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Quote of the Day: Willa Cather

February 8th, 2015

“There’s no good reason Mrs Shimerda couldn’t have got hens from her neighbours last fall and had a hen-house going by now. I reckon she was confused and didn’t know where to begin. I’ve come strange to a new country myself, but I never forgot hens are a good thing to have, no matter what you don’t have.”.

Willa Cather – My Antonia

chickens 1
chickens 2
bowl of eggs
This is so true, it’s great having hen in the coop laying eggs. If we get snowed in we always have eggs from the coop and potatoes from the root cellar.

Do you have chickens? Would you like to have chickens?

7 Comments to “Quote of the Day: Willa Cather”
  1. kristin @ going country on February 8, 2015 at 9:38 am

    We had chickens. They were impossible to confine at all, though, which meant they were eating my garden. So we, uh, ate them.

    I’m actively resisting any animals at the moment, because I have too much to deal with in my house and don’t want to add on livestock care when I’m the only one home during the day. But we will probably get some meat chickens this spring. I can deal with animal care a lot easier in the summer, and then they’d be in our freezer by the time the difficult weather returns. We can get good eggs from the Mennonite farm for two bucks a dozen, but there is nowhere to get reasonably-priced good chickens. For that, we have to DIY it.

    Reply to kristin @ going country's comment

  2. DebbieB on February 8, 2015 at 10:34 am

    SIGH. Yes, I would love to have chickens. Zoning in my neighborhood says NO LIVESTOCK OR FOWL… but you can have dogs that bark all day and all night, motorcycles with no muffler, and play your music as loud as you want.

    People.

    Reply to DebbieB's comment

  3. Nebraska Dave on February 8, 2015 at 10:37 am

    Susy, no and no. My animal days are over. It ties down the freedom of being able to at a moments notice be able leave for hours or days if needed. It’s the freedom that I have that generates calls from people in need that I thrive on. Day or night I can leave without the responsibility of animal care to think about. I’ve mentioned before that my animals live in the wild and take care of themselves. I can enjoy them at a distance and not have to worry about how they will survive. Birds, groundhogs, deer, wild turkeys, rabbits, feral cats, squirrels, and even a snake or two are just a few of the entertaining animals I can enjoy while gardening, resting on the poor man’s patio, or taking a break at Terra Nova Gardens. It doesn’t seem possible that we can all live in harmony but I’m still trying to make it happen. So here’s to season four with Terra Nova Gardens, Urban Ranch, and 35th Street Corner gardening.

    Have a great chicken egg day.

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

  4. Kristen on February 9, 2015 at 12:02 am

    I do have chickens. Although I am tempted to kill them when they get in the garden we have worked out a pretty good summer system. We put their coop in a summer location which is farther from the garden. I love checking for eggs and finding treasures in the nesting boxes. Kristin – I love that you can get good eggs for $2 a dozen. My son likes to feed them and then watch them. He calls it “chicken tv”.

    Reply to Kristen's comment

    • Susy on February 9, 2015 at 8:24 am

      They can be frustrating at times. I surround my garden with a fence during the growing season. The ducks and guineas are allowed in the garden because they don’t really eat too much of the crops.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  5. Nikala on February 9, 2015 at 1:19 am

    Yes, I have 15 hens, 2 roosters, and 20 more chicks coming in April. I LOVE my chickens! They are 100% free range and can be found in the calving sheds, eating the corn that came out the door of the granary, cleaning up the cows feeder after they’re gone, and making holes wherever else they desire to!

    Reply to Nikala's comment

  6. Mich on February 9, 2015 at 12:28 pm

    I have some hybrid laying hens which have laid like troopers since I purchased them last spring.
    Can’t beat really fresh eggs, my girls & their house are surrounded by electric fencing in summer months, they are currently residing indoors for the winter. Fresh greens everyday so the eggs keep coming. :)

    Reply to Mich's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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