Missing our Chickens

 
People sometimes ask what we miss from the States when we're in Honduras or more lately what do we miss about Honduras since we've been back in the States.  Something we realize more and more each day is how much we miss our chickens.  Not as pets, because honestly they are pretty stupid and sometimes frustrating to deal with especially if they get out of their pen and into our garden.  We do not miss trying to capture them and redirect them back to their proper home.  Or how difficult it is to get a broody mother hen off a few eggs she is sitting on to collect them. On the plus side it was always a great day when I wanted to make/bake something, realized I couldn't because I was out of eggs only to go outside, say a quick prayer, and find exactly what I needed in the nesting boxes!  What we do miss about them are the eggs they produce every day to restock our pantry, the meat they provide when we decide to cook one, and most of all the way they consume products from the yard and kitchen scraps.  I guess what I am missing is not wasting so much!

Here I feel like I am wasting (having to throw away) so many things that I know could go to good use.  Between our chickens, rabbit, dog, composting, and recycling in Honduras we have very little waste.  Here where we are currently living we have none of those options so everything goes into the trash can.  At home in Honduras any vegetable or fruit peelings we gave to the chickens, rabbits, or compost.  Any hardened or moldy bread, day old popcorn, or anything like that could go to the dog or chickens and they loved it!  Of course left overs to the dog as well.  Egg shells, paper, non dairy/meat kitchen scraps or spoiled fruits and veggies went into our compost pile.  All of our plastics/aluminums/metals/etc. we saved until the man with a pick up truck and scale came through our town on Sundays and we sold him our recyclables.  All of the yard cuttings went to feed the chickens, rabbits, or piled in the compost as well.  Even left over liquid from cooking veggies/meat didn't go down the sink, we would drizzle it over our dog's dog food and she was in heaven!

So we are talking about how to not waste here.  Things like having a worm bin under the kitchen sick like we used to when we lived here before.  Also, collecting recyclables and dropping them off at a collection place.  There are some things that we could attempt to do here with some extra effort.  We'll still miss the fresh eggs from the chickens and the ease of dumping yard cuttings and kitchen scraps in their pen and watching them have the time of their life consuming it.  You should see how much fun they have with overripe lady fingers (mini bananas). I guess it's small scale permaculture we have going on at our home in Honduras.  It's a beautiful thing once you truly experience it and hard to come back and see so much go unused.