This weekend was HOT! It was one of those weekends that doesnt cool down at night and when you go outside at 11pm, the air is thick and still and there is no respite from the heat. I also love it because it is Summer and if we didnt get this heat wave, it would be depressing. So I water my garden 3 times a day, keep the dogs and cats inside and try to remain cool myself.
The chickens, however, are another matter. I will not bring the girls inside and i will not set them up with air conditioning because that is just silly. But i also know that the girls get hot and they are covered in down jackets! To keep them as happy as possible, i let them out of their coop each morning so they can go find a quiet cool spot of dirt. They also loved to eat whatever i had just watered.
I heard that when chickens are hot they open their wings and pant like dogs. I also heard that they roll around in the dirt and fling it about. Come to find out, they do exactly that and it is charming and sweet. Or i just think it is because i love my chickens more and more each day.
And the mystery is solved, at 1045am, gladys began to follow me around the garden, literally right on my heels. The line up went; me, then gladys then Mr Big then Timmy. As i went back and forth through the garden watering this and plucking that, i had this little pet parade on my heels. Gladys was the loudest. Apparently she was telling me something important because at exactly 11am, she went back to the coop, into the nest and laid an egg. I was so excited i hovered outside the coop trying to listen. She is a silent layer. So i peeked in and fed her a handful of blueberries. about 45 minutes later she came out clucking and strutting and went right back to her shady dirt spot.
About 2 hours later Jennie disappeared and i went in and fed her blueberries too. I think they appreciated the extra sustenance: egg laying is hot work! Jennie came out and made such a fuss about her recent delivery that the neighborhood dogs STOPPED barking for a minute. GO JENNIE! Holding a warm freshly laid egg, is truly an amazing moment. My maternal instincts want to keep it warm and watch it hatch…sadly no rooster so no chickies.
That night i had some friends over for dinner and plucked several green tomatoes for fried green tomatoes with that day’s eggs. YUMMMMYYYYY!
