{"id":859,"date":"2010-04-19T10:01:12","date_gmt":"2010-04-19T17:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/?p=859"},"modified":"2010-10-20T03:54:15","modified_gmt":"2010-10-20T10:54:15","slug":"tis-the-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/?p=859","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Tis the season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\">It&#8217;s that time of year.\u00a0 When the chickens&#8217; desire to procreate overrides their desire to provide me with fresh eggs for market.\u00a0 The entire 4 acres of our farm becomes the battleground for a strategic game of\u00a0 chicken-hide-and-farmer-seek.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Bad chicken.\u00a0 This is not the nest box.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1690.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-860     aligncenter\" title=\"egg next to a log\" src=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1690-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1690-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1690-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><!--more--><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Neither is this.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1688.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-861   aligncenter\" title=\"eggs under cedar tree\" src=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1688-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1688-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1688-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">There are varying skill levels of the participants in this game.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Beginner:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1705.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-862 aligncenter\" title=\"egg in feed trough\" src=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1705-e1271288561322-300x191.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"191\" srcset=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1705-e1271288561322-300x191.jpg 300w, http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1705-e1271288561322-1024x652.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Advanced:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1696.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-863 aligncenter\" title=\"eggs in seashell mulch\" src=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1696-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1696-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1696-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">I probably wouldn&#8217;t have found the white egg tucked in the seashell mulch.\u00a0 But the hen who laid the brown egg gave both of them away.\u00a0 Why is it that no matter how carefully you choose your friends you always end up with a tag-a-long like her?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">(Huh?\u00a0 What is seashell mulch?\u00a0 Well, when you have 4 kids and take frequent trips to the beach you have to do something with their beachcombing collection.\u00a0 You didn&#8217;t want <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">another<\/span> seashell angel ornament for Christmas, did you?)<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">This would be cute if they hadn&#8217;t killed two of my Double Red Ruffled Tulips in the process.\u00a0 Somechicky owes me $5.00.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1686.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-864\" title=\"eggs in tulip pot\" src=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1686-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1686-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1686-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">This would be clever if they didn&#8217;t try hiding eggs under the generator every single year.\u00a0 It worked well for the first year until a\u00a0 hen started clucking loudly from underneath the cover.\u00a0 Since it sounded so much like the joyful and boastful clucking that accompanies a freshly laid egg, I went to investigate and discovered a clutch of 37 eggs.\u00a0 Which I quickly confiscated.\u00a0 Pride goeth before a fall, ladies.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1687.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-865\" title=\"eggs under generator\" src=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1687-e1271290233924-300x203.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" srcset=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1687-e1271290233924-300x203.jpg 300w, http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1687-e1271290233924-1024x694.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">This egg was on top of a round hay bale in the goat barn, just a few inches from the ceiling.\u00a0 You couldn&#8217;t even see the depression of the nest from the floor of the barn.\u00a0 Luckily, Pretty and Big were climbing the bales and discovered it.\u00a0 I have spies everywhere, my little chicken friends.\u00a0 Everywhere.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1700.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-866\" title=\"egg on top of round bale\" src=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1700-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1700-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1700-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">I&#8217;m not afraid to reach in between the slats of a pallet to retrieve eggs.\u00a0 Even though there could be snakes or black widow spiders hiding out of sight, ready to\u00a0 seal my doom with their venomous bites.\u00a0 I&#8217;m not afraid, I&#8217;m not afraid, I&#8217;m not afraid&#8230;&#8230;on second thought, I&#8217;m sure my hand is too big to fit in there.\u00a0 I wonder where the kids are&#8230;&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1672.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-867\" title=\"eggs under pallet\" src=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1672-e1271291630480-300x254.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"254\" srcset=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1672-e1271291630480-300x254.jpg 300w, http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1672-e1271291630480-1024x869.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">The hay rack is a favorite spot.\u00a0 All the popular girls are doing it there.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1699.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-868\" title=\"eggs in hay rack\" src=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1699-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1699-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1699-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">One hen risks death and destruction to lay her egg in the sandbox each day.\u00a0 In the backyard.\u00a0 Where the dogs are.\u00a0 I assume she sneaks over the fence in the gray early morning dawn before I have dragged the dogs off the kids&#8217; bedroom floor and put them outside to do their business.\u00a0 I also assume that I will eventually be sitting in the window seat, sipping coffee, hoping for a quiet day, and see the dogs having chicken for breakfast.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1714.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-869\" title=\"egg in sandbox\" src=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1714-e1271292643137-300x233.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1714-e1271292643137-300x233.jpg 300w, http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1714-e1271292643137-1024x797.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">I&#8217;m not sure what this hiding place says about me and the chickens.\u00a0 Are the <em>chickens<\/em> so stupid that they think I won&#8217;t find their eggs <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">next<\/span> to the nest box?\u00a0 Or do the chickens think<em> I&#8217;m<\/em> so stupid that I won&#8217;t notice them there.\u00a0 Hard to say.\u00a0 But I do hear them chuckling sometimes when my back is turned.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1693.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-870 aligncenter\" title=\"eggs next to nest boxes\" src=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1693-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1693-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1693-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">P.S.\u00a0 You&#8217;ll notice that there are some wooden eggs in the nest boxes. \u00a0 Farmers use fake eggs to show the chickens where to lay and encourage them to lay in the nest boxes instead of other places on the farm.\u00a0 It works.\u00a0 Usually.\u00a0 Sometimes.\u00a0 Well, unless they find a place they like better.\u00a0 Or if they hate you.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">In the end, I gathered 31 eggs from 36 hens yesterday.\u00a0 Not too shabby.\u00a0 Better bring your A game, girls.\u00a0\u00a0 Because I&#8217;m&#8230;oh no.\u00a0 Look at that.\u00a0 Bruno!\u00a0 How could you let them do that to you?\u00a0 Bad chickens!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1709.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-877\" title=\"eggs on Bruno\" src=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1709-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1709-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/DSCN1709-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s that time of year.\u00a0 When the chickens&#8217; desire to procreate overrides their desire to provide me with fresh eggs for market.\u00a0 The entire 4 acres of our farm becomes the battleground for a strategic game of\u00a0 chicken-hide-and-farmer-seek. Bad chicken.\u00a0 This is not the nest box.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[8,16],"class_list":["post-859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-chickens","tag-eggs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=859"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1549,"href":"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859\/revisions\/1549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}