- Every chick deserves a mother: one man’s crazy dream for how chickens deserve to be raised.
Follow "A Man and His Hoe" via Email
Sections
- About My Chickens (563)
- Cooking-Roasting Tips (18)
- Happiness (127)
- How Things Grow (507)
- Purchasing Chickens (5)
- Raising Chicks (138)
- Recipes (19)
- Reflections (448)
-
Recent Posts
- Red Sky at Dawn and Dusk January 20, 2021
- More Marvelous Than Fairy Tales January 18, 2021
- Red Dawn January 14, 2021
- Is It Still Winter? January 12, 2021
- Winter Skies January 4, 2021
- Happy New Year! January 1, 2021
- Stories Untold December 28, 2020
- Blink and You’ve Missed It December 22, 2020
- Chatty Mud Birds December 20, 2020
- Getting the Mail December 10, 2020
- Soothing is Good December 5, 2020
- When Life Returns to Normal, I’ll Miss Blue Skies December 1, 2020
- Blue Skies in November November 21, 2020
- Sunshine Is Just Beyond the Clouds November 17, 2020
- Winter Returns to the Hills November 14, 2020
- A Squirrel’s Fate November 8, 2020
- November at Last November 3, 2020
- November 1 and No Swans November 1, 2020
- First Frost October 23, 2020
- Too Wet to Burn October 18, 2020
- Eyes Wide Shut October 13, 2020
- The End of Flowers October 11, 2020
- 20201010 October 10, 2020
- Am I Growing the Wrong Grapes? October 6, 2020
- Fog and Less Fog October 5, 2020
- First Blush of Fall September 29, 2020
- A Perfect Fall Day September 27, 2020
- Blue Sky to Rain to Shaggy Parasol September 26, 2020
- Six Short Weeks September 24, 2020
- 317 Days for a Miracle September 23, 2020
- We Can Breathe Again September 22, 2020
- You Can’t Help But Be Sad September 13, 2020
- Duck Serenity September 6, 2020
- August is Coming to an End August 28, 2020
- It’s Easier with Another August 21, 2020
- Hottest Day of the Year August 16, 2020
- Morning Surprise August 12, 2020
- After the Rains August 8, 2020
- An August Morning August 2, 2020
- August Evening August 1, 2020
- When You Are Insane July 21, 2020
- Summer Is Here July 18, 2020
- It Blooms, It Dies July 15, 2020
- A Cool Start to Summer July 7, 2020
- Each Flower Has Its Own Strategy June 29, 2020
- Disaster Averted June 19, 2020
- Cool, Wet June June 10, 2020
- The End of May May 31, 2020
- Newer, Bigger, Better May 22, 2020
- Summer in May May 13, 2020
Recent Comments
amanandhishoe on November 1 and No Swans audreyinsaza on November 1 and No Swans Katrina on Winter Skies Palm Tree on Happy New Year! Katrina on Getting the Mail Archives
- January 2021 (6)
- December 2020 (6)
- November 2020 (6)
- October 2020 (7)
- September 2020 (8)
- August 2020 (7)
- July 2020 (4)
- June 2020 (3)
- May 2020 (4)
- April 2020 (4)
- March 2020 (6)
- February 2020 (5)
- January 2020 (7)
- December 2019 (7)
- November 2019 (4)
- October 2019 (7)
- September 2019 (8)
- August 2019 (6)
- July 2019 (6)
- June 2019 (7)
- May 2019 (5)
- April 2019 (9)
- March 2019 (8)
- February 2019 (13)
- January 2019 (15)
- December 2018 (10)
- November 2018 (9)
- October 2018 (13)
- September 2018 (8)
- August 2018 (9)
- July 2018 (8)
- June 2018 (8)
- May 2018 (8)
- April 2018 (10)
- March 2018 (9)
- February 2018 (8)
- January 2018 (9)
- December 2017 (10)
- November 2017 (10)
- October 2017 (17)
- September 2017 (12)
- August 2017 (11)
- July 2017 (8)
- June 2017 (11)
- May 2017 (10)
- April 2017 (12)
- March 2017 (11)
- February 2017 (11)
- January 2017 (15)
- December 2016 (20)
- November 2016 (15)
- October 2016 (14)
- September 2016 (17)
- August 2016 (20)
- July 2016 (20)
- June 2016 (23)
- May 2016 (19)
- April 2016 (19)
- March 2016 (24)
- February 2016 (22)
- January 2016 (24)
- December 2015 (19)
- November 2015 (19)
- October 2015 (24)
- September 2015 (22)
- August 2015 (26)
- July 2015 (26)
- June 2015 (23)
- May 2015 (30)
- April 2015 (35)
- March 2015 (36)
- February 2015 (31)
- January 2015 (35)
- December 2014 (31)
- November 2014 (34)
- October 2014 (37)
- September 2014 (35)
- August 2014 (52)
- July 2014 (54)
- June 2014 (50)
- May 2014 (67)
- April 2014 (55)
- March 2014 (34)
- February 2014 (23)
- January 2014 (33)
- December 2013 (20)
- November 2013 (3)
Monthly Archives: September 2014
Potatoes Draw a Crowd
While cleaning some freshly dug potatoes, I tossed a few handfuls of the rejects on the grass. It took just a few seconds to draw a crowd of chickens. Even Lucky and her little ones came running.
