Chickening Out

Bad news on the coop front. We just heard from the owners of the farm we're leasing that we can't have chickens. I'm a little bummed, but their explanation was reasonable. Apparently some of the neighbors (who, like us, are on the hill that backs up to the wildlife canyon) tried keeping chickens. The coyotes went absolutely crazy. They came up from the canyon in multiple packs and swarmed the yards at all hours. We already have quite a coyote presence; I can only imagine what would happen if we got chickens. Even though the coop area is well-fenced, it probably wouldn't be the best thing to have several packs of coyotes stalking the property in broad daylight and howling all night.

It's disappointing, but that's the good thing about only leasing the farm. We're learning as we go, and we're not stuck with any of the mistakes. When I buy a farm or ranch, I now know to really assess the predator situation. Lesson No. 1: Don't assume that fencing can solve the problem. I do see the irony here, though. We escaped the confines of cramped and crowded Laguna Beach...where urban chicken coops are allowed. (Don't worry--I'm not pining to move back.)

Breaking Ground

Today we broke ground on the future residence of our intended flock of Ameraucanas, Buff Orpingtons, and Rhode Island Reds. After a lot of thought, we decided to put the coop in an abandoned dog run on the property. The run is approximately 45 x 30 feet and enclosed by a 10-foot high fence. It's not much to look at and, sadly, it's in an area that we can't see from the house. But given the coyote/fox/raccoon/opossum/skunk/hawk/owl situation out here, it's the safest place for the ladies and won't require a lot of new fencing. There's a water source in the run, and the perimeter is tightly sealed around the bottom with an extra ring of 2x4s. The chicks will get some nice sun and shade. Except for the fact that I can't see it from the house, it really is a perfect place for the coop.

The run currently has a layer of gravel atop a layer of paper mulch, but the Wrangler uncovered some nice reddish clay/dirt beneath the layers, and we're going to scatter some grass seed in a 15x8 foot patch.

It's a little late in the year to start with chicks, but we stopped by the local feed store today and were happy to see that it has some hens ready to go. Incidentally, the feed store had lots of interesting animals--all kinds of geese, turkeys, and ducks. It was hard to resist a pair of miniature goats. But first things first.

Back in the Coop

Okay, okay. I know I once proclaimed here that chickens are "so early 2009" before blithely moving on to such things as backyard goats and Babydoll sheep. But what came first, the chicken or the...goat? In my case, it was the urban chicken movement that got me thinking of all the other possibilities.

I've been so caught up with my impending shepherdhood that I've given scant thought to chickens. But while traveling this week I picked up Janice Cole's Chicken and Egg, a simply delightful memoir of suburban homesteading with 125 recipes. Although I'd all but fallen off the chicken bandwagon, I thought the book might be interesting because the author keeps backyard chickens not far from my hometown. I was more than a little curious to see how her chickens fared during the brutal Minnesota winters. What a charming account of learning to raise chickens! Janice, a food writer and former chef, also blogs about her Three Swingin' Chicks.

Because my supernova self often takes things to the extreme, I loaded up on chicken books this weekend. There are many good books for beginners, but I would be remiss if I failed to mention Chick Days, a fun new book by Jenna Woginrich. You might recall that Jenna graciously invited the Wrangler and me to visit her farm when we were in Vermont last fall, and we had a wonderful lesson in beekeeping and spinning wool.

And that is how I've come to be preoccupied with chicks, coops, and delicious fresh eggs all over again.

Funky Chicken