The Dashwoods are apparently the talk of the neighborhood and everyone loves the green roof on the coop. When we are outside, people stop to chat and ask about the chickens and the green roof and what is planted in it. A couple neighbors riding by on their bikes this afternoon said they thought it was a nice addition to the block. That felt pretty good.
Today Bookman and I worked at cleaning up the chicken garden and making sure the whole area was fenced so we could let the Dashwoods out of the run. All week they have tried a number of times to follow us out the run door so we figured we had best get our act together on that. Once everything was secure, we opened the run door and they did not hesitate to come out:
The black one with the white speckles is Mrs. Dashwood, the one with the white head is Marianne, the red-brown one is Elinor and the solid black one is Margaret.
They wandered around for a few minutes and then went back inside the run to sit in the shade under the coop. After a little while they wandered back out and have been wandering in and out all afternoon.
Mrs. Dashwood is definitely top chicken. She doesn’t peck at the others she just has a quiet authority. She calls the others to come to her and they do. We tacked up some leftover wire on the side of the shed and planted scarlet runner beans to climb up it. Mrs. Dashwood had to come inspect the work as it was being done. We edged out a couple beds in the garden and planted a couple varieties of cow peas and Mrs. Dashwood had to come inspect that too. And yes, I know once sprouts come up we will have to protect them from the chickens. I watched them gleefully decimate a dandelion growing in the cracks on the retaining wall.
They enjoy being out of the run and scratching around in the dirt and wood chips. They are great fun to watch. They only get to be outside the run when we are around. I don’t feel comfortable leaving them out to wander while we are at work all day.Today we also finally got a chance to plant out tomatoes and peppers. In addition we planted zucchini seeds, pumpkins and yellow wax beans. I had been planning on seeding arugula and chard since they ended up doing so well last year, but it turns out I don’t have to. We let them go to seed last year and they have planted themselves all over the place. Of course they have not planted themselves in the place I planned on seeding them, but I’m just going with their choice of growing location and will work around them.
The potatoes are doing really well. They have grown so tall already that we have run out of straw for mounding and will have to get more by next weekend. I hope that also means we will get lots of potatoes! It will be a couple months before we find out though.
The black raspberry that had two small canes last year has turned into a huge thicket that is invading the rest of the garden. I need to thin it but it is currently thick with what will be raspberries in a a month or so and I don’t have the heart to thin it right now. It is a messy jungle but there is nothing for it at the moment. Of course when those berries get ripe, getting in among the spines to pick them will not be fun, but the reward will be totally worth it.
The Dashwoods helped me out earlier in the week with a bug problem. The thornless gooseberry we planted was chewed almost leafless by an invasion of little green caterpillars. I removed about two dozen of the little monsters into a dish and then dumped them in the run and the chickens gobbled them down in a few minutes. The Dashwoods are also managing to catch their own bugs too. Anything that makes it into the run is in mortal danger. They have slurped down some large carpenter ants and Bookman saw a big black beetle become a tasty snack the other day. Good girls!
This coming Saturday Astrid and I are having a big adventure. We are riding in a 100-mile/161 km gravel race. The weather forecast is currently saying very hot. I hope that changes. There is a checkpoint about halfway where people can have additional water and food waiting for them. Bookman, the best support crew ever, is going to be there with food and ice cold water refills for me. I was expecting to be about 7 hours but if it does end up being really hot, I might end up closer to 8. But who knows? I have not done this before so it will be a big adventure! As long as I don’t crash or get a flat tire, I will be pleased.
Love the chickens !!! Good luck in the race. Looking forward to hearing all about it. I’m sure you’ll kill it 🚴🏻 ‼️
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Thanks Helen! I will either kill the race or it will kill me! 😀
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Can I just say I’m jealous of your chickens and their housing you made- really awesome there! Wish that kind of thing was allowed in my neighborhood.
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Jeane, thanks! Maybe you could start a group and get your city to allow chicken keeping? It’s becoming really common all over the country so even a few people expressing interest could make a difference.
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I have a hen with the same ‘quiet authority’ that Mrs. Dashwood has. It must be a thing.
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The BBC weather forecasts indicate some scorching temperatures in Minneapolis at the weekend so do be careful. Nice to see the Dashwoods getting the attention they deserve!
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Ian, even the BBC is saying it will be hot? Oy. I hope all the forecasts are wrong! The Dashwoods are in their own little world but their keepers appreciate the attention they are getting 🙂
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Deb, heh maybe it is! These are the first chickens I have ever had so I have no comparisons!
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I’m starting my second year with chickens, I’m no expert either, but Abby is definitely “the Boss’ as even our head rooster defers to her. But she is not a pecker or screamer. She just quietly, insistently buck-buck-buck until she gets her point across. They all listen.
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That’s what Mrs. Dashwood is like too. She is so unassuming at times I wonder if she really is head chicken and then something will happen like I’ll introduce them to something new and they all stand back until Mrs. D gives the ok and then I know, yup, she’s in charge.
