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Personal 
Sat Feb 04, 2012 at 09:03:58 AM PST
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This has been quite an eventful week. First of all, Daisy my Neurologically Challenged Chicken, who I thought might never lay an egg, laid an egg. A bluish green one, because she's an Ameraucana. Then Goldie Hen the Barred Rock and Frizzie the Frizzle Cochin/Silkie bantam both laid eggs. So now we've got 5 out of 6 of our flock laying. We should get somewhere between 15 and 20 eggs a week now, although Frizzie's eggs are TINY.
I'm now in the San Diego airport, enjoying my last moments of high speed internet before I leave. Some folks have asked me how one even gets to Kenya. Well, I'm flying from San Diego to Chicago to London to Nairobi. I'll leave at 9:40am PST today and arrive at 9:40pm Nairobi time tomorrow. Nairobi is 11 hours ahead of California. I'm a little worried about getting through Heathrow with only a 2 hour layover tomorrow morning, but the airlines said it should be all right.
I can't believe I've crammed everything in my suitcase that needs to go with me. In addition to 10 or 11 shirts, 3 pairs of shorts, all of the underwear I own, and a few pairs of socks, I've got 24 solar flashlights and a bunch of cell phones that I am carrying with me as donations. They were purchased by others but I've agreed to bring them with me.
I've got traveling to the Global South down to almost a science. I've got Malarone (my malaria med of choice), oral dye-free Benedryl (for the itching from bug bites), an herbal bug repellant that I hope works, Grapefruit Seed Extract pills and Jarro-Dophilus (to prevent food poisoning), Azithromycin (in case I get sick), and something stronger than the herbal bug repellant that I'll use if I have no other choice, which I imagine might be the case. Usually I just deal with the itch and hope for the best, but I'd rather not come home with African Sleeping Sickness.
I've also got a headlamp (for late night trips to the bathroom), extra camera batteries, extra triple A batteries, and a small towel. I had to leave my mosquito net at home because the suitcase is so crammed full but they'll have them all over the place there. I'm a little worried that all of the nets there will be treated with insecticide, because I like my mosquito net to double as a blanket. And I've now been vaccinated for typhoid, yellow fever, tetanus, Hep A, Hep B, polio, and rabies.
For food, I've got an entire loaf of Bread & Cie Fig & Anise bread, 3 PB&J sandwiches, a few fuji apples, some mandarins, tamari almonds, homemade muesli (the store bought stuff costs a fortune), a chocolate bar, and dried fruit. Plus several Earnest Food bars. I'll be fine once I get there, but the flights are gonna suck and I won't touch airplane food. For reading material, I've got The Constant Gardener and How Europe Underdeveloped Africa.
So all in all, I'm ready. I think. I remembered to put my deodorant and my alarm clock in my bag this morning - the last two things I needed to pack. Late last night I realized I hadn't yet packed my passport and I frantically packed that. Just before leaving, I remembered my cell phone charger. And once I got to the airport I realized I forgot my piece of paper that had all my flight info and phone numbers and addresses for everyone in Kenya, so I re-wrote that up while waiting for my flight.
Once at the airport, the security people got fussy about the size of my luggage, which I am taking all carry on because I don't want any of it to get lost, as is so often the case on any international flight when there are connections involved. But they gave me a pass, and I thanked them and told them they had saved some elephants, since my suitcase is only so dang full because of all of the donations, many of which are going to an anti-poaching group. And they haven't canceled or delayed my flight (yet). So far so good.
I didn't sleep well last night and my tummy feels a bit upset. I ate breakfast but I'm hungry again already. I ended up raising about $900 approximately, which is roughly 1/3 of the cost of the total trip. I'm so grateful to everyone who donated or bought my handmade jewelry to help me out. I didn't raise enough to cover the entire trip, but $900 ain't nothing and it's a HUGE help. I've got a new article out about one of the people I am going to visit and that will offset some of the costs as well.
We board in 10 minutes. Wish me luck.
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Fri Jan 27, 2012 at 00:13:35 AM PST
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Welcome to the latest installment on urban chicken keeping. To update on where I last left off, we had two full grown hens, a "special needs" hen (Daisy, who suffered a bad brain injury and has not laid an egg yet even though she should have months ago), a bantam frizzle, and two roosters. The bantam and the roosters were all juvenile, so the roosters weren't crowing and the bantam wasn't laying. Since Daisy doesn't lay, and the two hens (Diana and Elizabeth) were molting, I was getting zero eggs.
