Ode to the Simple Things

Summer. My favorite time of year. North Carolina summers are enchanting. I sit in the hammock and watch the trees sway in the backyard. Breathe it in. The smell of freshly mowed grass, the sound tree frogs and cicada bugs, the periodic glow of fireflies... I can't get enough. This time of year never lasts long enough. I take it as a personal mission to soak in every minute. Enjoy the simple things... advice our three backyard hens heed on a daily basis.

The corn swing.
Attention chicken owners: Looking for fun environment enrichment for your feathered ladies? Introducing the corn swing! We found this neat idea while on Raleigh's Tour D'Coop (Henside the Beltline). One of the backyard chicken coops we toured had a corn cob hanging from the ceiling. The chickens were delighted at the pecking challenge. So I decided to try it with my girls.


On a lazy sunday afternoon we stopped at local curb-side produce stand along our road. They were selling sweet corn for $4/dozen. WINNING! (please excuse the bad Sheen reference). Picked up a dozen along with some peppers, onions, a tomato, mushrooms, lemon and musk melon. Did I mention I love summer?

Once home, I cut some long twine and nailed it to a beam in our chicken run, and simply tied the other end around a partially husked corn cob, and let the girl have at it! Hours of non-stop entertainment. Hmmm, I wonder what other fruits or veggies I can dangle from the hen house ceiling... oh the simple things.