Chicken story number 3 or is it 4?

Since we don’t have any other livestock besides chickens, and the occasional bum lamb, I find I tend to write more about my chickens. I think that is because I spend more time watching them and paying attention to what they are doing rather than just letting them be chickens. 

The irrigation water came into the ditch a couple of weeks ago. Angie has been pushing it to get as far as she can before they tell us there isn’t anymore. We were told it would probably only last a short time. The day that it was supposed to end, she turned the water down and we got the orchard, the grapes, the chokecherries all watered, then we put the dam down lower to turn it around the back of the house where the lilacs and tree row is. That is our northwest windbreak. 

Apparently, there were two chickens out in the field, which isn’t unusual, when the pulled the dam by the orchard to let the water on down to the lilac ditch. I hadn’t really noticed them because they wander all over the place. Towards evening though, I went out to feed Ralph the lamb and noticed 2 hens on the other side of the ditch. They weren’t feeding or scratching, they were walking back and forth looking very confused and lost. I assumed that they went over into the field when there was no water in the ditch, and when they got ready to come back, they found the ditch to be full of water. 

It was drizzling rain, too, which I could tell they were quite unhappy about. All they wanted to do was get back to the run/coop where they would be dry and able to go to roost. But alas… that water was a roadblock. 

I went, called them a little, but chickens are chickens and mine rarely come when called. Finally, I called Angie. She rode the 4-wheeler up and ran out across the field in her irrigating boots to scare the chickens. They both immediately flew over the ditch and trundled off towards the chicken house. 

Later when I shut them up all hens were accounted for. I could tell the two that were out in the field, because they were quite bedraggled and droopy looking. Each one was fine the next morning though, no one caught cold and everyone was totally happy. I haven’t seen any of them out in the field since that day though. 

Cranberry Muffins

3 cups flour, all purpose, a mixture of all purpose and whole wheat, or gluten free flour 

4 tablespoons sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt 

1/3 cup oil

1 egg, beaten

1 ¼ cup milk

½ cup dried, canned or cooked cranberries or cranberry sauce

Preheat oven to 400º. Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl, combine oil, egg, and milk in a separate bowl and mix well, then mix the wet ingredients into the dry just until dry ingredients are moistened, there should be lumps. Gently stir in whatever cranberry form you decided on. Bake in greased muffin tin for 20 minutes.