Eddie might be the chicken man, but at least this isn't Philly... [OPEN]

[batteryacid]

Who: Eddie Kaspbrak (batteryacid) & Anyone who'd like a chicken.
and of course Angel (graveling) is probably on the farm as well
What: more about the chickens
When: Mid-March
Where: Kaspbrak Farm
Warning(s): There may be some discussion of chickens as food, but it will be serious. Eddie intends most of these chickens as egg-layers or companion animals, but other fates may come up.

The chicks who remain at the farm unclaimed, all about a month old by now, are milling around in the open 'yard' area around the chicken coop. At the moment, they are all about five to seven inches tall... not quite the little yellow floofs they used to be, as the down is gradually replaced by normal feathers.

The girls are Abby, Calla, Dena, Fay, Ida, Katy, and Leah. The boys are Art, Chuck, Dave, Ernest, Frank, Grant, and Huck. (I give you this information so you can more easily refer to the animals in threads going forward. The names are meant to be temporary, so you can talk about changing them once you've claimed one or decided to take it home.)

As he said before, the female chickens won't be ready to lay eggs until they are four months old -- which will be in May. So Eddie is perfectly fine with caring for the chickens until then. But his gate is always open for friends, and friends may want to claim their chickens beforehand to bond with them.

Especially if someone decides to take one of the baby roosters on as a therapy animal or pet. (Or alarm clock, maybe!) Since there's really no timeline on when the boys will be useful, unless breeding is the goal. And if it is, maybe trading one of the boys for an unrelated rooster would be a smart plan.

Either way, Eddie is still expecting to hear from Sam Porter, Mairi Miann, and Arthur Morgan about how many chickens they'd like. They could just send word, and Eddie will take note to send the birds along in May, but a visit would be welcome! At least to figure out which of the flock gets along with each person.

You may find Eddie scattering some feed for the chicks, carrying a bucket of fresh water to fill their various drinking dishes, running Kit the collie through his paces on herding the chicks, or just leaning against a fence post and watching the flock.

You're welcome to join him, or go right for the fluffy widdle babbys.

Comments

[batteryacid]

"I'm decent against things that can be hit with a big stick. Demons usually laugh at that kind of offense, though." Eddie smiles wryly.

The wryness fades away and his smile is more genuine upon watching the gentle way that Ava handles Calla.

"We're incubating a new batch of eggs, too. Whenever they start hatching, how about I give you a heads up? So you can meet the new babies, too."

[decohere]

"Not really one for weapons," Ava says honestly, even if it is a bit deliberately misleading. She's used to using her bare hands to take things down. But demons? No amount of phasing would make her feel safe against crossing one.

Ava perks up at the mention of new chicks on the way. "Yes, I'd like that a lot. Can I watch them hatch?"

[maximumcake]

"Yeah. That makes sense. I promise I'll do my best to learn all their temperaments so I make sure they're happy and healthy."

He holds his hand with the carrot closer to Dena and laughs joyfully as she pecks the piece out of his palm.

"I'll have to invest in some good chicken wire." Oh, so that's why it's called that. "I want to try growing my own tomatoes in a little patch so I'd better make sure I have any left by the end."

[batteryacid]

Eddie nods, and suggests a book for reference. "You can check it out from the library. It's one of the books I read when preparing for planting. And... being self-sufficient on food, even in a small way, is always nice."

[batteryacid]

"We've got a bit more experience anticipating when the hatchings will happen. So I think I'll be able to know when to call you so you don't miss it." Eddie grins.

[decohere]

"Oh, please," Ava so very desperately hopes it won't be on one of the days she's dying. She really wants something nice to look forward to.

"Have a couple chickens that came with our farm, but don't think those eggs will be hatching into anything..."

[batteryacid]

"Of course." Eddie says gently, "Missy and I could pick you up in the carriage, bring you over here. We'll make sure you don't miss it."

"Without a rooster, the eggs won't be viable," Eddie says. "But maybe you and Peter would like to have one of the boys... when they're grown up, I mean."

[decohere]

"That'd be quite exciting," Ava agrees. Even though she could easily fly over, a carriage ride against time just adds to fun.

She nods, knew a rooster had to be involved to produce offspring. But she's a little hesitant at the offer. "Then how do you know which ones are okay to eat?"

[batteryacid]

"We put all the eggs into an incubator. After seven days, we hold each egg up to a candle or other bright light source. A fertilized egg will have a dark dot inside -- that's the embryo. The unfertilized eggs don't have the dark spot."