So here's what's happened since: First, Diana resumed laying. Then Elizabeth did too. Then Spot the rooster began crowing. Roosters aren't very good at crowing when they first try, but by the time I managed to trade Spot and his rooster friend George in for two hens, Spot had nearly mastered it. And he was crowing A LOT. It wasn't a fully enunciated cock-a-doodle-doo but it was LOUD.
So last Saturday, Spot and George went back to the woman who sold them to me and she traded me two hens instead. I selected a Rhode Island Red and a Barred Rock who has a bunch of gold feathers on her neck, both nearly six months old and about ready to start laying. The Rhode Island Red was to replace our previous one who had died, and my roommate's youngest daughter had already named her Rosy Rose (same name as her predecessor). His other daughter gets to name the Barred Rock... but I really want to name her Goldie Hen. Of course, the kid's never heard of Goldie Hawn, so she might not go for that one.
I dropped Rosy and Goldie off in the undisclosed location where the chickens live (a fenced yard). Diana tried to attack one of the new girls, and the other new girl tried to attack Frizzie, the bantam. Then I headed to the farmers market. I thought they'd be OK.
When I got back, I was informed that one of the new chickens had hopped the fence and the firefighters had rescued her from a busy street below. Oops. I bet she panicked when she met the dog, who is not interested in eating chickens but VERY interested in sniffing chickens, which can be scary to a chicken who has never met him before.
At that point, I caught Rosy and found Goldie (who was well hidden and very high up - it involved me climbing on a chair and then onto a six foot high wall) and clipped their wings and put them in the coop for the rest of the day. For that day and night, they got to look at and check out the rest of the flock without any pecking.
The next day, I let all the chickens hang out together out of the coop. It seemed OK. The yard has many places for chickens to hide, and I've been giving everybody lots of treats so that there isn't much competition. I also put the food down in several places so that the new chickens can eat in a different location from the old chickens if necessary. Goldie's even timidly started eating out of my hands, but Rosy's still too scared to do that.
Then this morning, while feeding the chickens, I noticed a huge pile of Rhode Island Red feathers... but no Rhode Island Red. I searched the yard - twice. There was no blood anywhere, or any part of a dead chicken. It seemed like it was most likely that the chickens had pecked Rosy, not that a predator ate her. But there was no Rosy anywhere.
A little while later, I looked out back and saw a tiny Rhode Island Red head peeking out from behind a trashcan in a very narrow corner of the yard. I caught her and put her in the coop. I brought treats out several times today and fed the chickens from my hands right where Rosy could see me and then put some in the coop for Rosy. I managed to catch Goldie and put her in the coop to so Rosy could have a friend. I gave them rolled oats, half a bagel, and a piece of string cheese as treats today. I looked through the compost and one of the garden beds for grubs to give them but found none.
Late in the afternoon, Rosy and Goldie seemed eager to get out of the coop so I let them out. I figured there wasn't much time left before Chicken Bedtime for anyone to peck anyone else. The chickens did well together until bedtime. And everyone went to bed in the coop like they were supposed to. After dark, I moved the old chickens into one section of the coop and shut the door, and put the new chickens in the other section and shut their door. So in the morning, my roommate will let the old chickens out and leave the new chickens in. I don't know how long we'll do this for. I've never had any pecking incidents before so this is my first. I can't say I'm enjoying it.
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Thu Dec 22, 2011 at 13:23:26 PM PST
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We had a death in our family today. Rosy Rose, the Rhode Island Red chicken, met her maker. And if I get my way, she'll be an excellent source of fertility for our fig tree (my plan involves somebody who isn't me digging that hole so we'll see if it happens).
I just want to share the craziness of our little flock with everyone, to tell you how it is that I had seven chickens (now six) and get about one egg a week.
Rosy Rose, who is no more
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Wed Nov 02, 2011 at 21:09:27 PM PDT
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I'm in mite hell. It sucks. Don't let this happen to you.
It started with a broody bird, Elizabeth. My poor girl decided it was time to hatch some chicks and stubbornly sat on her nest for weeks. At first I took her off the nest several times a day but it did no good. Then I decided to get some fertile eggs and let her hatch them, but I had a hard time obtaining some so the plan stalled. Meanwhile, I took her off her nest twice daily, making sure she ate, drank, and pooped. But she wasn't dustbathing.
Next thing you know, I'm covered in nasty, itchy bites from head to toe. I washed everything I own and all of my sheets in hot water. That night, I got more bites. The next day I picked Elizabeth up out of the nest box and looked at my shirt. Mites were crawling all over me. I covered the chicken in diatomaceous earth, put everything I was wearing directly in the washing machine, and took a bath in soapy water.
