GIVEAWAY & Being Perfectly Imperfect: What a Chicken and a Dog Can Teach You

This book is a visual delight for everyone to see
and the story of Percy's struggle for perfection is touching

We are all well aware of the standards of perfection that are impressed upon us on a daily basis.  How we measure up, quite literally and figuratively  from our newborn days til the last of our lives somehow become an unnecessary definition of who we are.  These concepts have lead to increased incidents of bullying in our schools, lowered self esteem and higher rates of depression and anxiety.  In short, we are so worried about being perfect that we are letting it control our lives.  But what is perfect?

I had the opportunity to examine this exact question from a unique and unexpected angle after visiting the Ohio National poultry show in November.  No, it wasn't the striking plumage of some rare breed or the shining display of trophies that put my mind in action.  It was a chance meeting there with a wonderful man who has accomplished many things.  While pursuing the vendor tables and club displays, a table set up caught my eye.  A book, but not just any book.  A brightly colored, vividly illustrated children's book beckoned to me from a few stands away.

Roo relaxes with a young reader and enjoys hearing a great story

I simply adore books and couldn't resist straying that way.  I am one half of a registered therapy team and, along with my partner Roo, together we do something we truly enjoy.  As a Pet Partner therapy team and a Reading Education Assistance Dog team, we visit our local elementary school several days a week.  While we are there, we work with students one-on-one in a safe, supportive environment where they do something truly special: they become a storyteller to a canine friend.  The young student reinforces literacy skills by reading aloud a story to Roo, who listens to them without judgement of their possible hesitations or mistakes.  They find a love and support without limits or conditions from Roo, and a friend to offer assistance from me.  We call our little group Read to Roo, and we love our time at the school.  (please visit Roo's facebook page, Roo's blog or Read to Roo's website to learn more)

The children get to read along with the book via projector

A few moments after approaching that table, in meeting Rick Rieser and learning more about his wonderful book, I knew I wanted him to come to our school.  In a kind and professional manner, Mr. Rieser spoke to me about Percy Learning Farms and his experiences with children's advocacy and his efforts to help strengthen anti-bullying efforts employed by schools.  His book, Percy the Perfectly Imperfect Chicken, takes a message that so many have tried to help instill to children today and puts a new spin on it.   

Percy is born into a flock of hens who are obsessed with perfection - so much so that they threaten a pecking to the newly hatched chick if he is found less than to their standards.  What's a youngster to do?  Afraid that he will not look just right for them, he hides away while he grows.  Soon he finds that he is far more different that they had ever imagined and the hens begin to gang up on him.  He flies away in fear and finds that from that birds eye view (see how that works?) things with the hens are not quite as they would like it to seem.  They too are hiding little flaws from the others and Percy tactfully points them out to them one by one, allowing the reader to draw personal comparison that perhaps bullies are hiding something of their own which makes them insecure.  The story ends in a most heartwarming way, with the coop learning a lesson about acceptance and love.  My favorite lines of the entire book are that of the last page:

"Mama what's perfect?" Percy still did persist.

Mama said, "Percy, it's nothing.  It doesn't exist." 

Roo's Lucky Foot
and his stylish brace

This really resonated with me, because my wonderful therapy dog is often viewed as being imperfect.  Allow me to explain, because at quick glance you might never see it.  He is a healthy, beautiful example of a dog who is intelligent, kind and gentle.  His manners are exceptional and he is as friendly to a stranger as he is a life long friend.  In watching him walk however, you would begin to see his differences.  Rather than the graceful fluid movements of a collie, his gait is bouncy - more like that of a horse's trot.  You see, Roo was born with a deformity in his front left leg and paw.  The leg itself is narrowed through to the foot, and his paw only has three toes.  They aren't sure why this happened to him when the rest of the litter was unaffected.

People often pause and ask "what's wrong with him" when they see Roo walking toward them.  Some days his differences are made even more obvious when his arthritis flares and he needs to wear his leg brace.  When I hear people question me with that all familiar phrase, I usually respond in the same way: absolutely nothing is wrong.  He is just right.

He may walk differently, lay down differently.  His left leg and foot might appear quite different when it's compared to the right.  But nothing, nothing is wrong with this remarkable dog.  In fact, I'm grateful he is so unique.  If not, he might have ended up in the show ring, a show dog like his parents were, instead of doing what we love to do so very much.  What makes him special has brought him to this time and place he's in today and sharing his life with the children he adores!  I will forever be grateful for his differences and embrace them as something to be celebrated.  His left foot has even earned the nickname of "Lucky Foot", because we feel it was very lucky for us that he came into our lives.

