ANOTHER Chicken

Apparently there are lots of a--hole chickens in the world.
I helped at the community garden on Saturday, installing bees there.  Love the bees!

A chicken, they have like 100 chickens and give the eggs to those accessing the local food distribution systems like Second Harvest and sell them at 3$ a dozen to the rest of us.

ANYWAY, so the garden boss and I are installing bees and one chicken keeps getting out of the chicken run and into the garden.   The garden boss is threatening to kill it so I say "If she lays, I'll take her"...I had brought my chicken carrier made from an old bee box.   She offered a rooster too but I didn't want to stuff them both in the box.  The rooster is HUGE.

Within minutes of putting her in the run with Brittany and Suzanne, this new hen has a mouth full of feathers and is randomly beating the other two up.  Then she's out and running onto my porch and messing around in the garden.

She's tough and mean so I named her "T-Bone".  She's the head prisoner in the chicken run.  Suzanne continues to be mellow and so far today hasn't bothered to get out.   Brittany is constantly out, but easy to catch.  T-Bone is also easy to catch, but more likely to hide and spending too much time on the porch.  I will warn her that one chicken turd on the porch and I'll be having soup, same day.

The garden boss sent me home with veg that was past human consumption ...except for 2 romaine lettuce heads that were find for human consumption, so I ate those.   Greens, pears, a couple of sweet peppers.  All with lots of mold.  They were from the Second Harvest delivery.  Some were past it on arrival and some just didn't make it to the next distribution date.  The distribution center is on the same lot as the garden and they share staff/storage.   To maintain social distance fewer people can come for food at once and they can no longer tour the building picking what they want.  So, some of the fresh isn't making it.  I think the staff will find ways to sort this out.   When stuff arrives rotten, there isn't hope, and with fewer staff on hand at once (to maintain distance), it's hard to get it boxed up ahead of people coming.  The usual system is people come in and pick what they want, but now it's all car delivery.  Most other food distributions have gone to pre-boxed stuff and if people get say lettuce and hate lettuce, well, throw it out or compost it or give it away.  It might not all get eaten but it will have more of a shot!

I fed the slightly moldy veg to the hens.  They have some wheat berries, are eating worms and things.  I threw in a dead mouse I'd trapped in the garden.  And I have some cheapo bulk oatmeal to get through until I see if they are going to need real feed. 

I got 2 eggs yesterday!  Had them for breakfast today.  Nice!  If the shells get weak I'll go for some pre-fab feed, but they are free ranging so should get plenty of whatever they need.   Lord knows if they eat gophers or mice they will end up fat!

So, off to start on the upgraded coop and to fence off the raised beds that already have stuff planted in them.  And figure out something to keep the hens out of the enclosed porch bit.  I am not capable of making a screen door....but I'm going to try!