- 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 (547)
- Cooking-Roasting Tips (18)
- Happiness (127)
- How Things Grow (500)
- Purchasing Chickens (5)
- Raising Chicks (138)
- Recipes (19)
- Reflections (407)
-
Recent Posts
- Enjoy Them Today March 21, 2020
- The Snow Geese Migration Is On March 18, 2020
- The World is Curvy March 7, 2020
- Little Known Connections – Japanese Curry and Vermont March 4, 2020
- Hello Again March 1, 2020
- Edison Chicken Parade 2020 February 24, 2020
- Apple Aged February 15, 2020
- Swan Heaven February 8, 2020
- Winter’s Last Day February 3, 2020
- Take a Shower for Six Months February 2, 2020
- How Does a Trumpeter Swan Wash Its Face? January 26, 2020
- Mystery Solved January 19, 2020
- One Last Wintery Dawn January 18, 2020
- Winter Interlude January 14, 2020
- Worries Away January 11, 2020
- A Mystery Rose January 3, 2020
- An Auspicious Start January 2, 2020
- December Blue and Green December 29, 2019
- Frosty December 28, 2019
- Too Wet for the Ducks December 22, 2019
- For Mid-December It May as Well Be a Sunny Day December 17, 2019
- OK, Boomer December 15, 2019
- Know Your Body – Know Your Feathers December 8, 2019
- Chaos Must Work December 1, 2019
- Not Ready to Grow Up November 26, 2019
- All Together Now November 16, 2019
- (no title) November 15, 2019
- All the Leaves are Gone November 5, 2019
- Indigo Fall October 29, 2019
- Snow Geese and the Last Dandelion October 23, 2019
- Autumn is Just as Colorful as Spring October 18, 2019
- First Frost October 9, 2019
- How Did I Get So Lucky? October 8, 2019
- Who Eats Apples? October 6, 2019
- October Sky October 1, 2019
- Still Alive September 27, 2019
- One of the Best! Or Not September 26, 2019
- What You Don’t Know May Kill You September 25, 2019
- Change Is Coming September 23, 2019
- Learning to Share September 21, 2019
- Barefoot Gardening September 15, 2019
- No Remorse September 9, 2019
- September or May? September 5, 2019
- Summer’s Waning Days August 29, 2019
- Life Without Rhubarb is No Life At All August 21, 2019
- All the Good There Is August 17, 2019
- Luxury of a Cool Summer August 10, 2019
- Home Sweet Home August 5, 2019
- Too Far to Go August 1, 2019
- We Will Not Be Moved July 28, 2019
Recent Comments
Ingrid Hinton on The Snow Geese Migration Is On amanandhishoe on Edison Chicken Parade 2020 Marcia Burns on Edison Chicken Parade 2020 Shirley Clift on How Does a Trumpeter Swan Wash… Ingrid Hinton on A Mystery Rose Archives
- March 2020 (5)
- 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: January 2015
Curious Chickens
Chickens are as curious as cats which are as curious as dogs which are as curious as ? Curiosity is universal. Researchers have identified many parts of the brain such as the anterior cortices, the striatum, the hippocampus and dentate … Continue reading
Our Solar System Goes Live
On a frosty morning, the new solar system looks like a piece of art. This morning, the installers put in the production meter to tie the system to our electric system. With sunlight streaming down, I watched our meter stop … Continue reading
Posted in Reflections
Leave a comment
Only Here
No matter where you are, there is something that happens or exists only there. For starters, wherever you are, it’s the only place someone can find you. Today is egg delivery day, and as I pedal through the valley to … Continue reading
Pygmy Tragedy
Bicycling home from an errand today, I came upon a pygmy tragedy on the side of the road. A northern pygmy owl lay dead. Not too long ago a vehicle hit it, and it died. It’s very sad, but the … Continue reading
The Seasons Change
On a warm, sunny day like today, winter already seems like a memory. I must keep in mind that the last frost date here is around April 15, so there is always a chance for a cold spell or two. … Continue reading
Posted in Reflections
2 Comments
Chickens Can Solve Problems Too
It’s breakfast time and the chickens are crowding around the feeders. Instead of huddling with the other chickens around the feeder, this hen has learned that she can have the whole feeder to herself by flying to the top of … Continue reading