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Did Mrs. D exhibit signs of being a leader early? Abby was always leader/cleverest hen out of her sisters and brothers. I noticed it right away. She was also my first to lay eggs, too.
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Yes she did. We got them when they were a couple days old and already Mrs. D was the leader. Interesting how it started so early!
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I think that some of them are just born to it. Mrs. D sounds like she will be good alpha hen.
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Freedom! Good luck to you and Astrid–hope the weather isn’t as hot as predicted!
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jenclair, they were not happy to be rounded up at the end of the day I can tell you that! Thanks! I am hoping the weather isn’t as hot too!
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Love the chickens, love the garden. We were at my niece’s farm this weekend and we got to weed the strawberry patch! In return, they gave us some kale and their 3-year-old picked a bunch of spearmint for us.
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Joan, I love how you “got to” weed! 🙂 Nothing like fresh kale and how nice to have a spearmint bouquet! 🙂
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I wonder: does mrs Dashwood live up expectations by you naming her head of the family, or do you have a very keen eye and gift for having seen her quiet authority when she was still very small? Nature over culture or the other way around, what do you think?
And I second Ian, do be careful coming saturday?!
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Cath, maybe a little of both? When I named them Mrs. Dashwood seemed to be the one in charge but they were only a few days old so it was a big guess. 🙂 I will be very careful on Saturday, Bookman and I are making hydration plans.
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This was my question also! I think it’s awesome how well your names have worked out.
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It was half luck I think. When they were just a few days old I sat and watched them for a little while and then tried to match names with their personalities. I didn’t expect it to work out so well!
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Look at the Dashwoods being fearless explorers! And how wonderful that the neighborhood is so interested in them.
Oh definitely wait to pick the berries! We only have some bushes in the area, but go pick some every year. Not sure why not more ppl go there..perhaps it’ our secret spot 😉 Good luck to you and Astrid for your race and have lots of fun!
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Bina, they were mad at me last night when I didn’t let them out of their run when I got home from work. The broccoli I gave them was no consolation! Will definitely wait pick the berries before thinning the canes! They are too good to waste. How fun that you have a “secret” berry place! And thanks! Astrid and I will do our best! 🙂
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I am impressed by your cycling plans! It is forecast to be hot and humid here for the coming next two weeks or so, so summer seems to have arrived. I will keep my fingers crossed for some clouds at the very least–that would help cut down on the heat a little… Hmm. Maybe I should get some chickens–you have natural week and bug killer! 😉 Maybe more maintenance than I can handle however! So glad they are being warmly received by your neighbors. Do they cluck a lot? Or loudly? How fitting that Mrs Dashwood is *Mrs Dashwood*. Her name and status are perfect!
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Danielle, yeah it is supposed to be humid and in the 90s Saturday and I am trying to figure out ride food and how much water I can carry and whether that is enough to get me to the checkpoint and a refill. Oh yes, the chickens are fabulous and taking care of weeds and bugs except the don’t discriminate and will eat good bugs and things that aren’t weeds too! They are very quiet, they make noise but they are not loud. It’s kind of like they are quietly talking to themselves 🙂
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Free-range chicken, what a great idea! Interesting video clip. Wouldn’t it be fun to have a duck pond too? Now of course this from an avid birder. 😉
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Arti, if I had a farm a duck pond would be wonderful. We had to take out the little pond we had built in the garden because it attracted raccoons and they will eat chickens if they can so it had to go.
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Have you taken a photo of the entire coop showing the roof? If you have, I’ve missed it (but I’ve been traveling, so it’s possible).
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Jeanne, yes indeed, last Monday on the holiday: https://somanybooksblog.com/2016/05/30/another-does-of-dashwoods/
The coop still needs paint but we had to get caught up in the garden first.
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When it gets painted, I’d like another photo of the entire structure!
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Oh yes! There is plan for a special paint job. We’ll see if we can actually pull it off!
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I love the Dashwood updates! And their lovely little claws and legs, still so bright yellow and clean. They seem very happy indeed.
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Helen, thanks! Their legs and claws are kind of creepy; they just don;t seem to go with the shiny sleek feathers. But then their eyes are weird too. Always reminds me how closely related to dinosaurs they are!
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Good luck on your race! Hopefully the weather won’t be too horrible for you.
I love these little videos. I would never consider keeping chickens, but I love to watch them explore. It sounds like the whole thing is coming together nicely!
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Michelle, thanks! Glad you like the videos. They are lots of fun to have around.
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The Dashwoods sound like perfect allies in the garden. I was at a birthday party yesterday–sitting with the parents while the kids did the activities–and there were several families talking about how they’re planning to keep chickens. My kids are going to love that (and then they’ll ask me for chickens too… I’m inclined to do it, but Mr. AMB will be a challenge).
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AMB, if only I could train them to eat just the bad bugs and weeds! Bookman wasn’t too keen on the idea of chickens at first but it gradually grew on him and now he likes them quite a lot. So start working on Mr. AMB to prime the pump so to speak 🙂
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