Bye-Bye 2020
2020 has been…well, you know different. Just because life off our little lot was changing dramatically doesn’t mean life on our tiny less than quarter acre was that different. Sure we were here (a lot) more and fewer visitors, but relying on the coop for comic entertainment and fresh eggs sure didn’t change much. True it felt like the monotony of the days make it seem like 2020 was never going to end, the molts and egg production decline proved we were marching through season changes and that that even in a year like 2020, we’d reach 31 December eventually and we have!
January: Like Chickie Momma, the flock spent most of January focused on surviving the cold, snow, and ice. A few sunnier days led to proper free ranging time, but for the most part if a track was not dug out, the Ladies stayed in their coop awaiting hot buggy oatmeal.
February: Poppy started showing some signs that something was off. Fortunately with vet visits and becoming a house chicken for about a month, we found a solution for her large crop. Chickie Daddy learned how to make a crop bra for our girl and continues to make sure that our girl keeps up with the latest fashion prints.
March: Indiana started closing down and the Ladies started to perform daily concerts for all of us sheltering in place. Seriously, this flock of ours is vocal. If any coworkers doubted that we had hens, those doubts are gone. As 2020 started to spiral into something no one expected, it was great to be home for mid day chicken breaks and the Ladies sure didn’t mind the extra ranging time or all those treats!
April: Nettie traveled to church for Easter Sunday for the drive through communion and provided much entertainment to the pastoral staff as a break from her house chicken status. Her vet visit late March revealed a reproductive system issue so she moved into the “Chicken Room” so that we could reduce her daylight hours to try to give her system a break. Our house guest was able to spend her days in the coop which was a much welcomed change from when Poppy was our house chicken.
May: Things warmed up just enough for the yard for to begin. The Ladies helped Chickie Daddy dig a trench in the yard before turning over the garden for Chickie Momma’s garden. We also decided to venture back into growing a Chicken Garden with all of our plants hoping they would be decoys. Spoiler- the garden was devoured and they still tried to get into everything else.
June: With both the Chickie Parents in a slight lull for work, the flock enjoyed more frequent outings during the day albeit under a watchful eye due to increased hawk sightings. Chickie Daddy continued learning how to sight potential threats with the keen eyes of Vera, Dahlia, and Mae laser focused on anything looking dangerous.
July: The second part of the lawn was reseeded, preventing access to the favorite spot in the yard to dust bathe. With the garden in full stride, freshly picked cucumbers were adequate bribes to keep the flock happy enough even if they preferred newly sprouted blades of grass.
August: Olive won the broody battles and the 2 chicks brought home she took to being a momma hen without any hesitation. Twiggy (Golden Buff) and Sprout (Speckled Sussex) were our first summer chicks and we let Olive raise them in the coop. It’s still a challenge for Chickie Momma to admit they are Olive’s babies and not her’s.
September: With Twiggy and Sprout given full ranging rights in the coop it was easy to see where they were based on the huddle of the full grown chickens huddled as far away as possible. Olive was a mean momma hen and the flock decide it was easier to steer clear. Amelia managed to get past Olive’s protective eye and start fulfilling her role as Crazy Auntie, hanging out with the little ones.
October: Molting season hit our coop hard this year. Hard. What seemed like overnight the coop was covered in feathers and we had half naked hens running around the yard. The majority of them worked through the processed before our first cold blast, but Gerty and Dahlia weren’t quite as lucky but made it through none the less.
November: Egg production hit a full stop mid month. Eggs had to be bought. Bought! Oh the inhumanity.
December: Deck the Coop! Since only a fraction of the hens had a Christmas tree before, we decided to get them a mini tree. Even without the edible garland the tree was a treat for the flock. As for the the garland of cranberries and grapes? They woke up to it and by the time we were home, it was long gone.
