Tag: pumpkin carving

Pumpkin Progress

~ Crystal Sands ~ Leave a comment

164 of 365

Today was the best day. It was far too busy, but it was still a great day. We just finished the second Farmer-ish online reading party, and it was wonderful. I got to listen to stories about happy cows, chicken folklore, and the thin veil between worlds during this time of the year. It was magnificent.

And I wanted to share that Ruby is doing fairly well in her adjustment to life back in the coop. I worried so much about her since she had lived in the garage since early May, but she did it. She complains to me a bit at bedtime, but she goes back to the coop. She, of course, flies right out in the morning, but that’s fine. We just had to move her out of the garage because, in winter, it’s too cold for her to stay in there. Plus, we have pipes above the garage that would freeze if we left the door open for her. So she has been a big girl. She does complain, but I am very proud of her. I love that little stinker of a chicken.

The chickens are making great progress on the pumpkin. I didn’t get a picture tonight, but they finally made it through the center. This picture is from last night though. It was dark before I could get out there to take a picture, but I loved how spooky the pumpkin looked with the flashlight on it. I am going to love putting a candle in this thing and showing all of our neighbor kids on Halloween that this is the pumpkin my chickens carved. That’s going to make my night!

The Great Chicken Pumpkin Carving Challenge

~ Crystal Sands ~ 2 Comments

Day 162 of 365

Ron makes fun of me when I do my best to follow social media trends with my chickens, but I don’t let that stop me. If I like something, I’m going to do it. And the chicken pumpkin carving thing going around social media seems like a great idea to me because a) it’s adorable and b) pumpkin is a natural worm preventative for chickens. Please note it is not an official de-wormer; it just helps prevent overloads. That’s probably a lot of information for those who are not chicken people.

Anyway, I read through other posts to see what you had to do. You just get it started, let your chickens work their magic, and you end up with a monstrously carved pumpkin–handmade (well, beak made) by chickens.

I got a fantastically giant pumpkin at a local grocery store the sells local farm food, and this morning, I made my cuts. You have to get the chickens going in the right direction, of course. While I was making these cuts, Ruby hollered at me the whole time. I was in the spot where I always cut up watermelon before everyone gets a watermelon treat, and I think she was upset I was not cutting up watermelon. I threw her a little chunk of pumpkin. She continued to holler at me while the rest of the flock, being the good chickens they are, watched from the other side of the fence.

I put the seeds in the eyes, took some pictures, and left. Mostly, all the chickens seems a little suspicious of this giant pumpkin. Later, I got a message from a friend who writes for the local newspaper. She wanted to know if I would make a video of my chickens in action for an article she’s writing about the great chicken pumpkin carving challenge. I told her I would do my best.

When I got home tonight from a long afternoon of being cello mom, I took a flashlight out to the chicken pasture to see what they had done. They did some pretty good work today. I’ll have to share pictures and keep you posted. Let’s see what our flock can do.