My Peeps!

After weeks of intensive lobbying, I finally wore daltonboy down. And now we have chickens! Fifteen darling little Buff Orpington chicks, to be exact.

Why chickens? you may ask. A valid question. I've been looking into the whole organic food thing for a while now, and the following issues have come to light:

1. Most laying hens are housed in inhumane circumstances. They live in cages too small for them to stand up or turn around in. Not only is this sad from the chicken's standpoint, it also means that they are unhealthy. An unhealthy hen does not lay a healthy egg.


2. Most chickens are fed chicken (or other meat) parts as part of their regular diet. Chickens are supposed to be vegetarian.


3. Companies that bill themselves as "Free Range" do not have to adhere to any standards or regulations. Many chicken farms advertise their free range eggs when in fact their chickens are simply not living in cages, but still live in extremely tight quarters with other chickens.

I've been buying eggs from a chicken farm that advertises vegetarian diets for their hens, but they're still not free range, and the eggs aren't the healthiest. Last week my supplier dropped out of the picture. I'm not willing to pay $3 a dozen at the health food store.

So I've been begging daltonboy to let me raise some chickens. He has been resistant. Finally he agreed that if it was important to me, he'd consent. I bought the chicks immediately. When he arrived home from work, DB gave them a cursory glance and went about his business. The rest of us can't tear ourselves away from the box. After about half an hour, DB went in and got his camera. He's been snapping pictures ever since. I'd wager a bet that he's already taken more pictures of these chicks than he did of the boys when they were born. Possibly that's because he has a nicer camera now, but I'd like to think it's because he's in love with them.

I chose the Buff Orpingtons because they are year-round layers, they're docile, and they don't fly as much as other varieties. We'll see how they do. With any luck, they'll be laying by August.

Other chicken raisers claim that they make great pets. Supposedly they'll jump up on your lap and purr when you pet them. We'll see about that, too. If none of that pans out, we'll have plenty of meat stored up for next winter, and DB can get some use out of his hatchet.

Even though people recommend you don't name the chicks unless you're not going to eat them, I'm optimistic, and am taking suggestions for names. Of course we'll be using Ginger, Edwina, Mac, and the rest. You can call me Mrs. Tweedy.