I am sad to say that we are chickenless.  Last week I came home and before I could even walk in the door, my husband said "You better come see this" and I knew it was going to be bad.  Sad little Chicken Nugget was laying on her side unable to stand up.  We really couldn't figure out what was wrong with her.  So we made her a nest out of towels in a laundry basket and brought her inside so she would be warm.  She wasn't eating or drinking and barely opening her eyes.  Physically she was a mess.  When I walked by talking she would perk up and try and get to her feet but couldn't.  To make a long and gruesome story short she is gone.  
   I was surprised at how sad I was.  I know she is just a chicken, and I eat chicken, but she added a lot of personality to the backyard and it is so quiet now!  Every time I would walk in the backyard they would scurry over to the fence as fast as they can and be undeservingly eager to see me.  Now, it is just quiet. 

      Poor Barbecue poked around calling for her for a few days.  Then one day we went outside and then we walked into the basement.  She let out the loneliest cry ever and we decided living alone was not a good life for her.  Nugget and Barbecue had never spent a night apart.  I actually read that chickens won't survive alone because they are such social creatures.  We ended up finding family of a friend who has six chickens out in Shingle Springs and taking Barbecue up there.  I have gotten word that she has integrated with the other hens and is laying eggs again! 
   

 So, we have gone from a house full of chickens to an empty nest.  Sad.

     When the chickens are being bad, I first try and have a logical talk with them.  I explain why they should not jump on the hot tub and poop.  I explain why we don't want them squawking at seven in the morning.  I also talk to them about the importance of laying an egg everyday.  
     However, sometimes this doesn't work, and we have to resort to more drastic methods of discipline.  This usually involves the hose.  

       Before we built the chicken fence, Barbecue and Nugget loved to sit on top of our outdoor table like they were the kings of the castle.  This meant when we went out for a nice summer meal on the the porch, we had to do some poop duty first.  We discovered that the chickens hate being sprayed with water! They squawk and waddle away as fast at their little legs will take them until they find a suficient hiding spot or get out of the range of fire.  Using this we trained them to stay of the furniture by spraying them with the hose.  We also bought some awesome squirt guns that work as well.  

      We have barely had any rain this winter.  Then Friday it dumped! I came home and found the chickens happy as can be, pecking around in the back yard like it was a sunny summer day. This baffles me because they can't stand it when I spray them with water, but they have no problem running around in the rain all day.   They have a perfectly dry three story chicken coop! Crazy chickens. 
     By the way, it is the end of January and I have a dozen eggs in my fridge.  The light on the timer is still working like a charm!! They are wildly enjoying a piece of stale bread in this picture. 

      Thank goodness for a flower pot and a 4 runner.  Yesterday evening I am standing in the kitchen and noticed that Chicken Nugget was standing on top of the spa.  This was a little weird, but sometimes she wonders up there to snack on fallen persimmons.  Then Barbecue frantically scurried up there and was huddling together with Nugget.   So I looked closer and saw a huge opossum lurking around at the base of the spa. He basically looked like a giant rat with a huge tail, eeehk!  At this point it is still totally light outside, and opossums are nocturnal.  So I yell at Justin to go get him, that the opossum is going to get the chicks!        
    This opossum has been giving us trouble for weeks! I think he basically made a nice home for himself snacking on chicken feed and gorging himself on anything I am growing in the garden.  I find poop in the garden every time I go out there and it takes away that warm, fuzzy, I grew clean vegetables myself feeling.  We have a hot tub in the back and every time we have gotten in for the past two weeks it has ended with my husband running around the backyard in the dark in his swimsuit chasing this opossum with a 2x4.  Nothing we can do seems to scare him, even when we give him a few nudges with the board.

   Back to the story.  Just as I send Justin on mission: saving the chickens, our friends Candace and Eddie drop by to give us a Christmas gift.  One thing leads to another and we are all out in the backyard.  Justin is yelling at me to help, while holding the nearest flower pot and trying to corner the opossum behind the compost bin.  Eddie is in nice clothes tromping around the garden (which is full of opossum poop) with a board trying to help Justin.  The opossum is hissing at us and showing his nasty teeth, and Candace and I are basically watching and screaming at every move the fat thing made. 
     The guys get him under the pot, although he is unhappy about it, and pile the top with rocks and stepping stones.  I called about 5 animal control numbers but couldn't get any help.  The said that because of cut funding nobody would come get the opossum and the private company charged $250 dollars!  Instead of doing anything we go inside for a peaceful snack on persimmons and open presents.  
    The sun sets and when it gets dark we figure we should probably address the little issue we have in the back.  So Justin's saws off a piece of particle board so it will fit in the back of the 4 runner (our new, very clean car).  We slid it under the pot with opossum very carefully carried it to the front of the house and loaded it in the car.  I drove and Justin sat in the back with to make sure he didn't get out and come get us while we were driving!

   We took him to the river because we thought he could make a nice little home out there that didn't involve our garden or chickens.  We pull up, get our gloves on and give each other a little pep talk.  It involved things like, don't put you face too close because if he gets out it could be bad.  My brilliant idea was for Justin to sit in the back of the car and hold the pot, then I would drive away, so that we weren't close when the opossum got out.  It all got a little dramatic.  As we are standing there, looking very creepy, a lady comes by walking her dog, then another man.  We just hang out like we are tailgating, with work gloves on and some sort of strange something scratching in this pot.  
   So, in a less dramatic way, I stood by with a 2X4, Justin crawled in the back of the car, lifted up the top of the pot and out ran the opossum.  
    The moral of the story is, it made me glad that we live in the city and that the only animals we have to deal with are not that major! Crises everted and we found a nice home for that pesky rodent!

1) The eggs (Obviously)
    -They are delicious, rich, and always on hand. Great food supply that can be made into breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

2) Companionship
     -Our chickens are the sweetest little pets.  They talk to me and follow me around, and liked to be picked up and pet.

3) Amazing compost
     -The poop, wood shavings, and egg shells are wonderful fertilizers that makes the garden go nuts! I compost them before spreading it in the veggie garden.

4)  Entertainment
    -Chicken Nugget and Barbecue are quite the backyard gnomes.  They are very fun to watch and are a good conversation piece during backyard parties.

5) Very Green
     -You are making your own food, using your waste productively, and providing a safe happy place for a chicken!