Here's To The Tough Old Birds

There’s a reason “tough old bird” is a saying. You have staying power. You’ve made it through 100 percent of your worst days. You’re a tough old bird—in the best possible way. — Chicki Minaj, who is definitely a little survivor

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Here’s What’s Happening at Good Spirits Farm

Chicki gave us a real scare this week. It’s been super hot here, and on Tuesday, we walked outside in the late afternoon to find Chicki audibly wheezing and holding her beak open—like she was gasping for air. We got her some ice water and thought through the potential causes: Could it be a respiratory bug, like, ugh, bird flu? That was my big concern. But besides gasping for air, she was her normal, high-energy self, so a dire illness seemed unlikely.

Chickens can get something called “gapeworm,” which is a parasite that blocks their airway. That seemed like a possibility, but it’s rare in these parts. The final option was that she had something lodged in her throat and blocking her airway. (And creative googling didn’t get us to any sort of clear answer on if there’s a chicken Heimlich maneuver.)

Because she seemed otherwise bright and bouncy, we decided to give it a bit of time and check her in the evening. We could hear her labored breathing from several yards away when we approached the chicken shack at dusk. It was time to try and help.

By now, my best guess was something lodged in her trachea, since she was hiccuping between wheezes and seemed to be trying to clear her throat. So I brought her into the barn, got a syringe of vegetable oil, and alternated between giving her a drop of oil and massaging her neck. Nothing. After a good 30 minutes of trying to help dislodge the object, she was still panting, wheezing, and hiccupping.

Chicki is one of my original hens—a group that was raised in my kitchen and has firmly crossed the line from livestock to pets. As they approach their fifth year on this farm, I’m trying to prepare myself for losing some of my favorite, most charismatic gals. Chicki, with her love of snacks and dog-like habit of running right next to you as you walk, will be especially hard to lose.

The Internet agreed that there were two likely outcomes: The blockage would clear on its own, or she’d slowly start declining. I put her away for the night and really hoped she’d be better in the morning.

She wasn’t, but she was still bright-eyed and full of energy, which gave me hope that she hadn’t given up on coughing up whatever snack had gone down the wrong pipe. And: Around 2 p.m. the next day, I came out to find she’d done it! No more wheezing! No gasping! She was back to hunting for snacks. The tough old bird had fixed the problem herself.

I’ve tried to make Chicki promise that she’ll slow down her gobbling. She says that’s a promise she just can’t make—or keep.

The garlic came in this week! It looks great and is making my whole basement stink in the most glorious way. I love how this crop grows in the off-season and stores well for months. It’s becoming one of my favorite things to grow.

And, after five years, my currant bushes produced a tiny crop! I dried these to make (a very small batch of) scones this winter.

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Here’s What I Loved This Week

It’s been in the low 90s and dry as a bone, yet our wildflowers are hanging on. Does my yard look a little feral with all these wildflowers everywhere? Yes. Do I care? No.

I mean, just look at these beauties!