...and you simply cannot deny that it bears a strong resemblance to a rabbit's foot, a long-believed superstitious charm.

Please visit the Animals for Life Foundation
for more information about this amazing organization

Over the summer I wrote and applied for a grant through a wonderful foundation called the Animals for Life Foundation.  This organization strives to educate the public and supports the many ways that animals play a positive part of our lives.  I was honored to be one of their grant award recipients and their grant has helped fund our 2012-2013 school year supplies, activities and events for Read to Roo.  Because of this wonderful grant from the Animals for Life Foundation, I was able to host an event in which we could have Rick Rieser come in and share his book with our school.  

Rick helps explain to the children why we should all be proud
of the things that set us apart and make us unique

On March 5, our students in grades K-3 all enjoyed grade specific assemblies in which Mr.  Rieser shared Percy the Perfectly Imperfect Chicken via projector.  During the assemblies  the students were involved in the story, being asked questions about how they thought different characters were feeling and if they had ever felt the same way.  They were encouraged to go to a trusted family member or school official if they ever felt like they were being judged harshly or bullied, like Percy had been.  We all had a wonderful talk (see Roo's interview with Rick)...then, the feathers really began to fly...

Rick and Little Percy (left); Sprinkles calmly stands & watches (center); Hershey meets friends from the audience (right)

This was, of course, all in the best of ways!  Rick brought along three of his own chickens for the children to meet, each one looking strikingly different than the next.  Sprinkles the Silkie, Little Percy the Serama and Hershey the Chocolate Orpington all were fun and entertaining to show the children that we can all look different and beautiful in our own special, unique ways.  Everyone had such a wonderful time meeting Rick and his friends and sharing in the special message that Percy's book has for us all.

I would love to share that message with some of you as well.  I'm proud to announce that I will be hosting my very first giveaway!  Two Grand Prize Winners will receive an autographed softcover copy of Percy the Perfectly Imperfect Chicken and a Percy Learning Farms T-Shirt.  Three additional winners will receive a Percy Learning Farms T-Shirt.  (only sizes XS and XL are available)

Follow the link below to enter for your chance to win!  The contest ends March 20th and the winners will be announced on March 21st.  Good Luck!

Click HERE to Enter!

Visit Manna Pro and Enter to Win

It seems like only yesterday my little chicks came home and first started exploring their brooder; trying the feeder, spilling the waterer, and doing what little chicks do best - besides looking adorable.  Yes, I do mean making a mess!  How do you keep your brooder fresh?

I'll admit, I was a round the clock cleaner.  Constantly trying to stay ahead of 11 little chicks was impossible!  I wish I'd known about Coop N Compost and how it could save me some time in between cleanings.  Now I've got a new trick up my sleeve for the next time, and I do plan on getting chicks again!

If you'd like to read more about using Coop N Compost with baby chicks and have a chance to win a supply of your own, visit Manna Pro's blog and enter their contest today.  The contest ends March 25th, so be sure to get your name in before those baby chicks start hatching!

Pumpkin-Apple Harvest Delight Muffins

Look at all those little goodies inside just
waiting for the chickens to peck them out!

If you have learned anything from looking at my blog, it's that I love my animals dearly.  Some folks might think that it is a bit overkill to bake for birds and if you would have asked me a few years ago, I might have been one of them.  But day by day, these feathered creatures have shown me that they have as much personality and capacity for love as the traditional family pets I was raised with and found it commonplace to give treats to.  They beg for goodies, jumping and racing around at my feet to make sure they are at the very front of the line.  Their eyes look up, shining and expectant, waiting to see if I have something special with me.  Oh, and the delighted little noises when they receive even simple scraps of vegetables or fruits!  Who am I to deny them this pleasure?  Who am I to deny myself this enjoyment in watching their happy antics?

This particular batch of muffins came about because of an event we had scheduled for February 22nd for my volunteer reading program called Read to Roo (see website here, blog here and Facebook here).  Author of Percy the Perfectly Imperfect Chicken, Rick Rieser, and a few feathered friends were set to come in and speak with our students about his wonderful book.  In this book, a new little chicken (Percy) hatches in the coop and soon is discovered by the others.  He is found to be less than perfect in their eyes and feels ashamed, though he doesn't quite understand what perfect is.  I will be writing a book review, event details and even be hosting a book give away soon - so stay tuned for that!

