The Arrival of Bobby McGee and the Four Hens

On Thursday afternoon, Cliff, KMO, Garrison, Nilsa and Rich courageously rescued five chickens from a four foot square cage, living with two turkens (a cross between a turkey and a chicken) on the side of the road for the past month. When the four hens and one rooster arrived at their new home at the Ecovillage Training Center they were happy to see their new home was ten-fold the size of their last dwelling. The chickens almost immediately began pecking in their yard, finding an abundance of worms and other bugs to eat. By sunset, all four hens were perched inside their mostly natural-built chicken coop. The lone rooster took some convincing to go in for the night and was, subsequently, nicknamed Bobby McGee. Unbeknownst to Rich, who named Bobby McGee, the musically inclined name fit well with the history of ETC chickens.

Friday, the first full day the chickens spent at the ETC, 1 egg was yield, in the late morning. Meanwhile, Cliff, Garrison, Nilsa and Rich started building a bamboo chicken tractor to use in the nearby permaculture garden. Primarily made of bamboo, the chicken tractor is both functional and aesthetically pleasing, thanks to the mix of yellow and black bamboo. By sunset, all the hens and the rooster found their way into the chicken coop by the time they needed to go in for the night. No human prodding was necessary for Bobby McGee (or the others).

Saturday morning, 1 egg with a substantial hole in it (and empty of its' contents) was found on the floor of the chicken coop at ten after seven in the morning. About an hour and a half later, Nilsa discovered four hens outside the chickens' fenced in yard. With the help of some feed, Nilsa and Rich were able to coax the hens back into their yard. However, the chickens escaped again later that day. This time, the door to their yard was left open and the chickens eventually returned on their own. Shortly after sunset, all the chickens appeared to be nested in the chicken coop, although it was tough to tell in the dark.

Sunday morning, it was realized that Bobby McGee, the lone rooster, was missing. Remnants of rooster feathers appeared about 80 yard southwest of the chicken coop and it was generally decided that a fox ate Bobby McGee. So, three days after the arrival of Bobby McGee and the four hens, there remain only four hens, with no rooster. Then again, four eggs were laid today.

-Rich