Chicken Update

Chickens are strange birds. When they're out of their coop, they never seem to stray too far from it, preferring to circle it in search of food. The bits of styrofoam are all gone now, so they've switched their focus to plants and bugs. Doodle the rooster spends much of his time chasing the two hens back into the coop. Next door, there is a dog (the house is in the process of being sold, so I don't know whether the dog belongs to the old owners or new ones) who sticks its nose through one of the knotholes in the fence and whimpers piteously, no doubt wishing for a chicken dinner.

Yesterday, a large branch burdened with avocados reached its breaking point and fell into the yard next to the coop. When the chickens came out, this new addition to their surroundings turned the familiar yard into a strange and new place, inspiring them to venture further from the coop. They ended up on the walkway near the back door, where Dexter the cat sat and watched them. I'm not sure whether he is jealous that they get to play in the yard, or is contemplating a chicken dinner.

A couple of weeks ago, in the middle of the night, a small raccoon tried to get in to the coop. Doodle made some horrible noises and that, combined with Jeanine waking up to see what all of the fuss was about, scared Mr. Raccoon away. We've since fortified the outside of the coop with bricks. Next we'll add a moat and some watchtowers.

Poor chickens. Everybody wants them for dinner.

Today, the yard guys are giving the yard a makeover.