Introducing...Our Four Feathered Ladies..

For those of you who don't know we have 4 Black Star type chicken layers. Their names are Messy, Yellow Foot, Brown, and Baby. Here's a brief description of how each girl got her name:

• Messy got her name because she's a messy eater. She manages to launch all her pellets, corn, or whatever else, all over, then picks the little that is left, and then looks up at you wondering where all the food has gone!
  
• Yellow Foot really has yellow legs, but "foot" sounds better. Also, foot is appropriate as she's quick footed: she is very good at running into places where she shouldn't be going (e.g. the garage, under the deck, etc.). The other day, I went out to put the birds to bed; 3 of them were in their pen, but Yellow Foot was nowhere to be found. Finally after Pupper, our doggie, and I looked all over the woods, we heard Yellow Foot clucking loudly... she was under the deck in front of the main home entrance making holes!
• Brown is simply named such because she has the most brown feathers around the neck. Also, she is Vanessa's buddy and Vanessa loves brown! Brown has come to be Vanessa's buddy first because she always comes out first in the morning, but also because she loves to remove Vanessa's hat or headlamp (and the headlamp ain't too light with batteries in it, but she's is always successful).
• Last, but not least, is Baby who is the smallest, and we think, the youngest. She's very sweet and the first to submit, but as a result gets very nicely treated, even when it's late and Vanessa needs to go around the woods to herd the birds in their pen (I guess the birds must know the sheep will be coming as they seem to want Vanessa to practice her herding skill).

As you may know, the girls were not laying before we left for Italy, but now they all do -- 4 nice organic eggs each day. As a matter of fact, once of them lays almost daily a double yoke egg! Oh did I mention, Vanessa readjusted the winter location of the chicken pen and the wood pallets (photos are upcoming).

Well, enough about the birds; since we've gotten back Vanessa has being doing wood -- her 3.5' cross-cut saw has been wonderful... no gas, no machine, no noise, just muscle, the smell of fresh cut wood, and the sound of trees and ice (yeah well we're in VT, but i love winter). Laura has been snowboarding/skiing and "strategically"planning our farm -- she indicated last summer we need a strategic plan to determine financial needs, accounting, production, marketing, permits, etc. (well you know we're serious when we get an idea in our Leo's heads).