Bawk, bawk, bawk!

Three small dinosaurs joined the family. They’ve been on our radar for a while, but we didn’t have enough space at our old house according to the City Code. So, when we realized the yard at our new rental met the city’s area requirements for backyard poultry, M took the initiative to put in a chicken application with the city. And it got approved!

Before I knew it, Saturday morning came around and I found myself on a beautiful, rain-free drive through wine and lavender country on my way to pick up three special ladies–all hens entering their first laying season. One Speckled Sussex and two Golden Sexlinks. We had one egg within hours and three more the following morning. The eggs, of course, are delicious. I know you’ve all heard it before. Omnivorous diet. Slugs+insects+compost=quality egg. And it’s true. Home-grown chicken eggs are the best.

We currently have the chickens in a fenced enclosure with a coop that is locked up every night. When we’re home the ladies have more freedom to roam the fenced backyard. I designed the coop and M built it and installed temporary fencing. It was a good learning process. Building things, we found, can be expensive. We were eager to get things going as quickly as possible so we bought most of the materials new. On the plus side, we know the coop is sturdy and should last for years. And it can come with us when we have our future-someday-farm. I think it was a good investment.

So far the girls seem healthy, happy, and hilarious. Have you ever watched chickens? I have. And could for hours on end. Such characters. Constantly scheming for the next morsel. This is such a great opportunity for us to learn about a new farm animal on a small scale. The yard feels (and sounds) so full of life and activity. Spring is on its way! The earliest dahlias and daffodils are blooming, the eggs are coming, and we may have baby bunnies a few weeks away…