Twin Cities Tour of Chicken Coops

I was pleasantly surprised by the number of urban chicken people so close to home. Nothing like getting fellow chicken people telling stories, exchanging ideas and experiences, giving and taking advise. Talking with people who really know what it is like to be greeted in the morning by your chickens makes you feel, well, not as odd anyway.

I did find out the Cleo was a mistaken identity. She is not a Marans, though she does look like one, she is actually a Barred Rock and she has many of her kind in the neighborhood. I wonder if we got all the Barred Rocks and the Buff Orpingtons together in one place, would they know who their human was? They say that sheep know their shepherd's voice, what about chickens? The problem is, if they don't recognize us, how would we know which ones are ours? You know they all look alike. Do we all look alike to them too?

We saw a lot of ideas for improvements and we saw the benefits of what we do.

Interestingly, we are the only ones who seem to be bothered by the raccoons. Lots of hawk stories though.

Chickens and other life stories

I haven't been here since Easter! Sorry girls, your lack of egg production put me in a fog of depression. Do you know what it's like having to admit that you're not laying eggs like it says on the box cover; "These chickens will lay one egg every 24-36 hours as long as they are healthy." So when one of you stops, I feel like I must be doing you wrong somehow. Now that you are both laying again on schedule, I realize it was probably the intense heat of July, and the trauma of me being gone ALL THE WAY TO INDIA for almost all of June and a good part of May, after all I wasn't really fully here the few weeks before and the after my trip--kind of like what the kids go through going to camp but they usually do better during those times, they actually speak to each other, though maybe it was because  they actually did the traveling. Is that the problem? Did you want to go to India with me?? Let me tell you, they don't treat chickens as nicely there as you are treated here--at least not the ones I saw. You are much better off here. But now you are both laying again in a regular fashion and Bel, since it was you that had the most difficulty, you sure are proud of yourself when you lay. Cleo, you just take it in stride, like "I am just being a chicken. No big deal."

Recent News: I came out of the house one day last week to find a hawk sitting on your coop. You both knew it too because you were hiding in your nesting box, right under the hawk's nose. So we now have string and vcr tape string across the coop area. Seems to be working but last night I found a hawk tail feather. Did we have another visit girls? You two had better keep your noses up when outside the coop area because I can't protect you out there.

One more thing girls, I may be a little distracted--just a warning, because I am going through one of those life marking events: I am going to be the MOTHER OF THE BRIDE! I know, no big deal, but do you know what your grandmother went through before you were hatched. Not that I am going to be a grandma yet but I don't know what chickens call it when there is a new rooster in the house. Don't fret. It will calm down again after mid October so please just keep laying those eggs.