Jack's Henhouse
Smart-ass Southern California Mom/Writer/Origami fumbler. These days loving our never dull, often absurd family life in the Northern Nevada Eastern Sierra mountains...with LOTS of chickens. Fluent in Snark.
Jack

Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Chickam Eggs For 2025 Candled!
Monday, May 19, 2025
Morehens Disease, But With Dignity...And Rationalization
Monday, May 12, 2025
Yikes...
Looking back at my posting history here, I see a sharp dropoff during the time my heart issue started making itself known...
...and then really took center stage. And while I was posting some on Twitter and later on BlueSky, my energy level had been sliding for so long that at that point, it was less than nothing. I only made two posts here in 2024--both for Chickam.
So I'll try to do better...and that means I'm going to backpost a few things here. So if you follow me on BlueSky (I've left Twitter, and no, I'll never call it that) you'll see 'new blog post' pop up now and then, for stuff that happened in the last year.
BTW, the bill for my TAVR heart surgery was four pages long and came to $176,436.22...with the little valve clocking in at $120,000 all by its lonesome. This did not include a seperate bill for $900 in blood work. But my surgeon, his team, and the nursing staff at the hospital were all freakin' awesome.
Healthcare in America, kids!
Saturday, May 10, 2025
IT HAS BEGUN!
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
My Weapon Of Choice: The Appalachian Dulcimer
Dulcimer players usually use their thumb and first three fingers of their left hand to fret. The example above wants me to place my ring and middle fingers on the first frets (at the bottom of the little bird's tail), and my thumb on the fifth fret (at the base of the rose part of the inlay).
When they aren't trying to split your hand in two, they want you to fret with your hand curled up like some mad, contorted crab until you develop a fatal hand cramp.
This sort of nonsense led to me feeling free to make sweeping changes in the tab. And then there's the tab that is simply...incorrect. Some of which I suspect was assigned to an AI program to tab out, they're so screwed up. Of course, sometimes I discover later what works, and what, despite tons of practice, never will...which leads to frenzied, scribbled changes.
So scribbled up that it looks like something the hard-bitten detective on a TV show would find at the crazed killer's apartment crime scene.
Sometimes I resorted to creating my own tab when I couldn't find one for the song I wanted. I now have a double-sided list of songs I plan on tabbing out.
Saturday, August 10, 2024
Chickam 2024 Chicks Two Months Old!
Year 16 of Chickam!
After a start loaded with ups and downs, this year's chicks have proven to be remarkably normal. We ended up getting ten chicks, and with such a good outcome I'm thinking that from now on I'll set eggs in mid-April, aiming for a May 1st hatch date. Uptown Bus played momma this year for the first few weeks, but when the brooder box began to get too crowded and she was ready to quit we put her back out into the flock.
Pardon the goofy beach towel background, several of the chicks were so tall I had to use a larger towel for a backdrop. Also, this year's best pics all feature my kid's (he was playing chicken wrangler) arm in the shot. *sigh*
So here they are, in order of hatch!
First is Big Cluckin McGuckin, a little rooster hatched from an egg laid by Swiffer, our frizzle bantam Cochin hen who passed away just before Chickam got underway. We incubated three of her eggs...and all turned out to be roosters. I think it's just Swiffer's final FU to the universe. Not sure who McGuckin's daddy is--possibly Bobbie, our buff Brahma rooster.
...and the typical leeeaan to the left...
Blaziken, who has either Basil (highly likely) or Rapunzel for mom and Bacon for a daddy, both tiny bantams. Blazi suffered several instances of being injured from momma Bus and her larger siblings treading on her. She's still gimpy and since her hatch has required a handfeeding boost to keep her going. She tended to hide a lot, so while the other chicks went out into the flock today, Blazi is staying in for another week or two to build up strength/walking ability. Her brother Mammon is also staying in to keep her company--also, both of them are so small they could slip right through our chain link fence.
Blaziken has her daddy's facial fluffies.
Blazi might be being the tiniest bit judgemental...
Big Nasty, another Swiffer/Bobbie chick. All three of Swiffer's boys are cookie cutter images of each other, very pretty boys.
Mammon, Blaziken's brother with Rapunzel for mom and Bacon for daddy. He sulked during picture time and wouldn't hold his tail up.
Grump, grump, grump.
Grug!, one of three blondies this year and a rooster. Grug! has Dubious Intentions for a mom, Mjolnir is daddy. Pathologically friendly, Grug! spent most of his time out of the box running around trying to con any available human out of goodies from the fridge.
Sticky, the little hen hatched from the Americaunas (either Peanut or Cheese is mom) egg that was so badly cracked and taped back together. Sticky is very friendly, and has Eggroll (blue laced red Wyandotte roo) for a daddy. She has Americaunas face fluffies and striking wings, with varied plumage that reminds me of Bonesaw, one of our other hens.
Please admire her ORANGE legs.
Takoyaki, a lovely little gray hen who ended up showing off her grandfather Cam's Giant Cochin plumage! And weight, Tako is gaining some serious chicken meat. She also carries her tail down most of the time, as Cochins do. With no sign of leg feathers, Tako likely has Eggroll for a daddy and one of our black Giant Cochin mix hens for a mom.
Derp. Stand on your own feet and do the 1000-yard-stare thing.
Owl, the last Swiffer rooster. A beautiful boy and the sweetest of Swiffer's chicks.
Thunderfuss, momma is Imminent Disaster, Daddy is Mjolnir. The first chick to show up as a rooster and very bold. Although he pouted during picture time...
And leaned.
Lastly, Snack, another blondie hen and a sweetie. Momma is Bort Grungus, daddy is Mjolnir.
That's all ten of the chicks this year--four hens and six roosters!