Snow White is either a liar or has been practicing black magic in her spare time. How else would she be able to commune with wild animals without being ripped limb from limb? Forest creatures are NOT cute and cuddly. They are cut-throat, vicious, murderous lunatics on a mission to destroy my innocent flock of chickens and my WHOLE LIFE.
Don’t be fooled by this seemingly peaceful scene. It’s scarytown.
Ok, maybe I’m overreacting a little bit to nature being nature. We were the ones who laid out the tasty chicken buffet for all the visiting foxes and raccoons. They must think we’re about the dumbest city-slickers on the planet. Until two weeks ago, I didn’t even know foxes lived in New Jersey. [this is where I pause for your laughter and eye-rolling]
Adorable family pet or fox chow?
As a side note, our mangy chicken Hazel, who no one loved, has not only survived one – but TWO – fox attacks in two weeks. I don’t think I have more respect for another creature on Earth. That chick is BADASS for real. She is healing nicely from the second attack and has been reintroduced to the flock. I’m sure she’s telling the rest of the girls some amazing stories right now.
So after all this craziness, Justin took action and built an amazing run for our ladies. If anything manages to work its way into this fortress, we give up (or we get a dog).
Ryan Gosling wanted to build a coop for me, but Justin is my man!
How cute are Justin’s chicken-town blueprints? I love him!!
Justin may be quitting photography to build chicken castles full-time.
The end of the story is that everyone is FINALLY safe and sound in their new home. The little chickens and big chickens are getting along just fine and the two flocks have been integrated without incident. I got a request to talk about how I did it, and I think it came down to three important factors:
– I combined two established flocks. I wasn’t introducing just one or two new chickens to an established flock. There were already established cliques and pecking orders within the individual flocks, and strength-in-numbers among the sets of “friends” kept them safe from each other. There was a little fighting over bugs, but it all resolved itself quickly.
– I chose breeds with gentle demeanors. Cochins and Speckled Sussex tend to be friendly, sweet birds. They’re more motherly and docile than other breeds, so they’re also less likely to be aggressive or to peck on smaller chicks.
– They were introduced on neutral ground. Justin just built the new run, so no one had time to get territorial about the space. They were all happy to be exploring and didn’t pay attention to the fact that stranger-birds were around.
I’ve also heard that introducing birds at night while they’re sleeping is a good idea. Chickens are pretty dumb. If they all wake up together, they tend to think that everyone has been there all along.
The big girls are mostly just confused by the babies.
But after all the drama that living in the middle of nature for the past month has brought, I still think I’m as close to living in paradise as I’m ever going to get. It feels like a dream. I know the forest creatures aren’t my enemy. They were here first, so it’s my responsibility to figure out how to live in peace in harmony… like Snow White (in fluorescent spandex).
There’s nothing I love more than being close to nature, which brings me to this week’s completely awesome giveaway from Pluggz!!
Shoes that connect you to the ground? Yes!
If I’m not working out in sneakers, I’m pretty much barefoot all the time. Raw food guru and celebrated nutritionist, Dr. Fred Bisci, gave me the great advice to go barefoot outside and connect to the earth for just a little bit every day, and that was some of the best health advice I’ve ever gotten. Pluggz are shoes (flip-flops now and adorable ballet flats coming this Fall) that keep you connected to the Earth’s energy source when you can’t be barefoot.
From their website:
“Each pair [of Pluggz] contains black plugs made from a custom carbon and rubber compound that sit under a weight bearing part of our feet ensuring electrical contact between the earth and us. These plugs are designed to conduct a flow of free electrons from the earth to our bodies. This proprietary technology allows us to get grounded when we walk on grass, sand, soil – or even concrete.
People say they feel better when walking barefoot on grass or sand or earth. According to modern science that’s because being barefoot enables the body to efficiently absorb earth’s abundant electrons. The very same electrons that make us feel good. Traditional shoes interfere with this absorption. Not pluggz. Every pair of pluggz has a black plug – the round circle towards the front of the shoe, beneath your metatarsal that is particularly adept at allowing the free transfer of the electrons, naturally giving your body what it needs to help heal itself, and stay balanced and happy. In a way, the earth is the one releasing the healing. All pluggz do is let it happen.”
Pluggz is giving away pairs of their flip-flops to five lucky BEXLIFE readers. All you have to do is follow the giveaway instructions below the video for a chance to win. Good luck! xo
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Please visit Pluggz at Pluggz.com!
Facebook: Facebook.com/pluggzfootwear
Twitter: @Pluggz
WIN ONE OF FIVE PAIRS OF PLUGGZ! Just follow the instructions below to enter the giveaway.
– Comment on this post with your favorite thing to do outdoors.
– For an extra entry, tweet the following message (and comment separately that you tweeted): “Get grounded with your own Pluggz flip-flops from @GirlRucki and @Pluggz – https://www.bexlife.com/?p=4699 #grounding #FitFluential”
– The giveaway ends Friday, June 15 at 11:59PM EST. Five winners will be chosen at random using Random.org and will be announced the following Monday. Sorry international peeps, giveaway is open to followers with US shipping addresses only.
PS – If you have any chicken questions, post them below for my next chicken update video. Chickens are great pets and provide eggs which are high in protein and vitamins. Even if you aren’t able to raise your own chickens, growing your own garden is an incredibly rewarding experience.
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