A Rather Fowl Day!

There are several varieties of domestic critters who call the 7 Acre Wood home. One of the more interesting is our little flock of chickens. I’ve written about these chickens before. I find them quite fascinating. They spend their days wandering all over eating bugs and scratching up the flower beds. They take sand baths (which I can relate to) and love mud (which I also can relate to). They lay eggs (which I like!). But not always where they’re supposed to, so we have Easter Egg Hunts every day. They have a chicken coop that they are supposed to sleep in at night so they won’t get eaten by raccoons, but some of them prefer sleeping in the trees. Even in the rain and snow!! I have spent a lot of time studying our chickens and can’t decide if they are really dumb or really smart. We can all be out enjoying a nice day in the yard and POOF! the chickens have disappeared! One minute they’re there scratching around, the next they’re gone! Under the bushes. Then I realize a big vulture or hawk has flown over. If nothing else, the chickens are entertaining.

Now I tell you all this because I have a couple of outstanding chicken books to share with you!

The Problem With Chickens is by Bruce McMillan and illustrated by Gunnella. It was published in 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Co. It’s a story that takes place in Iceland where the illustrator is from and the author has spent summers. In a small village the ladies would collect eggs from some wild birds that live on cliffs. But it was very difficult to get these eggs so the ladies traveled to the city and got some chickens. Everybody was very happy for awhile – until the chickens started acting like the ladies! The pictures of the chickens doing what the ladies do are hilarious!! Silly chickens! And then the chickens stopped laying eggs! Now I’m not going to tell you how the ladies solved this problem! You’ll have to read the book to find out! But trust me — you will like this whimsical book! It is a funny, thought provoking read. And tells you a lot about chickens!

Big Chickens is by Leslie Helakoski and illustrated by Henry Cole. (Mr Cole is responsible for another book I did recently – Unspoken). Big Chickens was published in 2006 by Puffin Books. It is another really funny book! I wonder if it is possible to write a serious book about chickens? This is the story of four BIG hens who are scared out of their coop by a wolf and run into the woods. They encounter several obstacles in the woods that scare them crazy, but they manage to surmount these obstacles and go on their way. It’s a tale of facing your fears and marching ahead. And in the end they prevail. A funny, funny read aloud with silly, silly pictures. And this book also tells you a lot about chickens!

So the next time you’re out hunting or shopping for eggs, give some thought to those strange creatures that laid those eggs.

Here is a link to some pretty good chicken jokes (if you are so inclined) – click HERE.

And a little musical entertainment –

Have a nice day!
Rhythm