Eddie says, "It took me a bit to get used to, since in the U.S. all eggs are washed and need refrigerating. But if you don't wash a chicken egg, it keeps the 'cuticle' on the shell. And the cuticle keeps bacteria out."

[theydrewfirstblood]

John hears that note, and thinking of his own family...yeah, the hand that raises, fingers curled without John looking his way? That's an offer of a fistbump in solidarity, Eddie.

The mildly grim moment passes, however, as Co fluffs her growing feathers and peeping her head off at Art, who simply continues to preen her without missing a beat despite her disapproval.

"Think we got a winner here." John chuckles, watching the pair interact. And that steady, relentless patience from Art while Co continues to try and out-stubborn him...

Two men immediately come to mind, and it's strangely fitting that his unflappable, steadfast commanding officer and his unflappable, steadfast...something share the name.

"And I think he's less an Art. More a Sam."

[decohere]

"Didn't know there was so much to know about eggs..." Ava admits.

"I... was born in Argentina. But raised in the US. But. Didn't really... get out much. Most of my food was prepared. Strict meal plans. And after that I... was off the grid. Didn't get to the grocery store. Lots of takeout?" Because Bill was usually way too busy with research and she wasn't all that great at cooking.

"And then on the ship, we had a buffet. It's neat to... grow actual fresh food now."

[maximumcake]

"Thank you. I will." He makes a mental note to go right over to the library after this.

"I think so too. There's something special about watching the work you put into it bloom and grow. Being able to cook with ingredients you brought to life yourself makes it taste better."

[300kgbackpack]

The twitch in Eddie's expression is noted, but not commented on. If something about his greeting is funny, he doesn't have the context outside of the juvenile humor that is the basis of that little retort on the imaginary Richie's part.

"Holdin' together," he replies easily, and tilts some in place to peek in at the birds scratching about. "Just got the spot ready for 'em, bedding and all. I can haul the feed back with me in the same trip too, if you can box 'em for me."

[configuration_birdwatcher]

There's a large, blocky mechanical individual lurking around the perimeter of the farm, watching the chickens scurry around and peck at the dirt in search of food. (And it's not First Aid.) When they realise Eddie's noticed them, they look up.

// Can I have chickens? I heard you were distributing them.

Which sounds like a beep and a whistle, but the words pop into Eddie's head regardless.

[batteryacid]

Eddie completes the fistbump, with a flicker of a smile. When John says 'we got a winner', Eddie nods with a pleased look.

(Chuck has found a bug to eat. He won't be trouble for a while.)

Eddie raises an eyebrow. "He remind you of someone?"

[batteryacid]

"Got a crate with handles on the side. Pascal built it specially for them..." Eddie wanders over to grab the empty crate, and brings it to Sam, "...made a couple actually, and said this one was as light as he could make it while still being sturdy."

Eddie loads the chicks into the crate. If Sam needs some time to figure out where or how to strap that chicken feed to him, now would be a good time. Dave calmly goes in, with just a few curious clucks. Eddie holds up a mostly brown chick, "This one's Abby." And later, when placing the last of the chicks, Eddie says, "This one's Fay. She's got some black feathers from her dad. Easy way to tell the difference."

[batteryacid]

Eddie pauses for a moment, wondering how the words got into his head. But then he shrugs to himself, in a 'this might as well happen' sort of way.

"Sure you can. Are you looking for an egg-layer or just a companion animal?"

[theydrewfirstblood]

"Couple of 'em." John admits softly as he watches the newly christened Sam get pecked at by Co and just ignore it, continuing to gently try to preen her ruffled feathers.

"My CO's name was Samuel Trautman." he goes on, shuffling forward to lean over and offer Sam his hand. Sam pauses his preening to gently peck John's fingers, then goes back to Co. "He was the one that recruited me to Special Forces. Lot like my Sam--dry humor, kinda quiet, steady as a fuckin' rock. Think they'd like each other."

[batteryacid]

Eddie nods thoughtfully, taking in the information that John shares.

Then he asks, "How are things? With you and Porter?" (Using Sam's last name to make it clear which one he means.)

[300kgbackpack]

Sam watches the chicks meandering around and pecking through the dirt, repeating their names under his breath then reaching out to one of them, only to watch them scatter at the sudden movement. He chuckles, and lets Eddie finish putting them into their crate to be taken back with him.

"Want me to bring it back so someone else can use it later?" he asks, figuring it would be easier to re-use the crate rather than having to build more of them.

[batteryacid]

"Oh, I'm sure you can find a use for it around your place," Eddie says easily. "You don't have to worry about bringing the crate back."