This is What I'm Seeing Out My Window Today

I'm looking out my kitchen window today and here flies up one of our black chickens.

Right outside the window is a brick ledge.  I think the bird saw me and thought if it pitifully flew up there and looked at me, I would have pity on it and feed it.  I didn't.

These birds won't lay.  We've had them since summer, but none of them are laying.  The days are shorter now, so I think that's the problem because chickens need about 14 hours of daylight during their best laying seasons.  With my older birds, I keep a light on all the time in the coop, which makes them think the sun is shining longer, so they never stop laying.  Some folks think a bird needs the down time in the winter to not lay, but in my opinion, a chicken has such a short amount of good laying time to begin with (about 2 years) that I really need all the eggs out of it that I can, especially when I spend so much on feed.

Chicken and rice is on the menu for tonight.  This is how I made it:

Chicken and Rice
Meat from one bird. (I debone a chicken and then saute the meat in safflower oil.  You could also use leftover chicken from a bird you had baked or crock-potted, etc.)
2 cups cooked rice (while brown rice is healthier it seems to lack a certain flavor for us in this casserole)
1 can carnation evaporated milk (half and half or whole is a fine substitute)
1 can mushroom soup
2 eggs (from aforementioned chickens)
1 - 2 c shredded cheese (sharp cheddar or monterey jack)
1/2 c chopped onion
sea salt to taste
pepper to taste
parsley or cilantro to taste

Add all ingredients, put into casserole dish and bake at 350 for about 1 hour.

The bird is still looking at me!! :-)