Chickens!

One of the things that my regular readers know is that in moving to Columbus, I was hoping to get a homestead started that would produce food and medicines for my family and for a living. I wanted to grow  veggies, greens, fruit, and herbs as well as raise chickens and bees.

The yard I ended up with will produce quite a bit, and I am sharing the space and the work with my awesome neighbors. Sadly, my chicken dream did not seem like it was going to come to pass- because the yard is not fenced in and very slope-y. I also tried to foist chickens on the community garden that I volunteer for, but that didn't work, either. But magick has a way of manifesting in ways that you could not have expected!

Last week, my neighbor called me in a panic- her parents had acquired a baby chick for her daughter for Easter. Ugh. Living creatures bought on a whim and given to unsuspecting, unprepared people is never a good idea folks! (Well, to be fair- the chicken was not bought. The grandparents said that the strange "fortune teller lady" in their neighborhood had foisted the chicken upon them, insisting that it be given to their granddaughter. This lead to the chick being called "voodoo chicken"  by several observers of the situation.) But my neighbor took the creature in because she knew that she would do a better job of caring for it than her parents. But what to do with this chicken, given our yard?

Quickly, my neighbor reached out to several people and we found that one of her friends has wanted chickens and even built a coop last year, only to be saddened that she missed the timing for getting chicks. She was happy to share in the chicken-ness and provide space and share in the work and eggs. Huzzah! She lives here in the city, has a large fenced-in yard, and as I say- already has a coop. So she gave the green light, and my neighbor went off to the feed store to get more chicks. (They need to be around the same age when introducing them to the others, for best results). Turns out, in Ohio you can only buy chicks in lots of 6. So now there are 7 chicks, all incubating in my neighbor's dining room. Her daughter and my son are charmed by them and have named them.

So it seems that I will have fresh eggs and Rowan will have a chicken experience, after all! I have been pricing beekeeping equipment and keeping an eye out for deals on craigslist- because I want to get all the equipment this year to start a hive. It may not be until next year that I can fill it with actual bees, but it will happen! Fresh honey and beeswax for Boline!