Adventure chicken and more...

Several years ago we had one hen that refused to stay behind the fence with the rest of the flock. She preferred to hang out in the front yard, and made nests in interesting spots that we would have to look for. More than once she came in the pet door and laid an egg in the guest bathroom. Chris dubbed her, "Adventure Chicken." Since she left the safety of the fenced area so much, some critter finally turned her into chicken dinner, and we missed her. 

The latest flock also has an Adventure Chicken. I first noticed that her white feathers had greasy stuff on them. After a while I realized it was because she's been hanging out under the cars. Then when a neighbor friend was pruning my fruit trees she found a pretty little nest under a kayak she had to move. (photo credit Cheryl Denz.) 

She hops the fence early in the morning, and putters alone around the front yard until mid day, then rejoins the flock. I find her to be wildly entertaining. Today we found a new nest nestled in the hay bales in the garage. People think chickens are stupid, and don't give them much credit for having big personalities. I disagree. It's interesting to see them interact and notice their individuality. 

What makes one out of a flock of 21 decide to be a loner? 

 Speaking of eggs... the chickens are  not terribly fond of using their nest boxes. Mostly they lay their eggs in the duck house, and a few renegades sneak into the Silky coop to lay in there and eat all the food before running off.  It occurred to me that the girls might like their nest boxes more if they were a little less open. They seem to prefer a some privacy when they lay. So today Chris helped me staple some bandannas up to screen the spaces. Ever curious, the girls quickly investigated.

I am anxious to see if our experiment works. It looks cute, at any rate. 

While I was messing about with the bandanna stash, the goaty girls got a little spring decorating. Don't they look jaunty?

After many grey and rainy days, today was bright and the sun felt warm on my skin. Chris got the garden hoses working for me last week, and this makes my life ever so much easier. Instead of hauling jugs of water out to the birds, I can just turn the hose on and fill containers to my hearts content. The ducks are overjoyed to have their pool thawed and back in commission.

The pasture is showing hints of green breaking up the expanses of dull brown, there are frogs singing in the evening, and this afternoon the little goat with back trouble fell asleep in my lap. Despite the strangeness in the world right now, there is much to be grateful for.