologue. I hate prologues. This didn't disappoint my hatred. It was confusing and I didn't see a point to it. Even now, after finishing, I don't see a NEED to have read it. It provides some nice context later on, but in my opinion not enough to trudge through it.

Last reason: 2nd person POV. A SPECIFIC 2nd person POV. 'You' have a life, a history, and a distinct personality. Jarring, to say the least.

I'm not going to pull punches - it was so freaking hard to get through that first half. Many times I had to force myself to keep reading and to pick it up again. However, once I started getting the hang of the world things became much, much smoother. Enjoyable, even. And while I quite frankly never ENJOYED the 2nd POV, I loved the events as they unfolded through it.

I understand why the author just throws you into the world, however. There is so much to N.K. Jemisin's world that it would be next to impossible to ease the reader into it. So throwing them in makes logical sense. Unfortunately it does make for a sink or swim type of situation. Either you'll struggle through the book, or you'll give up. But keep going.

After chapter 12 was when things picked up for me. I enjoyed the events - probably because I was getting used to the world - and found myself eager to know what happened next. The prose is beautiful both in its almost lyrical qualities and how it doesn't pull any punches. This is a brutal world - but it's not brutal to BE brutal. There are reasons, and it's not a story to see just how much bad can happen to a character. I loved the way homosexuality and trans-sexuality was treated as normal. For the most part the characters didn't have a strong opinion about it one way or the other, except in a few instances to bring up points about arranged marriages and procreation.

There is a polyamous relationship that makes sense and that works - it was nice to see it handled in such a way.

Unfortunately to explain exactly WHY this book went from 'bleh' to 'holy-freaking-crap-this-is-amazing' would require spoilers.

It ties itself together so freaking well, and all that trudging and struggling through has a payoff in the end. A big one.

If you're interested in high fantasy or science fiction with a brutal world but just can't stomach the extent of Game Of Thrones, this is the book for you. Just...uh...get through that first half.

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Book Review - Ink and Bone

Ink and Bone by Lisa Unger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Twenty-year-old Finley Montgomery is used to ghosts. Normally getting another tattoo or the roar of her motorcycle calms their calls - except for this time. Without the normal guidance of her Grandmother Eloise, Finley is thrust into a search for a missing girl the Hallows wants found. And the Hallows always gets what it wants.

As one of the few suspense novels I've read there were a few things that threw me off that could just be a part of the genre.

I didn't like the amount of history told for each POV character. To me there didn't seem to be much of a point to all that information.

The type of magic was too vague for me to be worried about whether or not they'd find the girl in time. I would have preferred something more concrete where I knew how it worked and therefor could be worried about when things weren't going well.

The usage of italics also threw me off quite a bit.

Those few things aside, however, the novel was excellent in atmosphere, story, and pacing. I loved the twist at the end - it's one where I thought back on all the instances that led Finley to the climax and could see how it worked out. The endings for all the characters were hugely satisfying. Not all happy, but satisfying, and I loved the characters who supported Finley in her journey. Both alive and dead.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in the darker aspects of paranormal works, and am happy to have read it!

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Book Review - Uprooted

Uprooted by Naomi Novik
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Agnieszka has grown up in her valley home with no intention of ever leaving. Just like her parents, her neighbors, and just like the villagers of the other towns in the valley.

The only ones who want to leave are the girls the Dragon has taken.

When he takes her instead of strong, brave, beautiful Kasia, Agnieszka's life is torn apart. Bit by bit she struggles to rebuild it in the solitary tower with her, the Dragon, and the reason he took her.

First off: I would recommend reading this book. It's a beautiful story with just the right amount of wrong things that happen balanced by the right things that do. However, I do have some very strong dislikes about it. To avoid spoilers I'll be vague - anyone is welcome to message me about specifics if you want a rant or two.

The first thing right off the bat I discovered was this reads very much like a classic. I don't prefer classics because they tell so much and don't show nearly enough for my taste. On the other hand, as I mentioned above, it's beautiful.

There is an attempted rape scene in here. And I hated how it was handled. In fact, for the most part I didn't like how the subject of sex itself was handled in this story.

Which brings me to my next point: Logic. There are some things in here that do not make logical sense both in the way the characters act and how things progress.

The romance is Twilight-esque. That's all I'm going to say.

How the magic system works. I love the magic system, I really do. It's fascinating. But by the end of the book I didn't have a clear enough understanding of it to fear for the characters. For all I knew at any point they could just wave their hands and mumble something and all would be grand.

Those are the things that kept me from enjoying it more. The aspects I loved, however, were the Wood and the idea behind it and how it progresses (except for a few jumps in logic); how Agnieszka makes mistakes and learns and grows from a fearful girl to a brave woman; Alosha; how the wizards interact with each other; and how everyone has their own faults and strengths and good and bad within them.

I was a bit unsatisfied with some aspects of the ending, but did quite enjoy others. All-around I would recommend this book, but I doubt I'll be picking it up to read again.

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Book Review - Six Of Crows

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kaz Bekker is a more than a thief - he's a bastard from the Barrel with a streak of genius. Enough to assemble a team of outcasts for a heist so impossible it will make each of them richer than their wildest dreams. If they can trust each other enough to complete it.

Six of Crows is a riveting adventure with characters solidly on the darker side of the grey of morality. They aren't nice people and they're okay with not being nice people, but they have their reasons for not being nice. Some it's circumstances. Others it was a hard choice. I love how they have such intertwined moral and immoral qualities. It's a gritty, brutal world Bardugo has created, and all six survive as best they can. A couple thrive from it. She doesn't pull punches when it comes to their actions - there's blood, pain, and betrayal aplenty (no rape onscreen or implied heavily, though).

The adventure was fast-paced, logical, and with enough twists and turns to keep me entertained without being frustrated. I was satisfied with the ending, despite there being a definite thread left unraveled and waiting to be picked up and completed in the next book.

What I didn't like was the amount of backstory for each character. While at the end it paid off with me knowing the character's history and why they were doing things, I personally don't like to be loaded with backstory. I'd rather get to know the character as they are now. There were also times when I forgot which POV I was in - especially when I had to stop mid-chapter to go take care of something and couldn't get immediately back to it. While most of the time I prefer deeper POV, with how gritty and brutal some of the actions were I think having it pulled back more helped me not get disgusted or grossed out. It would have been nice to have a clearer indication of whose POV it was at the time, though.

For some reason I also forgot it was YA when I started reading, which threw me off - but that was a gaffe on my end.

I would highly recommend it to fans of dark fantasy who like their characters to break the traditional values of what is good and evil and play to their own moral tune.

I will be continuing the series.

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