Chick Lit

It is a little-known fact that the Tarlow family were blessed with an addition of three hens during the COVID. Not only do they provide us with eggs, they also provide us with hours of entertainment. Simon Seitz has encouraged me to start writing a book about my memoirs as the "chicken lady". That's not going to happen, but for today I'll share just five of the funnier chicken escapades, and my favorite picture of Chupchick the chicken.

The Last Straw

The day Daniel Tarlow brought ANOTHER old fridge into our garden for repair, I named the fridge "The Last Straw", and decided to go and get the additions that *I* had always wanted for the garden – chickens. Simon, Amanda Seitz and their crew joined me and most of my crew (Daniel was out, Ayelet was in quarantine), and we "went on a tiyul" followed by what became known as The Great Chicken Escape. Each one of the Great Chicken Escape party got a code name (Pink Mask, The Chicken Man from the West, Chicken Lady etc.) We found someone who was selling chickens on Yad 2, we went to the moshav, picked up the chickens, put them in boxes at the back of the Seitz's car and the chicken convoy made its way back to Elazar. Before Daniel returned, we dragged The Last Straw (fridge) to where we wanted it, turned it on its side, and foraged around the garden to complete building the chicken coop. The chickens moved into The Last Straw coop. Over the past few months, we did renovations (with Daniel's generous help), added fences with chicken wire (yes) and provided the ladies with an awesome space in our garden. Last Straw Fridge became their beloved home and roost.

Naming

Within the first few days we noticed that one of the chickens had a lot of character. She is somewhat of an escape artist, she attempts crazy stunts and acts like she rules the roost, literally. We named her "Her Chickenness". One of the chickens had a kind of chupchik by her mouth, we called her Chupchik. One of the chickens had no exceptional features, we called her The Spare.

The Great Escape

One day I was on a Zoom meeting with Important Clients in America, when I looked out the lounge window to see Her Chickenness has escaped the coop and was walking on the wall that separates us from our neighbors. There is NOTHING I could do about it; these are Important Clients. Twenty minutes later, when the meeting is over, Her Chickenness is nowhere to be seen. I post on the Yishuv WhatsApp group that I am missing a chicken, has anyone seen one. Someone on the street below answers back "she's in my garden". I run to the said garden, chase the chicken into a corner so I can pick her up, and carry her home. We give the family who found Her Chickenness some eggs in exchange for helping us get her back home. The Shabbat after this event, our family spent all our Shabbat meals making up "why did Her Chickenness cross the road" jokes.

Tree Climbing

One time we came home from a night event, to find Her Chickenness had once again escaped her coop, and unable to return to sleep, had jumped-flown into the fig tree. Chickens are too big to sit on a twig of a tree, and while she managed to get up, she was petrified and could not get down. Daniel saved her by plucking her off the tree and putting her back in the coop. She has not tried to get back into the fig, or any other tree since, even Her Chickenness knows her limits.

The Smoker

The chickens often take themselves for walks around our yard and often end up exploring Daniel's five smokers. Daniel has threatened that he will train them to walk *into* his smokers. This week to Daniel's surprise, he discovered that the chicken who we thought wasn't laying eggs after a minor trauma, had actually wiggled between and under a whole lot of smokers, and made the smoker area her own by leaving there eleven gorgeous eggs.

Also, I would like to acknowledge my chicken mentor... Naomi Elbinger from Bloomah's City Farm in Beit Shemesh, thanks for all your advice and help.