From there, it all just escalated. Each day, I'd put my clothes directly in the washing machine after handling the chicken, and take a soapy bath too. I washed my sheets and towels. I changed clothes and showered several times a day. At night I'd get more bites.
Elizabeth snapped out of her broodiness quickly actually. I noticed that her comb had gone pink instead of red and she had lost a lot of weight, and I locked her out of the coop so she couldn't get to her nest. Then I let my roommate's daughter spray her with the garden hose a few times. That did the trick. Elizabeth's dustbathing again, but I'm still getting new bites.
Next up for inspection was the cat. I have three, but two of them have the flea-treatment stuff that kills everything on them. The third one was covered in mites and was bringing them into the house and into my bed. She's also too fat to bathe herself properly. I rubbed diatomaceous earth all over her, and then got some more of the flea stuff and put it on her. I locked her out of my bedroom, washed the sheets and the clothes again, etc. My poor cat was miserable because she wasn't getting her usual amounts of cuddles and was locked out of my room. And I continued to get more bites.
Today, I washed the clothes again, picked up everything from my very messy floor, and vacuumed everywhere. Before vacuuming, I put diatomaceous earth on my mattress, on my sheets, and all over the floor and a large area rug. At times I've even rubbed it all over myself.
From what I've read, the little fuckers are nocturnal, unless you have a kind that feeds all day. Most articles I found on them recommend pesticides, which I had not considered using and still would not like to use. That said, I'm now wearing my "Buzz Off" shirt with pesticide in it because I'm that frantic about the whole mess.
I'm open to any advice you've got, but I'm also writing this because I figure it's worth sharing. If you've got a broody who isn't dust bathing, check her for mites and put some diatomaceous earth on her.
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Wed Sep 14, 2011 at 12:26:46 PM PDT
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With Victoria and our roosters gone, we're now down to 3 hens - 2 Buff Orpingtons who lay eggs and 1 Ameraucana who will start any day now. The plan was for Victoria to raise her chicks so we wouldn't have to have them indoors under a light. Without Victoria, the eggs are in an incubator and apparently four or five are still doing well even after the power outage... but we decided to get some different chicks, who are old enough to live outside. So, meet our new girls (or boys...):
Frizzie, the Silkie Frizzle mix (a Sizzle?)
Rosie, our Rhode Island Red, and our Black Australorp, who needs a name.
First attempt to get our Barred Rock, Spot, in a picture, with Frizzie blocking the way.
Second attempt to take a picture of Spot, with Frizzie still slightly in the way.
If you can't tell, the kids named some of the chicks. Patrick and I gave Spot her name (both kids replied, "You should call her Stripe!") Now the Black Australorp needs a name.
The chicks are unsexed and we probably cannot keep all four even if they are all girls, since that would just be a lot of full grown chickens in too small a space. We've warned the kids that any mean roosters are going to be dinner. If we end up with nice roosters, I will gladly try to find them homes where they won't be eaten.
So far, the babies are terrified of us. They spent last night in a separate part of the coop from the big girls. Today, the babies are in the main part of the coop and the big girls are outside. I've been giving both groups lots of treats, trying to teach the babies that I'm the Food Lady, and trying to make the big ones learn to feel comfortable with looking at the babies and not wanting to kill them. Daisy the Ameraucana is VERY unhappy about the babies. She's spent the day walking around the coop making unhappy noises. I find it funny.
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Sun Sep 11, 2011 at 23:17:40 PM PDT
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This is almost too sad to post, but I'm posting it anyway. The chicken tragedy that unfolded here over the past few weeks was well documented, since it was supposed to be a joyful event of hatching chicks. It began when I decided to put five about-to-hatch eggs under Victoria, my broody hen. Here she is, sitting on them, totally oblivious that babies are being born under her.
Victoria
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Thu Sep 08, 2011 at 11:51:27 AM PDT
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Victoria
We lost our girl Victoria yesterday. It's been HOT lately, even for here. Yesterday was a high of 104. The day before, a high of 105. Victoria was on the nest, incubating 12 eggs. She'd been there for about 10 days. She hadn't been eating much or drinking much water, and it was just too much for her.
Details below, including many lessons learned about what to do with a broody bird.
