The Chicken Saga

So, back in April, we discovered that our chickens had escaped their coop a couple times and rummaged through our garden area. We put them immediately back in as soon as we saw them. No big deal, right? But, then our paranoid son got me all paranoid one day when he said, "Mom, I shot my pellet gun into the backyard over the winter and some of the pellets got into the garden!" 

They are lead pellets. 

Thomas then reminded me that lead is poisonous and that the chickens probably ate the pellets and they could all have lead poisoning. 

I spent the next several days talking to "experts" and searching the web for anything that might help me know what to do about it. I got a variety of answers. 

I got confused. 

I decided we should slaughter the chickens. Just to be safe.

Then I decided the chances of them actually having found and eaten a lead pellet while they rummaged the garden was slim. I mean, he didn't shoot that many...

I kept going back and forth. I have never in my life been SO confused as to what to do. I did NOT want to kill these chickens! They were giving us lots of yummy fresh eggs and were only a year old! I spent several days - weeks actually, debating this dilemma in my mind.

"Should we kill the chickens? Should we not? Should we kill the chickens? Should we not?" etc...

On this day, we had decided to slaughter the chickens. So, we took some pictures of them with the kids. One last time. 

I actually got several quite adorable pictures, but I will spare you. It was a sad day. There was even a tear or two shed. 

To make it a little easier on everyone, we went to Cal-Ranch and purchased five more little chicks to replace the ones we still had yet to slaughter. (Note to self: Do not buy replacement chickens until you have first slaughtered the ones you are replacing...)

But, when it came down to it, I just couldn't do it. I could NOT kill those seemingly perfectly fine, healthy chickens! Couldn't do it. 

So, whatever. I decided to take a risk. I'm risking my family's health because I think that chances are, our chickens did not eat enough (or any) pellets to cause lead poisoning. I use logic like that.

There may come a day in which I really regret this decision. But, at least I didn't have to kill any chickens, right? Right??? 

There was only one minor problem with this scenario. (Well, besides the possible scenario where we all get lead poisoning and DIE...or our grandchildren are born with eleven fingers and nine toes, or come out looking like someone out of a Picaso painting...) 

We now had TEN chickens, and a coop that only holds FIVE.

Sigh. 

You see, I couldn't bring myself to sell or get rid of the new adorable little chicks that we all just became attached too. 

At this point, Richard was seriously questioning my sanity.

So, I had a guy in Idaho Falls make us a new coop. It was the only way we could keep all the chickens. He delivered it at the end of May. It's a lovely coop and holds our ten chickens just perfectly. And, they can't escape from the much better built chicken run. And, his wife made the sign on it that says, "Ferguson Flock". With music notes. She works at the Homestead, where our family occasionally plays. Nice touch!

Soooo, now that you all know our dramatic chicken saga, anyone want to come over for breakfast? Our (lead-filled???) eggs make 'egg'cellent omelets! 

P.S. Since we discovered the dilemma of lead being in our garden soil, Thomas has rummaged through the dirt and has found and thrown out all the pellets he could find. Not a ton. I think there really weren't that many to begin with. 

At least, that's what I keep telling myself. 

Maybe the chickens just got the majority for us... :O:O:O 

Either way, we are still growing vegetables in the garden. At this point, why not?