Two summer’s ago while we were celebrating July 4th, a predator attacked and killed our entire flock.   It was heartbreaking to say the least.  We had the sweetest chickens, especially our beautiful Buff Orpingtons.   I never replaced them.   I blamed myself for giving them so much freedom and not protecting them better.  Even though we lived on a farm, we were in the middle of suburbia and for years our chickens lived a safe life.

Last year, a woman called me in a panic.  She and her family lived in a subdivision and had broken the HOA rules by having 7 chickens!   She asked if I could take them in and though I was hesitant — I did.   Dare I get attached to another flock?

Welcome home hens.  I became a Chicken Mama again.

Meet Lucy:

Meet Jasmine:

Some of the other girls:

Fast forward to this past Easter.  While in the mountains, our daughter saw some chicks at a Tractor Supply store and guess what happened?   Yes …. four baby chicks.  Two Buff Orpingtons and two Rhode Island Reds.    Meet Beverly, Betsy, Rhonda, and Rosey.

The girls are growing and here is Betsy:  (Beverly is pictured on my leg in the first photo.)

I am in love with these chicks and am grateful to have a flock again.

We moved to a new farm and this new coop is very secure, but believe me when I say I watch for signs of predators.   We have a lot of hawks and foxes around us, so I am always on alert.

I wanted to share a post from New Life on a Homestead about chicken predators and how to keep your chickens safe.     Please CLICK HERE to visit the article.

Also, I just read a great article on keeping the girls warm in the winter.   I am determined to have a better situation for my chickens when the temperature drops.  I have never been able to lock them up in a warm coop without a cold breeze blowing through.  The writer at Backyard Chicken Project gives some great advice.   To read the article, CLICK HERE.

Happy Chickening!

Beth

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