I wanted to be able to give Rick's birds a thank you gift for being good companions and helping the children experience the book's message in a fun way, besides being an extra exciting way to get to learn more about chickens for those who have never been around them!  Wanting to give them something that was heartfelt and showed them I appreciated him going the extra mile with the kids experience of the book, what better way than with home-baked goodies?

from my original Pumpkin Muffin recipie:
muffin for humans (Right), muffin for chickens (Left)

I decided to dust off my old Pumpkin Muffin recipe and make that for Rick's birds.  My girls really loved it, and it freezes and thaws very well in case he didn't want to use the entire batch all at once.  I began to get my ingredients out when an idea struck me.  I had recently purchased a bag of Manna Pro Harvest Delight Poultry Treat.  My recipe called for mixing in sunflower seeds, raisins, and craisins...why not substitute this wonderful poultry treat in place of the typical mix in's?

For those who have never heard of Manna Pro Harvest Delight Poultry Treat, here is a quote taken directly from Manna Pro's website:

Harvest Delight™ Poultry Treat is a great way to reward your flock! With whole grains and real fruits and vegetables, you can provide a treat year-round that contains the goodness of a spring garden! And with peanuts, flax, sunflower seeds and your specially-formulated nutrition pellets, you’re also getting added protein, vitamins and minerals. At Manna Pro, we understand that animals are our companions as well as our providers. So whether you raise blue-ribbon show birds or you simply enjoy the eggs and entertainment from your backyard flock, treat your feathered friends with wholesome and delicious Harvest Delight.

• Wholesome and delicious!
• Whole grains, peanuts, carrots, tomatoes, raisins, flaxseed, sunflower seeds and more!
• Perfect for treating your flock!

Ingredients and Nutritional Information for this product can be found here. 

my own shot of some of the delectables for your chickens inside Harvest Delight Poultry Treat by Manna Pro

Thus, this recipe modification was born:

Pumpkin-Apple Harvest Delight Muffins

• 1 c. all purpose flour
• 3/4 c. cornmeal
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2.c old fashioned oats
• 1/2 c. wheat germ with flax seed
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/4 c. pumpkin
• 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
• 1 c. applesauce (natural, no sugar added)
• 2 c. Manna Pro Harvest Delight Poultry Treat

Dry Ingredients + Pumpkin + Applesauce + Egg

    

All Mixed Up

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, oats, wheat germ and nutmeg until blended.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the lightly beaten eggs, pumpkin and applesauce.  Mix together until blended.
4. Add wet and dry ingredients together and mix well.
5. Stir the Manna Pro Harvest Delight Poultry Treat into the well mixed batter.  
6. Spray muffin tins with a light spray of non-stick cooking spray.  (or line with liners if you choose, but I haven't been.  They don't mind the slightly chewy bottoms and lets face it...peeling off that paper only slows you down when you've got beggars at your feet!)
7. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full of batter.
8. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until muffins are a beautiful golden (somewhat orange) brown and they pass the "toothpick test".

Read, Set, Bake!

My daughter and I made this batch in a mini-muffin pan, baked at 15 minutes exactly, and had enough batter for 48 mini-muffins.  These pint sized baked goods looked good enough to eat - but we didn't - and got packaged up to gift as soon as they were cooled.  I could hardly wait to see if his birds would enjoy their snack as much as we had enjoyed making them.

Flash forward to 05:40 am when school is canceled due to an ice and snow storm, you'd find me pouting in bed.  I had my heart set on so much that day with the event and so many people had worked hard to pull it all together.  I knew it would be rescheduled, but I couldn't deny myself a childish moment of sulking.

Flash forward to 07:00 am when I finally brave the elements and slip slide my way to the chicken coop to do chores.  The wind is still whipping pretty fiercely out here, so I decide to keep the girls on lock down a bit longer until the storm subsides and they look at me with (almost) narrowed eyes as I don't pop open the coop door to the run.  Bad momma!  Then, a crinkling sound from the depths of my deep winter jacket pockets shake them from their tantrum.  I have brought them muffins and I have been redeemed.  Good momma.  This pleases them and they coo excitedly, forgetting that they have been denied the going's on of the outside world for a bit longer.

I will again make another batch of muffins the night before the rescheduled event to gift to Rick's chickens, because these were a massive hit with my girls.  Without a doubt, they preferred this over the original pumpkin muffin recipe and it has to be because of all the wonderful surprises hidden inside each muffin, thanks to Manna Pro Harvest Delight Poultry Treat!  

...If this keeps up, my chickens are going to need their own recipe box...