A New Guest at the Table

It used to be annoying, but now it's cute. Every time we sit down for a meal, Blanca flies up to the window to join us.

Here she is for lunch:

And Family Dinner Night with Alyce:

And, for a post-work beer:
It's nice having company at mealtime:)

Chicken-Sitting

We are now chicken-sitting for Rosemary, a year-old brown leghorn from the Temescal neighborhood. Welcome to the Compound, Rosemary!

She looks totally freaked in this portrait..... and for good reason.

The story is tragic. Just like our coop, Rosemary's coop was under attack by urban predators looking for a midnight snack. Last Thursday night, a racoon got Rosemary's sister-chicken, leaving Rosemary an only bird. Her parents, Kristina and Deseree, asked us to take Rosemary in while they build a more secure dwelling.

Rosemary's a tough chick though. Our birds are doing their very best to make her feel unwelcome but she's not taking any s%$t. Rosemary does her own thing while our flock huddles together and talks gossip (see below).

I'm just glad Rosemary is here and safe. We're all safer in numbers.

Possum Attack!

Three times now, it's happened. I tried to pretend it was just a fluke and then a coincidence, but now it's official. A possum is after our birds!

This nasty creature - how does anyone find this animal cute?! - creeps out of the sewer to startle our sleeping birds. There's usually some kind of 4-1 brawl, and luckily our birds have won (or at least, survived) every fight.

But not without battle scars. See the dark spots on her beak and comb? That's dried blood.

The other girls are covered in dried blood too and Ruthie has lost part of her beak. Blanca is the only chicken that will let us near her now. The others are totally freaked. And, they've all significantly decreased egg production.

Until this possum decides to find a new place to hunt, our girls will have a 6PM curfew. And, I don't think they'll mind.

Schwarzenegger Stands Up for Chicken Rights

We're not throwing eggs at you this time, Mr. Govenator!

'Cause after all these years, you have finally backed an overworked, underserved segment of California's population - laying hens.

On Tuesday, Schwarzenegger signed A.B. 1437 which "requires all eggs sold in the state as of Jan. 1, 2015, to come from hens able to stand up, fully extend their limbs, lie down and fully extend their wings without touching each other or the sides of cages."

What a concept! It's mind boggling that most chickens get smooshed into teeny-weeny cages, never see the light of day and then somehow, miraculously, produce a delicious and nutritious egg.

Anyway, we're happy that California is blazing the trail for chicken rights. All of us at the Compound are squalking with joy.

Blue Egg Production Down in the Summer Quarter

Our blue egg producer, Blondie, has quit! It's been over a month since we've found a non-brown egg in the nest, and we don't know what's up with our bird.

Okay so, it's true the other hens do pick and peck on her a lot. Even though she's been around for forever, they still treat her like the "newbie". Maybe Blondie's depressed because she has no friends?

Online research gives the following reasons for lack of egg production:

Declining Day Length: Um, no. Today is like the longest day of the year.

Improper Nutrition: Also, no. Our girls get the most expensive chicken feed at the store plus a good sampling of organic vegetable scraps from our very own kitchen.

Broodiness: She never goes into the nest, so it can't be that.

Molting: Nope. She's not losing her feathers.

Age: Again, a big "No". Blondie's only a year old which makes her prime for laying.

Disease: She looks healthy, right?

Conclusion: Our original hypothesis of chicken depression must be accurate. Anyone know a chicken therapist?