Posted in About My Chickens
Leave a comment
Having a Dog Is Like Being Married
You can be married to someone for a long time and still learn something new about them. It’s no different with a dog. We’ve had BB for nine years, and I had no idea he liked squash. I guess I … Continue reading
Posted in Happiness
Leave a comment
Two Faces
No matter how many chickens you look at, each one has a unique face. Missa above has a short comb which leans to the right side of her head. She has a cream colored beak, and compact wattles. Nancy has … Continue reading
Up It Goes
The crew came this morning to finish installing the solar panels on the roof of the garage. By mid afternoon, all the panels were installed. The next step is for the state to inspect and approve the installation. After that, … Continue reading
Posted in Reflections
1 Comment
City Greens and the Pursuit of Freshness
You don’t have to live in the country on acreage to enjoy fresh greens. It doesn’t take a lot of space to grow vegetables. We were in Seattle yesterday to enjoy one last meal at The Kingfish Cafe with a … Continue reading
Posted in Reflections
Leave a comment
Just Ask
Some of the chickens, Lucky especially, aren’t as shy as I am. If she wants something, she doesn’t hesitate to ask. This afternoon, she wanted her supper hand carried to her. After raising a clutch of well adjusted chicks this … Continue reading
Posted in About My Chickens
Leave a comment
More Signs of Spring
With the unseasonably warm weather and increasing length of the days, it’s impossible to step outside and not see new signs of spring each day. Daffodils are popping up and sweet daphne buds are bulging. It feels more like mid-February … Continue reading
Posted in Reflections
Leave a comment
The Law of Beauty
Deep in the woods, an alder has died. The mushrooms and mosses and ferns have moved in and are devouring it. But, even as they slowly turn the tree into dirt, they assiduously follow the law of beauty, one of … Continue reading
The Delicious Warmth of Eggs
What no one prepared me for was how warm fresh eggs are. The first time I picked up a just laid egg, what charmed me most was how warm it was. The internal temperature of a hen is between 105º … Continue reading
Common Things Can Be Amazing
In late fall, the Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella) caterpillars, called Woolly Bears, are crawling over everything. There are thousands of them just here. Yesterday, I noticed one crawling about already. I never knew how amazing these caterpillars were until … Continue reading
Beauty and Her Egg
After a short winter, Svenda is back to laying eggs. She is a hen with class. She’s the kind of hen you’d expect to find shopping at Dior. Just like the runway models, she knows how to stare without cracking … Continue reading
Posted in About My Chickens
Leave a comment
Solar Power Is Coming to A Man and His Hoe®
The crew from Banner Power Solutions began work yesterday on installing a solar power system on the garage. By next month we should be generating electricity and reducing our carbon footprint. They will be using solar panels made by Itek … Continue reading
Posted in Reflections
1 Comment
Everyone Deserves a Little Love
Everyone deserves a little love, even Billy, our old rooster. He’s reluctant to go to bed through the main entrance of the chicken house because the younger roosters bully him. So my kind husband let’s him sneak into the coop … Continue reading
Posted in About My Chickens
1 Comment
One Last Meal
A common practice when butchering chickens is to not let them eat any food for twelve hours to a full day before you butcher them. The reasoning is that you want their digestive system to be clear of food when … Continue reading
Posted in About My Chickens
4 Comments
You Never See This on a Regular Egg Farm
This two and a half month old chick waits patiently while its mother takes time to lay an egg. Some young chicks have a hard time growing up and leaving their mother’s side. This chick is one of the lucky … Continue reading
Posted in About My Chickens
2 Comments
