Aug
2018
Poetry Friday: Poor hens
I’m continuing with the bird theme from last week–at least with the chickens. It’s been an adventure to visit the hens the past few weeks as it is time for them to regrow a new set of feathers for the year. Let’s just say it is not a pretty process. If you ever think you’re having a bad hair day, let me reassure you, the hens have got you beat. The worst part is they don’t lay nearly as many eggs while they are going through the molting process. Enjoy the picture and a short haiku.
feathers fly about
scattering from molting hens
few eggs for me
Each Friday, I am excited to take part in Poetry Friday, where writers share their love of all things poetry. Margaret Simon hosts the Poetry Friday Roundup today at Reflections on the Teche. She offers up zenos and zines and more poetry swap goodness. I think I have something new (to me) to try! Hurry over and check out all the poetry morsels offered up today.
Robyn Hood Black
August 26, 2018 at 10:51 pm (6 years ago)Glad you continued the feathered theme – or the molting feathered theme (!) – this week, Kay. Here’s hoping those Ladies Fluffybutts will be fluffy all over again soon. (I also have friends and family members who love their little flocks! Fresh eggs are the best.) Thanks for sharing! (Not sure if it relates, but my Anti-spam words are “dumped do” – which made me think, “hairdo,” of course. Ha!)
Mrs. McGriff
August 27, 2018 at 2:19 pm (6 years ago)Fresh eggs are the best! I keep threatening my flock with dinner invitations if they don’t pick up
the laying soon! Not sure if I can actually go through with it. I do enjoy watching their antics.
Kiesha Shepard
August 26, 2018 at 1:23 pm (6 years ago)Poor girls! And poor you missing out on all those yummy eggs! Sounds like you’ve got a great collection of poems going, though!
Mrs. McGriff
August 26, 2018 at 1:41 pm (6 years ago)Thanks, Keisha. At least I’m getting a few more eggs these days!
Laura Shovan
August 25, 2018 at 8:37 pm (6 years ago)Fun, Kay. My favorite part of going to county fairs is seeing some of the fancy chickens. Your haiku reminded me of their fantastic feathers.
Mrs. McGriff
August 26, 2018 at 1:40 pm (6 years ago)Those fancy chickens are fun to see. My poor girl might be embarrassed, though!
Linda M.
August 25, 2018 at 2:51 pm (6 years ago)Ha! Bad hair, indeed. It seems that chickens are the new pets again or still? I have a friend with chickens and she adores them. Are the feathers messy to clean up?
Mrs. McGriff
August 25, 2018 at 3:14 pm (6 years ago)It seems that chickens are growing in popularity these days. I got mine a couple of years ago. My daughter says I got them to replace her since it was the summer before she left for college. the feathers make a mess, but the wind blows them away. The ones inside their coop will get shoveled out when I replace their litter–a chore I need to do soon!
Mary Lee Hahn
August 25, 2018 at 6:25 am (6 years ago)The haircut I got on Thursday turned out way too short for my liking, so I’ll be living with “bad” hair days for quite a while while it grows out! I’ll think of your chickens and be glad I don’t have it so bad after all!
Mrs. McGriff
August 25, 2018 at 10:17 am (6 years ago)At least hair (and feathers) grow back out.
Brenda
August 24, 2018 at 10:22 pm (6 years ago)That is hilarious. I’m picturing some bald fractious birds.
Mrs. McGriff
August 25, 2018 at 10:16 am (6 years ago)Thanks. They are quite funny-looking. Most of them have molted more sedately, replacing a few feathers at a time, but this girl. Oh my.
Margaret Simon
August 24, 2018 at 8:48 pm (6 years ago)When I wrote Blessen, I did chicken research and found out about molting. I loved learning about chickens.
Mrs. McGriff
August 25, 2018 at 10:16 am (6 years ago)Me, too. Chickens are fascinating creatures!
Michelle Heidenrich Barnes
August 24, 2018 at 6:34 pm (6 years ago)Ooh, I don’t think I like the sound of a bad feather day. I’m way to self-conscious for that! Thanks for the fun post today, Kay. 🙂
Mrs. McGriff
August 25, 2018 at 10:15 am (6 years ago)Thanks, Michelle. It doesn’t seem to bother the hens at all, but it does give me a chuckle when I visit them.
Carol Varsalona
August 24, 2018 at 4:39 pm (6 years ago)Kay, who knew that you have chickens! Bad hair day visits must leave some feathered fuzz on you. Keep those poems coming.
Mrs. McGriff
August 25, 2018 at 10:15 am (6 years ago)Oh, the feathered fuzz is everywhere these days! The inside of the coop looks like the remains of a pillow fight — back in the days of feather pillows!
Michelle Kogan
August 24, 2018 at 2:54 pm (6 years ago)Fun haiku and image Kay–and the backstory about the hens bad hair day–what a hoot. I picked up a book a few years ago when I was on Martha’s Vineyard about this eccentric woman and poet, Nancy Luce who had chickens and developed a personal relationship with each one of them. She wrote about them, made headstones for them, here’s a link if you want to take a peek. Although this site says the book is out to print I purchased it from the Martha’s Vineyard Museum: http://www.susanbranch.com/nancy-luce-marthas-vineyard-famous-people-chickens-as-pets/
Mrs. McGriff
August 25, 2018 at 10:14 am (6 years ago)How cool! I will check it out. I don’t have quite that relationship with my hens. I can’t really tell them apart most of the time and call them all the girls or the Misses Fluffybutts. Thanks for sharing the link!
Linda Baie
August 24, 2018 at 11:20 am (6 years ago)So funny to imagine the ‘bad hair days’ with your chickens, Kay. I didn’t know it was such a fuss and meant fewer eggs. You’re gathering a “flock” of poems that can be a book!
Mrs. McGriff
August 24, 2018 at 11:24 am (6 years ago)They are quite funny looking–wet feathers is another funny look they seem to enjoy. As I was saving this picture/haiku to post, I was surprised by how many chicken poems I have written. Maybe one day, there will be enough for a book.
Tabatha
August 24, 2018 at 8:48 am (6 years ago)I laughed at your reassurance about bad hair days! Last weekend I went to a county fair…loved the chickens, but I was a bit intimidated. Not sure I would have the guts to get eggs!
Mrs. McGriff
August 24, 2018 at 11:23 am (6 years ago)Chickens are such fun! Some of them can be quite intimidating, but my girls are pretty laid back and calm. My biggest problem is trying not to step on them since they gather underfoot. Lots of younger friends (the under 15 set) love to go gather eggs for me and pet the chickens.