Chicks!

There are not many things much cuter than a nearly-new, baby chick (this one is just a few days old - with egg tooth still attached to its beak).



Besides watching British mini-series whilst working for the past many months, I also listened to a number of books on tape. These two quite caught my interest. I've always been a fan of Barbara Kingsolver's writing, and this memoir (although a bit preachy in places) was compelling - and the hilarious chapter on 'turkey sex' was an added treat.

Michael Pollan was new to me, but once I started listening to "The Omnivore's Dilemma" I couldn't put it down. Engaging and enlightening, told with self-depreciating humor and fascinating experiences. Between the two, I was totally motivated to 'unplug' from the Big American Food Industry where-ever possible. In this instance, by raising my own free-range, organic egg supply. ( I see a number of blogs popping up with similar un-plugged themes, this one by local artist friend Angela who has an even more interesting challenge since she lives in an apartment. )


Luckily, I do have a yard, albeit a modest, suburban one. Seattle sponsors an Urban Chicken program (and do click on the link. Insane chicken houses featured - from the charming to the elaborately ridiculous... This is Seattle, after all) and even with my modest land holding I can have up to *three* hens in my very own back yard. Alas, no chicken palaces for me - I am converting an old, wooden dog house into a coop to house my three chosen chickens. [If you are interested, the center chicken is an Araucana and the outside two are both blue-lace Wyandottes... I opted for a bit fancier chicken with 'good' egg production rather than for your typical, less visually-interesting Rhode Island Red that lays gangbusters... I'll be able to see the coop from my studio window and want to maximize my visual enjoyment - both of the actual hens, and of my blue-green and brown eggs...]



One of my POBL cohorts, who has a very respectable flock of fancy chickens of her own is allowing my 'babies' to grow up with her new chickens this year (I am not set up with cage, feeders, heat lamps, a barn to put them all into, etc...!) I have visitation rights, and when they are large enough to be 'out', they will come here to my backyard, and I will see how we fare adding fowl to our organic, backyard experience!

If nothing else, I'll have ready chicken reference to sketch.