The Great Chicken Mystery of 2017-2018

I don't write about them much but the Pauley chicken girls are still racing around the backyard and providing us with a lot of company when we are out there.  They are pretty friendly and super food oriented so if you go out the backdoor and yell "come here my little chicken girls!" they come running.

Egg production hasn't been what we expected but we've chalked that up to a lot of different factors.  Over the summer two of the girls went broody - which is cute for a day or two until they stop laying and don't leave the next box and insist on laying on everyone else's eggs.  Luckily neither one was aggressive - I've read that some chickens will peck or attack anyone trying to make them leave the next.  My girls would complain and head back to the hen house as soon as they could, but no biting.

After they stopped being broody, egg production picked up a little bit until molting time.  The number of feathers floating around the backyard would briefly give me pause everyday until three live chickens came racing around the corner of the deck to see if I had brought any snacks home with me.  All three molted at different times but we stopped getting as many eggs each day and then the days got shorter as winter set in.  We don't have any artificial light for the chickens so egg production naturally drops off as winter sets in.

The last few months, as the days have been longer and the chicken girls are all healthy, we've gone weeks before we'll find a few eggs in the coop.  We blamed the cold, we gave the chickens pep talks, sometimes I resorted to strongly worded lectures (listen you slacker chicken girls!) and egg production has slightly increased over the last few weeks.  But we definitely haven't been getting eggs every day.  Sometimes there will be three eggs in there and then we'll go a few days with nothing.

Which brings us to today.  Glenn called me as on my way home and said something like "I might have figured out what's happening with the eggs but don't jump to any conclusions."  Today was cold and snowy but the snow wasn't sticking and the yard was a big muddy mess.  The chickens don't mind but we kept the dogs inside to cut down on the mess.  When Glenn got home, he let the dogs out, went to check for eggs and as he opened up the back of the coop, he was greeted by Trigger standing inside the hen house.

Huh.

"Don't jump to any conclusions?"  Yes, we should probably conclude that Trigger has been eating the eggs. 

Mystery solved?  Probably.  We tested it when I got home and with hardly any encouragement, Trigger can squeeze himself through the chicken sized door into the hen house.  Tootsie took a lot more convincing so I think she's off the hook.  Unless she's smart enough to not incriminate herself.  Looking back, every once in a while, I'd find a few tiny bits of egg shell in the nesting boxes and I'd worry that maybe the chickens were eating their own eggs (eww) but the few times that had happened before, it was a bigger mess and they wouldn't eat the whole thing.  I wondered if something small was getting into the hen house and stealing eggs but there aren't many animals out here that wouldn't just try to get the chickens. 

Furthermore, Trigger will eat just about anything.  In the past, we've caught him snacking on raw potatoes, onions and a banana that he pulled off the counter.  He can hear the sound of a chip dropping on to the kitchen floor from rooms away and he also tries to steal the scraps I bring out for the chickens.  Once he gorged on the cat food bag that he found in the garage and then barfed it up all over our bed.  That was a fun day.  AND, his coat has never looked more luxurious.  Or maybe that's only if he's been bathing in eggs, I don't know.

AND we keep finding little bits of wood shavings from the coop inside the house.  This has been happening for a while.  We'd just say man that stuff gets everywhere ha ha ha and never wonder why are the wood shavings from inside the coop INSIDE THE HOUSE and stuck in Trigger's coat?  Huh. 

Bottom line, it's a good thing that Glenn and I don't run a detective shop.  We can solve mysteries but it takes a while and it's helpful if the evidence just sort of presents itself, by standing in the hen house waiting for you to feed it an egg.   To borrow a line from one of my favorite episodes of Law & Order (where clearly I learned NOTHING about detecting, evidence, putting two and two together, etc.) "Girl you are as dumb as a sack of hair."

Kids, if you are reading this, Dad and I are going to brush up on our detective skills by the time you are teenagers.  We'd better get cracking. 

Who me?  It's not dog shaming if said dog as no conscience.  

Birthday bashes for 11 year olds

The Sunday before Will's actual birthday, we invited a few of his friends to meet us for an afternoon of laser tag and cake.  With a March birthday, you can't guarantee nice enough weather for outside parties so laser tag was just about our only option.  Will and a handful of boys from his class plus some friends from sports and his sister AND his cousins joined in the fun.  

A few weeks before the party, Will told me he wanted a cake from the grocery store.  Perhaps my hysterical sobbing frightened him into changing his mind.  Okay, I didn't sob but my "REALLY?  You want a grocery store cake?  Well maybe next year when you want to go to a Broncos game, you can see if the GROCERY STORE wants to take you" response helped him change his mind. He found a video online of someone cupcakes and filling them with sprinkles, which I was happy to whip up.  We didn't have many leftovers so I think it was a hit.  

Baby Boy Cousin thoroughly enjoying a sprinkle-filled cupcake.  

