Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer: List 2

by Kelly Jones
When twelve-year-old Sophie Brown moves from a California city to a farm her dad has inherited, she is determined to learn how to raise the chickens she finds.

This list covers pages 60–119 of the 2016 Yearling edition.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3
35 words 32 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. raptor
    a carnivorous bird that hunts other animals
    1. Are you afraid of birds?

    A) Certainly not! Is anyone? I don’t believe it.

    B) Maybe a little bit, but my chickens would never know it.

    C) Yes, but only mean geese (and large raptors after I watch Hitchcock movies late at night).
  2. tend
    have care of or look after
    3. If you had the flu, what would you do?

    A) Go check on the chickens in the morning and evening, and clean out the coop while I’m at it, and only then collapse back into bed.

    B) Ask a family member or friend to tend to the chickens’ basic daily needs.
  3. compost
    a mixture of decaying vegetation and manure
    8. If you accidentally stepped in a pile of chicken droppings while collecting eggs one morning, what would you do?

    A) Take off my shoe and carefully carry it over to tip into the compost bin, not wasting a bit of the precious excrement fertilizer.
    B) Wipe it off on some nearby grass or hay and go about my business.
  4. acquire
    come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
    I’m sorry you’re bored, but please find a hobby that does not involve living things, or learn more about why you’d actually want chickens before you acquire your own.
  5. eligible
    qualified for or allowed or worthy of being chosen
    With your current score, you aren’t eligible to purchase chicks from Redwood Farm Supply.
  6. submission
    something put forward for the judgment of others
    After learning more about chickens and completing Lessons 1 and 2, you may wish to retake the quiz or write a 1,000-word essay on why you ought to be able to keep chickens. These submissions will be seriously reviewed and your status may change, so do not give up hope.
  7. renowned
    widely known and esteemed
    I suggest you take that money and save it for your advanced-degree program in agriculture, where you can tell internationally renowned scholars they’re doing it all wrong.
  8. regretfully
    with sadness or remorse
    Regretfully, Redwood Farm Supply has encountered an error which cannot be rectified, and we can no longer ship lessons to this student.
  9. rectify
    make right or correct
    Regretfully, Redwood Farm Supply has encountered an error which cannot be rectified, and we can no longer ship lessons to this student.
  10. correspondence
    communication by the exchange of letters
    BEGINNER’S CORRESPONDENCE COURSE IN PROPER CARE AND HOUSING FOR POULTRY:
 CHICKEN EDITION
  11. forage
    collect or look around for, as food
    Remember, even chickens who can forage for insects and other foods will get the majority of their nutritional needs from this feed, so choose wisely.
  12. roost
    a place where birds or bats take shelter and rest
    Raise the feeder to the height of the chickens’ backs, and avoid locating it under a roost or branch.
  13. parasite
    an animal or plant that lives in or on a host
    Consider adding a bit of food-grade diatomaceous earth (the fossilized remains of diatoms) to the feed to reduce flies and kill internal parasites.
  14. pulverize
    make into a powder by breaking up or cause to become dust
    As chickens do not have teeth, they eat sand and small stones to fill their gizzards. When they swallow food, it is sent to the gizzard, where the grinding stones pulverize the food.
  15. sufficient
    of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement
    If your chickens range outside, they will likely find sufficient grit on their own.
  16. primarily
    for the most part
    If they are kept primarily inside a barn, you should provide a container of grit for them to eat as needed.
  17. supplement
    add to what seems insufficient
    You can also collect garden pests such as slugs and cutworms for your chickens, or supplement your chickens’ feed with kitchen scraps such as vegetables, leftover low-fat and sugar-free dairy products, and even unspoiled cooked meats (chickens are omnivores).
  18. trowel
    a small hand tool with a handle and metal blade
    Then I put my gloves on and got a trowel and kind of scraped the chicken poop off the floor of the henhouse into a bucket and dumped it in the blackberry bushes.
  19. complication
    a development that makes a situation more challenging
    There were some complications while they wanted to tell that lady who tried to steal her (she said she’d lost her chickens), but Ms. O’Malley got Dad straightened out.
  20. strut
    walk in a proud, confident way
    She seemed pretty proud of herself, strutting around and squawking her head off when I told her she did a good job.
  21. wrench
    twist or pull violently or suddenly
    The door was shut, but I wrenched it open and looked inside.
  22. mottled
    having spots or patches of color
    It hopped to a lower branch, and turned to avoid another crow, and I saw it was mottled brown, with reddish tail feathers.
  23. sleek
    well-groomed and neatly tailored
    The hawk pecked at the ground, and as I watched, it started to change from being all bent over and hooked and sleek to a dark-red chubby chicken, with a huge red comb and a pointy chicken beak and a fluffy chicken butt.
  24. distinctive
    of a feature that helps to identify a person or thing
    Barred Plymouth Rock (also known as Barred Rock)
    Standard height, fluffy black-and-white plumage with distinctive barring, yellow featherless legs and feet.
  25. docile
    easily handled or managed
    Docile and friendly; good for children.
  26. debacle
    a sudden and complete disaster
    Ms. O’Malley helped me find some more chicken books (she thought I’d like one called Prairie Evers, and I think one called The Great Chicken Debacle sounds interesting).
  27. practical
    guided by experience and observation rather than theory
    She was friendly but practical, and she had lots of cheap things to suggest, like baths with Epsom salts and even feeding the chicken some olive oil.
  28. metabolism
    the organic processes that are necessary for life
    At night, chickens’ metabolism slows until they are virtually incapable of reacting to predators; they must have a secure place to roost where they will not be attacked.
  29. virtually
    slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
    At night, chickens’ metabolism slows until they are virtually incapable of reacting to predators; they must have a secure place to roost where they will not be attacked.
  30. accommodate
    have room for; hold without crowding
    Each roost should be:
    •Approximately 3 inches in diameter

    •Placed over straw, wood shavings, or newspapers
 (cleaned frequently)
    •Sited away from food and water, and not over other roosts

    •Long enough to accommodate the entire flock
  31. typical
    exhibiting the qualities that identify a group or kind
    It is not necessary to have a nest box for each hen in the flock, as hens typically lay at different times.
  32. fertile
    bearing in abundance, especially offspring
    Supply 1 nest box per 4 laying hens (consider an extra if allowing a hen to raise chicks from fertile eggs).
  33. necessarily
    as a highly likely consequence
    Agnes says it likes tomatoes, but it’s not like we can afford to waste tomatoes on a chicken my parents don’t know exists and wouldn’t necessarily want to catch anyway.
  34. inquisitive
    showing curiosity
    Friendly and inquisitive when hand-raised.
  35. dutiful
    willingly obedient out of a sense of respect
    So I dutifully told Gregory my parents had agreed, and he hung up so he could call and let the people who’d found the chicken know I’d be coming for her.
Created on Wed Mar 15 15:59:04 EDT 2023 (updated Wed Mar 22 16:22:23 EDT 2023)

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