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Wed Aug 03, 2011 at 13:24:36 PM PDT
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Sunday morning, I visited the chickens in the undisclosed location where they are hiding out and I found one of them, Daisy, standing in the coop with her head down. She was not moving. Daisy's our blue Ameraucana hen who is almost 5 months old and just about ready to start laying in another month or two. And of the four chicks we got this past March, she's the only one we're keeping. I picked her up to see what was wrong. Her legs went limp, and she kept her head down and turned to one side. I was afraid to injure her if I examined it too closely, so I laid her down in a more secluded part of the coop. With her legs limp, she laid on her stomach. I thought she was going to die within minutes, if not hours.
Daisy with the two roosters. She's in the middle.
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Tue Jul 26, 2011 at 23:09:12 PM PDT
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Today was a big day for my little chicken flock. I am getting ready to go out of the country for much of August (back to Bolivia) and I don't want anyone crowing while I am gone. So I visited the undisclosed location where my chickens are hiding out and snapped some pics of the babies, who are now 4 1/2 mos old. I sent these to an Ameraucana expert who offered to tell me which ones are roosters.
From left to right: Rose, Daisy, and Angel.
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Thu Jun 16, 2011 at 09:00:00 AM PDT
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I was recently part of an International Fact Finding Mission to the Philippines. Our group investigated the impact of a biethanol project that uses sugarcane as its feedstock on the local environment, food security, land grabbing, and human rights. This diary covers the afternoon of June 1, when I visited a forest restoration area.
You can see previous diaries here:
Days 1 & 2: Arrival and Travel to Isabela
Day 3, Part 1: Pesticide Shopping in San Mariano
Day 3, Part 2: Interviewing Indigenous Farmworkers
Day 3, Part 3: The Bioethanol Plant
Day 3, Part 4: Land Grabbing
Day 4, Part 1: "We Eat Animal Feed When We Can't Afford Rice"
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Tue Jun 14, 2011 at 21:08:12 PM PDT
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I was recently part of an International Fact Finding Mission to the Philippines. Our group investigated the impact of a biethanol project that uses sugarcane as its feedstock on the local environment, food security, land grabbing, and human rights. This diary covers the morning of June 1, when I helped interview a family that was really struggling to hang on.
You can see previous diaries here:
Days 1 & 2: Arrival and Travel to Isabela
Day 3, Part 1: Pesticide Shopping in San Mariano
Day 3, Part 2: Interviewing Indigenous Farmworkers
Day 3, Part 3: The Bioethanol Plant
Day 3, Part 4: Land Grabbing
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Mon Jun 13, 2011 at 21:41:44 PM PDT
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I was recently part of an International Fact Finding Mission to the Philippines. Our group investigated the impact of a biethanol project that uses sugarcane as its feedstock on the local environment, food security, land grabbing, and human rights. This diary covers the afternoon of May 31, 2011, when things sort of went all to hell.
You can see previous diaries here:
Days 1 & 2: Arrival and Travel to Isabela
Day 3, Part 1: Pesticide Shopping in San Mariano
Day 3, Part 2: Interviewing Indigenous Farmworkers
Day 3, Part 3: The Bioethanol Plant
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Mon Jun 13, 2011 at 05:34:14 AM PDT
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I was recently part of an International Fact Finding Mission to the Philippines. Our group investigated the impact of a biethanol project that uses sugarcane as its feedstock on the local environment, food security, land grabbing, and human rights. This diary covers the May 31, 2011 visit to the bioethanol plant, which is currently under construction.
You can see previous diaries here:
Days 1 & 2: Arrival and Travel to Isabela
Day 3, Part 1: Pesticide Shopping in San Mariano
Day 3, Part 2: Interviewing Indigenous Farmworkers
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Sat Jun 11, 2011 at 07:12:01 AM PDT
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I was recently part of an International Fact Finding Mission to the Philippines. Our group investigated the impact of a biethanol project that uses sugarcane as its feedstock on the local environment, food security, land grabbing, and human rights. This diary covers the morning of our third day, when we interviewed sugarcane plantation farmworkers and their families.
You can see previous diaries here:
Days 1 & 2: Arrival and Travel to Isabela
Day 3, Part 1: Pesticide Shopping in San Mariano
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Sat Jun 11, 2011 at 01:43:55 AM PDT
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I was recently part of an International Fact Finding Mission to the Philippines. Our group investigated the impact of a biethanol project that uses sugarcane as its feedstock on the local environment, food security, land grabbing, and human rights. This diary covers the morning of our third day, when we woke up in San Mariano and I stumbled into a seed & pesticide store.
You can see previous diaries here:
Days 1 & 2: Arrival and Travel to Isabela
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