One awful summer I faced flock carnage.  I couldn’t figure out how my chickens were being slaughtered in the evenings, locked up in their coop. This went on for three nights and I was starting to panic as the body count mounted up. I was about 8 months pregnant – I hauled my gigantic body on top of the coop to discover hundreds of little muddy raccoon hand prints, and a corner of chicken wire that had been peeled away as an entrance. Grrrr.

When your chicken wire starts to get rusty, weak, or bent out of shape, it’s a good idea to peel it off and slap on a fresh batch. My sweet husband spent the weekend doing this for me, check out how nice it looks! The original wire lasted almost 3 years, but I was about a year overdue on this update.

As of yesterday:

We’re thrilled to share the news that two eggs have begun to hatch in the nest of Big Red and Ezra, the Red-tailed Hawks featured on our live cam streaming from the Cornell campus. Thousands of viewers yesterday saw the first glimpse of a tiny beak visible through a hole in the egg as Big Red looked on. Viewers also spotted a small hole in a second egg. The third egg is due to hatch within a few days.

Please join us to watch as life unfolds at the nest! We hope you will forward this message to share with friends and family. Thanks!

The husband and I went on a date to a trendy restaurant this past weekend. You don’t get a menu, you get served whatever the chef preps. Overall an interesting, experimental meal. But, it affected me more than any food in my life, in that I am considering giving up meat. I might drop this idea; bacon is so freaking delicious. Hamburgers are so good. Chicken (sorry girls!), well, it tastes like chicken.

But, look at this pigeon dish. I think it’s the toenails that done me in.

I met John yesterday, and had a chance to show him the coop. We started chatting and turns out he’s a member of the Nashville Are Beekeepers Association. So cool!

I’ve been toying with the idea of keeping bees, seems like a really interesting hobby. Now that the kid is old enough to avoid a hive, I think we might be ready. If you’re interested in learning more, they meet the second Sunday of each month at 2 p.m. in the Ed Jones Auditorium at the Ellington Agricultural Center. They have a group called the “Wannabees” (how could I not join that group?)  for people thinking about keeping bees. This group’s focus is the practical considerations of getting bees. 

You can check out their website at: http://www.nashbee.org

John gave me his card:

When I did do this at the old place, I would give then entire flock prophylactic antibiotics. Not a great option, since the eggs had to be chucked and I want to avoid antiobiotic resistance. But, I was able to keep most of the birds alive. Don’t listen to me – read Gail Damerow.  She’s my favorite chicken author for advice and reference. If you’re planning to keep chickens, I’d recommend reading The Chicken Health Handbook first, and keeping it on hand for any health questions.

If you’re interested in getting your chicken permit, call Nashville’s Environmental Health Division at (615) 340-5653. You can add your name to the list and they will call you when the paperwork is ready to go.

My ladies are so excited!