Live Broadcast With Farmer Fred!

I had the privilege this Sunday (Feb 28th) of being an in-studio radio guest for Fred Hoffman (a.k.a. "Farmer Fred"), which aired live on Talk Radio KSTE 650 and KFBK 1530 from 9:30 to 11am.

The KFBK Garden Show and Get Growing happen each Sunday morning in the greater Sacramento region, and I've been an avid listener for many years! So it was a huge deal to me personally to be on the show. It was great to see the behind-the-scene activities of a radio show, and Fred was a gracious host! We talked about bringing home new chicks, took phone and email questions, and had a blast.
My husband took pictures, so here's a look:

In case you missed it live, there are podcasts! Woot! Woot!

The podcast link to the first half (on KFBK) can be heard here:
http://kfbk.iheart.com/media/play/26768179/

The link to the second half (on KSTE) can be heard here:
http://kste.iheart.com/media/play/26768230/

ITunes Users:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kfbk-garden-show/id271150038
and
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/get-growing/id281910939

Chicken Classes - in March & April!

Mark your calendars, our next "Backyard Chickens 101" classes will be held on Saturday, March 19th and Saturday, April 23rd!

Growing Up With Chickens....

When I was a child, my grandparents lived in a mountain top home called "Chalair". Surrounded by tall pine trees and manzanita, us kids would run and hike all day, only to be called back home (just in time for dinner) by my grandmother's voice echoing through the mountains. Some of my most favorite memories are of living up there, including my memories of chickens....


That's me, crouched on the far left!



But not all memories are pleasant ones, I'm afraid! Truth is, my grandparents had MEAN chickens, ones that would peck fiercely or chase you if you got too close (hence the picture; that was as close as we dared to be! You can see the look of  fear in my eyes ;-). I loved to watch them search for bug treats, listen to all the different sounds they made, and the simple way they explored the world around them.

At night they would perch in the trees next to the house, even though my grampa tried to keep as many in the coop at night as possible....they would eventually all be eaten by something, a predator who found an easy dinner, and grampa would bring in a new batch of birds. I can still remember taking the kitchen scraps out to the coop and the smell of pine shavings as I collected the eggs from the nest boxes...it's funny how those simple things stand out in your mind.

I was determined that some day when I had a home of my own, I would have NICE chickens...friendly ones that wouldn't peck or attack, that would let me pet them! Whooyoo! Little did I know back then that I'd end up with so many, and that "chickens" would be such an important part of my life as an adult. Life's funny that way, isn't it?