Duckweed Smörgåsbord
Lucky spotted me scooping duckweed out of the pond for the chickens. She’s come running to give her chicks a treat. All the chickens go nuts for fresh duckweed. Not only do they like the fresh green duckweed, they scratch … Continue reading
Posted in About My Chickens, Raising Chicks
2 Comments
Fall Harvest
This year, the Asian Pear tree is loaded with fruit. Peeled and sliced, I love how juicy and crunchy they are. A fresh crop of Ruby Streaks are on their way. They love the cooler weather. The white Tennouji Kabura … Continue reading
Posted in How Things Grow
Leave a comment
Fall Mornings Start Misty
Fall mornings often start misty. These cool, damp mornings smell so fresh. I’m not the only one who enjoys the cool, moist air. The clover along the garden path soaks in the fresh water drops. The mist soothes the drying … Continue reading
Book Review – The Edge of the Sky by Roberto Trotta
In The Edge of the Sky, astrophysicist Roberto Trotta, explains the origin of the universe using only the most 1,000 common words in English. His idea is to explain difficult concepts as simply as possible. It’s an interesting book, and … Continue reading
Posted in Reflections
Leave a comment
Hazel
Hazel is one of the more distinctive hens here at a man and his hoe®. Her character is as remarkable as her striking looks. She is a Turken chicken. She’s outgoing, friendly and cheerful. Seeing her come my way, always … Continue reading
Grapes and Raking Leaves
It’s the season for raking leaves. From now through October, piles and piles and piles of leaves to rake. Leaves to compost. Leaves to blanket the garlic beds. Leaves to run through. It’s also the season for grapes, a chicken’s … Continue reading
Safe with Mother
On a rainy day, the best place to be is indoors, looking outside from underneath a mother’s warm feathers. Below, it’s time for a short, afternoon nap. You’d never guess Lucky has her five chicks tucked underneath her. Out they … Continue reading
Posted in About My Chickens, Raising Chicks
Leave a comment
Out of the Garden Today – September 23, 2014
We had company for lunch today. How often do you get to visit someone and enjoy a salad made from salad greens that were just picked? It’s a pleasure to be able to serve such fresh food to our guests. … Continue reading
What Is That Sweet Scent?
Recently, whenever I am out in the vegetable beds, the sweet scent of a mysterious flower floats through the air. The past few days I’ve wondered what is blooming. Today I found out. It is the popcorn I planted. The … Continue reading
A Long Neck is Good to Have
Watching chickens preen makes me want to have a neck that can stretch like theirs. The only spot they can’t reach are the tops of their heads. To scratch an itch on their heads, they need to use their feet. … Continue reading
Only a Mother
Only a mother can provide the warmth and security a little chick craves. I was aware that hens have a variety of calls to instruct their chicks. There is the sound they make when they have found food. Another for … Continue reading
Posted in Raising Chicks
Leave a comment
Lucky Takes a Break
Being a mother hen is a twenty-four hour job. It’s mid afternoon and it’s time for a break. Some of her chicks are taking a warm nap under her, while others still scamper about. Her chicks may nap during the … Continue reading
Posted in Raising Chicks
Leave a comment
Out in the Field Today – September 19, 2014
Every trip into the vegetable beds is a voyage of discovery. You don’t have to look far to find beauty. Mother nature can’t touch a single square foot of land without leaving behind breathtaking splendor. I had a laugh today … Continue reading
Posted in How Things Grow
Leave a comment
On an Early Fall Day
It’s gradually becoming the cool, wet time of the year. For Lucky and her chicks, it means having a big breakfast before spending the day outdoors in the cool, drizzly weather. In the village, the last flowers of summer are … Continue reading
Posted in Raising Chicks, Reflections
Leave a comment
Lucky and Her Two Day Old Chicks
After just two days, Lucky has taken her chicks outdoors to enjoy life. In the clip below, you can see how little chicks bury under their mother when they want some warmth. During the day she takes them further and … Continue reading
Tree Trimmers
Near the post office is this long row of fifty or so trimmed poplar trees. Whoever trims them must spend a lot of time trimming them as they are always trimmed. Only, it turns out that it’s not a person … Continue reading
She Did It!
Lucky’s eggs hatched. After watching hens hatch eggs for five years, you’d think it would be no big deal. But each hatching is wonderful. And Lucky is a very special hen. As a tiny chick, she had an unfortunate accident … Continue reading
Carnivores
Not exactly tyrannosaurs, but fearsome creatures nevertheless if you’re a field mouse, the chickens have found a bone one of the dogs buried. With a bone, a flock of fifty chickens can attack it like a school of piranhas. Well, … Continue reading
It Has to be Picked Today – Edamame
I watched a program on TV Japan called “Tameshite Gatten” which each week, looks at something people use all the time, and takes an hour to thoroughly explain it. This evening they were covering fresh soybeans, which are usually boiled … Continue reading
