May 28, 2010

the Chicken Revolt

The chickens are on my naughty list.

They have eaten our tomatoes,
decimated our strawberries,
destroyed the garlic bed,

and I forgave them...

But what they did Wednesday morning,
was crossing the line.

It all began with my brilliant idea to try the
"Three Sisters Method"
when planting our sweet corn this year.
Provided it actually works, I'll elaborate more on that
later; for now it suffices to say - it is an Indian method
that involves planting your corn, beans, and squash
together - in a way that benefits all three.

The first step involves making 18 inch mounds...
Precisely five feet apart.
After making 11 of them Tuesday night,
(a whopping 1/3 of the goal)
it dawned on me why it was a tribal custom.
I was wondering where my tribe was....

Well,
predictably, the chickens broke in at the crack of dawn,
and destroyed, and devoured,
every last mound and kernel of corn.

I considered tarring and de-feathering them all.

I used to like chickens,
but after my special pet chicken
-Anna Magdalena Bach-
died this past Winter,
the bond was weakened.

So, our chickens will likely be losing many of their
freedoms in the coming days.
Wednesday was spent replanting and
building a fence of protection
around my corn mounds,
but I feel it is time for our plants to experience liberty.
Gardening - free from fear of scratching claws,
pecking beaks, and diabolical birds in general.

Hope.


5 comments:

Rebecca F. said...

Ah, Kate!! What sorrow, and yet what great humor you find in it all! I especially liked your idea of "tarring and de-feathering" them.

Blessings on your corn, squash and beans.
Love, Your Friend,
Rebecca F.

Laura said...

Good Morning, Miss Kate!
Oh dear...you weren't kidding when you wrote that you had a "naughty chicken" post! I almost expected to read that you had fried chicken for dinner! I can't imagine putting all that work into your garden...to have that happen! I will definitely take pictures today and share our portable pen idea...maybe that will give you some ideas.
God bless,
Mrs. Laura

Kate said...

Thank you so much Mrs. Laura!
We're looking forward to seeing it!!

Tarissa said...

Hi Kate!
Thanks for stopping by my new blog. I was pleasantly surprised to see your comment!
(I haven't been able to post on my old blog, and that is the reason I'm moving to Blogspot.)

Great post about your chickens - I enjoying reading it! Hope they haven't gotten into any more trouble since then. :-)

Blessings!
~ Tarissa

Jill said...

I have always wanted to try the three sisters method, myself. Let me know how it works.

The sparrows have had a feast on my garden during our vacation. I have planted twice now, and they have reaped the benefits!

~Jill