Thursday, January 19, 2012

The New Chickens Are Here

Funny thing happened when we ventured to Amish country a weekend or two ago on a quest to buy a few new laying hens.  We have one rooster (that hates me on random days), one hen who lays one egg every day and one hen who lays no eggs on any days.  I'm not real sure she knows she's a hen.  Maybe she's just one of those workers hens like the worker bees... female but no Queen.  It has been a passed time around here that it is costing us more to feed these chickens than our return is.  Which is usually the way it goes.  So, on a Thursday, my loving husband turns to me and says "what are you doing this Saturday" and I say "not much" and he says " want to go to Kentucky and get some new hens?" I say "heck yeah!"  I buy two eighteen packs of eggs every two weeks.  I cook breakfast every morning.  If I can not have to buy eggs... I'm in.

So the two of us, along with one dog and two friends, also interested in purchasing laying hens, ventured to Amish country early Saturday morning.  We looked everywhere.  We stopped at stores, and at an Amish butcher's farm (who had plenty running around but none for sale) and even at a "small game swap meet" that wasn't having a swap meet that day but had an abundance of fowl running around everywhere... still no chickens for sale.  All the while, my husband kept mentioning a place called "Gold City" which I envisioned, from all the talk and turns trying to find it, looking something like Opryland or a huge indoor flea market that sold livestock on nice pretty Saturday's to eager searchers such as ourselves.  After directions here and there and highway this and state route that and not even knowing we were on the right track in the distance appears... Gold City ... city limits sign!  We were there!

Turns out Gold City, KY has a feed mill and an old general store and from where we were, that appeared to be it.  Not downgrading the town by any means here.  It's just all the hype and hooplaa led me to believe different.  We were very hungry for a bite at this point and the dog needed to tinkle.  We went in the store which had more deer heads mounted on the wall than our living room, I was quite impressed.  We went to the counter and each ordered a sandwich that turned out to be hugemongo.  deli sliced meat and cheese of almost whatever type you wanted on white or wheat.  I wound up having to share some of my roast beef with Dot and she appreciated that!  We go to sit down at the table that had chairs which also had someone eating there already who promtly told us to "have a seat, I won't bite you... unless you taste like country ham."  I liked him and he was the talkingest thing!  He talked about Elvis and Graceland (fittin convo, that day being the eve of Elvis' birth and all) and his daughter who was up texting all night and his wife that didn't want to take a motorcycle ride with him that day.  He was a rambler I tell you.  Finally he asked what we were doing in Gold City.  We told him about our morning and how we hadn't had any luck finding any laying hens.  At that point, our new found friend, proceeded to turn around and hollar to the whole store "Hey! Anybody got any laying hens for sale!!"  The other table of diners all shook their heads no with big smiles on their faces while we sat there half red faced with our mouths open as our eyes were led to the gal working behind the counter with her hand raised.  The husbands went and had a chat with her while the gals went outside to tend to the dog.

Turns out, Amy, who's mom and dad own the store, lives 3 miles down the road and has been raising chickens on their little piece of heaven on earth.  We followed her to her house and met her husband there who helped us catch up eight hens.  Four cinnamon and four black and white speckled ones.  They were just the nicest couple of people we could have met.  We left there with eight chickens, two dozen eggs and two canning jars of bean and barley protein for the chickens that she had made.  Sweet as pie they were! 

Four of the chickens stayed with us and four went home with our friends.  We are now up to two eggs a day which isn't bad for the middle of January I'm told.  Amy said the black and white ones should start laying eggs in April.  Our rooster, J.R. as Shaun calls him (you don't want to know what I call him) has temporarily stopped flogging and stomping his feet at me since he's gotten some new girlfriends.  The new hens have settled in nicely and by this summer we will have to move their hen house and maybe give them some more room too.  

We currently call the man who announced our need to the whole store, Elvis.  He disappeared into the distance on his Harley moments after... his work there was done.  Thanks Elvis.




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