No one paying attention to the lady with the camera except the toddler.  

Getting ready to blow out the trick candles.  I guess I've used these too many times before because the birthday boy caught on pretty quickly.  

Cake and ice cream and 11 yr old humor.  

Yes, someone definitely liked his cupcake.  

A shot of the whole gang courtesy of the party co-host aunt. 

A rare sighting of the Bronco Baby Mom and the birthday boy together.  

Preschool cousin liked hers too!  

Another birthday party in the books.  Next up, Glenn's birthday!  I hope he picks a movie party instead. 

A letter to the birthday boy

Dear Will:

Today you are 11.  Eleven!  Officially tween-dom around here and I still can't wrap my mind around that.  You were bummed earlier in the year when you discovered that your birthday would land on a Monday but I hope we made the best of it for you.  Your party was yesterday and I'll post more picture of that later.  You invited a few friends, a sister and her friend and little cousins to play laser tag and have pizza.  Much fun ensued but let's get back to your official birthday.

You woke up this morning when it was still dark but you watched ESPN and waited patiently for us to get up and going.  Once everyone was in the kitchen, you opened presents including a Larry Nance Jr jersey (that you wore all day), headphones for the Xbox, a mini basketball hoop and basketball, a sweatshirt and  a "church" shirt (that your sister picked out and you actually liked it!) and some stuff that's arriving tomorrow in the mail (Legos).  From grandparents and aunts and uncles, you got a lot of giftcards, a jacket and cash that you already have big plans for.

Early morning big birthday smiles and new jerseys. 

Will, it's harder for me to write these letters when I know you can read what I'm writing in just a few clicks.  You don't like sappy, so I'll try to contain myself.  Kid, you have a delightful sense of humor.  As you get older, there are more things that I think are funny that you also think are funny but you are also still susceptible to potty humor every now and then.  Your sarcasm is coming along nicely as well, okay I really shouldn't type that but it's true.

You were bored while we were shopping and created your own entertainment.  

Sports are still a big part of your day.  Which one is your favorite?  Well, what season is it?  On these nice March days, we find you outside shooting baskets (sometimes with your sister) or throwing a baseball around.  The bad weather just moves the game inside and my rule of 'no bouncing the basketball in the house' was long ago forgotten, especially since we just installed your mini hoop in the hallway.  Football is still high on your list along with shooting sports and maybe even a little golf.  You watch highlights, re-runs of old games, draft analysts and whatever else happens to be on.

Yes, it's a sideways picture.  But it's also a picture of siblings shooting hoops.  

Will, your dad and I are so proud of who you are growing up to be.  We have our moments of course, but you are a good kid.  You were proud to start Communion at church, you are kind to your cousins.  Preschool cousin still wants to marry you, by the way.  You take good care of the pets.  I think Tootsie will want to go to college with you.  You and your sister can find amazing things to fight about, but when you need someone to play balloon volleyball with in the living room with all of the breakable knick-knacks, she's right there.  You are still a voracious reader and you work (somewhat) hard at school.  You have a big group of friends and I think that will carry with you for the rest of your life.

Happy birthday big kid.  I hope 11 is full of game-winning shots and lots of adventures. 

Taken at the doctor's office last week but still a sweet smile.  

Will's First Communion

Today Will took Communion at church for the first time.  I didn't get any pictures because I wasn't sure he was going to make it to church until five minutes before we headed out.  He has one of his bad coughs brought on by slightly warm weather and then cold weather and not enough jacket-wearing AND a Friday night sleepover where little sleep actually happened.  So Will's a bit under the weather but that brings us to Sunday morning.  

Even though I didn't get any pictures, for the record, Will was wearing a nice polo shirt and khaki pants that are actually blue.  So blue slacks basically.  He looked droopy but sharp.  At the church we attend, fifth graders take a separate communion class for a few weeks and then next year, he'll go through confirmation.  So there wasn't a lot of fanfare today, but it was special for our family. 

Since we didn't get any photos, Reina drew this picture of me when we sat back down after communion.  I don't know why I don't have arms but the rest of the picture is pretty accurate, including my omnipresent bun.   

Sunday doodles

I carry a notebook in my purse that I plan to use for lists and notes and grown-up things.  In reality, it's only used by the kids when we go to a restaurant and I don't want them to go stir crazy in the 10 minutes before our food arrives or for Sundays when we are at church and I'd like to listen to the sermon and not answer questions from my children.  I noticed a few of the scribbles yesterday and thought it would be good to memorialize them on the blog.  

Will's contribution is a peak inside his brain, his sports brain that is.  

I can't get the picture to flip 90 degrees so tilt your head and look at Will's math.  Trying to figure out a mythical player's average points/rebounds/etc.  Hey at least it's math right?  

Reina's contribution.  I think it speaks for itself.  

I might have to frame this one.  I do think that's what Coco would look like in real life.  A little Goth, a little wild but those big big eyes!