When we moved into our "new" (actually rather old) Le Bic house in May, the previous owner left behind six chickens (five hens and a roster). Turns out the chickens are ours for the summer. We have instructions to return them to a nearby farm when we head back to Asheville in August. Fortunately, there is a nice chicken coup at the house.
My partner and I have never had chickens, so this is new to us. Immediately after feeding our dog Woody each morning, I feed the chickens. They spend nights in their coup and days wondering around the yard, searching for bugs, seeds, etc. The chickens mostly stay together with the rooster (whom I've named Rufus) watching over things. He can be a bit ornery, including occasionally charging at Lisa or me. That's not the fun part. What we do enjoy is seeing them in the yard, collecting their eggs in the coup, and having them follow us around as it gets close to their 5 o'clock feeding time. Woody, our golden retriever, is remarkably good around the chickens. He's briefly chased one or two of them, but has done no harm. So, that's been good. And, while we've seen a number of foxes in the nearby Bic National Park, we've yet to see a fox in our immediate neighborhood. As of now, all six chickens have survived and appear to be doing well.
As to having chickens on loan next summer..... we'll have to see how things shake out.
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| Foraging in front of their coup |
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The outdoor section of their coup; they much prefer to
be free ranging in the yard |
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| Leaving their coup in the morning |
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| Our six chickens; the rooster is the big one |
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The rooster
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A four egg day; one of the hens lays especially large eggs
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Gathering near front door of our house
as 5 o'clock feeding time approaches
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| Woody watching the chickens |
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