Before and After

Some of you know I inherited a chicken a few months ago.  She and all her egg-mates got attacked by a vicious wiener dog and she was the only survivor.  Her owner, my cousin, decided one bird wasn't worth keeping around so I offered to take her under my wing. At first she got along just fine with my other girls, but I think they became jealous {or hormonal} because they started attacking her when they began laying. Anyway, when she first came home we thought she was a leghorn.  But then she kept growing and growing and growing and didn't lay any eggs.  Turns out she was a Cornish Cross and at over 10lbs, she was getting dangerously large for her legs.   Long story short, {and sparing all the details} I learned how to transition her from eating my garden and lounging around the yard to the dinner table. She was delish.  And she fit perfectly into my month of local eating.  I seasoned her with Winder Dairy butter, garlic from Sandhill Farms, and basil from my garden.  She was the size of a small turkey, and we have been enjoying her for 2 days.  I'm gearing up for Thanksgiving.  Local turkeys, here I come {and I'm wielding my feather-plucking fingers}!