It was so nice on my walk this morning down by the chicken coop, that I decided to drag one of the chairs down there and blog with the hens.

There's a cool breeze down here this morning, which is one of the fabulous things about the Central Valley. Yes, the days get up into the 90s and 100s most of the time in the summer, but the best kept secret is that the mornings and evenings are fabulous 60s and 70s! Especially when you are out of the City and up in the foothills where it cools down sooner and the stars are far more visible. It also takes longer to heat up in the morning.

So, while the neighbor's horses, Baby Doll and Princess, chomp away on their alfalfa and the hens wander about scratching in the morning air, we are just going to sit here and do a little country life observation.  

When you first enter the domain of these creatures, they are suspect and stay away, but after a few minutes, when you become part of the landscape, they return to their natural way of doing things and you really get to know them.  They all have distinct personalities, each one uniquely amazing in her own right.  We have three flocks currently.  

The larger of the two get their free range time together, and the little guys aren't big enough yet to be safe from aerial predators outside of the safety of their roomy coop. So it's interesting to watch them sort out their pecking order (quite literally) in the larger pasture.  Eventually they will share the same space for nesting boxes, so getting them accustomed to each other this way makes for fewer scuffles.

These are all laying hens because we LOVE getting fresh eggs here in Basilwood! Recently, we have added some new breeds to the flock.  We have got a mixture of Blue Ameraucanas, Easter Egger's, Speckled Sussex, Belgian Maline,Blue and Jubilee Orpingtons, Copper Marans, Cuckoo Marans, Red Stars, and even a Japanese longtail who is the smallest and mightiest of the bunch!  She's a HOOT!