Dakota and I were in Iowa last weekend, and we got to attend the Warren County Fair on Friday. Like most fairs, it had rides and funnel cakes and 4-H competitions. Of course, I was most excited to check out the poultry section. I mean, wouldn't you be?

We had to wander through several livestock barns and a few craft areas, but we did eventually find the poultry barn. Yes, only one barn of chickens and ducks. Can you believe it? (I guess it was a smallish fair. I'm sure the Iowa State Fair has several large barns full of chickens.) I was absurdly excited to check out the 4-H chickens. I guess I really am chicken-obsessed.

They had quite a few Aracaunas, although almost all were white, which I hadn't seen before. They had a really nice big Rhode Island Red, and some other classic breeds. There were also a lot of English Game Birds, which were so pretty and really small. They were cute but regal, I'd say. And there were lots of Silkies, including this fluffy lady. So cute!



Anyway, it was fun to see some fancy chickens in person. I wonder if I would have raised a chicken for 4-H if I'd grown up in the country. I think my future kids will probably really like our chickens. Dakota had a few chickens growing up, before he moved into town.

While at the fair, we also saw some prize-winning vegetables. Look at these zucchini! I wish I could grow squash that big.



Dakota's uncle, Tim, who lives in Des Moines, was growing some huge zucchini in his back yard. They were over a foot long and really thick. I think it's the super-rich Iowa soil, and all the rain they get. Plus, I think Tim is a pretty good gardener.

I do finally have a zucchini growing on one of my plants, though. I just hope it grows to a normal size. No blue ribbon necessary.

I finally did it! I got the chicks vaccinated for Marek's disease. It only took me two weeks of researching, calling, rescheduling and ordering online--plus a mid-day drive to Santa Monica. But, Peggy and Tina got their Marek's shots, and in 10 days they should be okay to go outside and be on the same ground that Lisa scratches around on.

I had heard rumors on the chicken message boards of a avian vet who saw chickens in Santa Monica. I emailed some folks through the board, and was able to confirm that there are vets at VCA Wilshire Animal Hospital in Santa Monica who will see chickens. So, I called and set up Peggy and Tina with an appointment. I mentioned I wanted to get them Marek's vaccinations when I set up the appointment, but when I called back a few days before the appointment to confirm, they revealed that they don't have that vaccine. Dang!

After some scrambling, I came up with a new plan. I would order the vaccine online from Jeffers Livestock, and the vet would administer it for me. The vaccine was FedExed to me this morning, and Peggy, Tina and I drove to Santa Monica this afternoon to get their shots, peeping all the way.

The chicks were very good when they got their vaccines. They didn't struggle or cry or anything. It's a small subcutaneous shot, so I guess it doesn't hurt too much. I watched the vet when he did it, and it actually looked pretty simple. I bet I could do it myself if I ever needed to. That might be a good idea, because the appointment wasn't cheap. The things I do for these chickens.

All the vet techs were cooing over Peggy and Tina while we waited for our appointment. They are pretty cute. And look how big they are getting! The girls were weighed at their appointment, and it turns out that Tina weighs a lot more than Peggy. She seems a lot taller, too. I guess that's the difference in their breeds. It'll be interesting to see how else their development differs as they get older.



As you can see, they've transitioned to pine shavings and a starter perch, and grown lots more feathers. Chicks grow up so fast. Sigh.

Last weekend, I decided that ordering chicks from a hatchery was not going to be a good option for us. So few places will ship small quantities, and no place will ship only two. Plus, we needed to get some chicks as soon as possible, since Lisa is all alone in her run since Jackie died.

So, last Saturday, we drove out to Agoura Feed in Agoura Hills, just north of Los Angeles, and got two little babies. Here they are: Peggy and Tina.



Peggy, the yellow and brown one, is either a Arucana or Ameraucana, although probably not a pure bred version of either one. These chickens are also known as Easter Eggers, because they lay light blue or green eggs. She's such a pretty chick, with stripes down her back, black "eyeliner" and fluffy cheeks. Dakota thinks she looks like a cartoon character. Eventually, I think those fluffy cheeks will grow into a feather "beard." For now, they are just extremely cute.



Tina is a black sex-link. Right now, she's basically all black. But she may end up with some gold feathers as well. She has a tiny pink comb, and her legs are black and pink. Not sure how that'll all turn out when she's older. She'll lay brown eggs when she grows up, and should be around the same size as Lisa.

The chicks really seem happy together. They snuggle when they sleep and spend a lot of time chasing each other around. And, of course, they're both peeping like crazy.

On a more cheerful note, Lisa has been doing splendidly lately. She's laying up a storm, and her egg size has increased. Here are a few of her eggs, just before I made them into a tasty scramble. I really do think her eggs are more delicious than the ones we get at the store.



Lisa is a very funny girl, and she and I have become good friends. When I let her out of the run in the morning or after work, she follows me around the yard for a bit, just to see what I'm up to. She's a very curious chicken. She also loves Crocs, particularly my orange ones. She likes the bright color, and often stands there staring at them and wondering, "What are those tiny pink things I can see through the holes?" (Answer: my toes.)

And check out her nice big comb and wattles. Snazzy!



Speaking of tasty eats, I have some really nice veggies getting close to harvest, including eggplant, tomato, green beans and corn. I can't wait to try some beans straight from the vine. My dad and I grew them in our garden when I was a kid, and they were so delicious. It's been fun to watch the corn grow, too. I'm sure it reminds Dakota of home. (Okay, probably not.) But I bet the corn will be tasty when it's finally ready.



Annoyingly, my zucchini has only produced male flowers so far, but I can see some little female flowers developing on the plant. (Not to be crass, but they look like tiny green penises. Am I the only one who thinks that? Probably not. Hee hee.) So, hopefully it won't be too long until we're inundated with fresh squash.

It's been a difficult few weeks, chicken-wise.

Last weekend, we had to put our new chicken, Becky, down. It was a really really hard decision, but I think it was the right one. Becky had been showing some clear signs of respiratory disease: a smelly crust in her nostrils, sneezing and a rattle in her chest when she breathed. I did a lot of research in my chicken books and online, and, unfortunately, I realized that she seemed to have infectious coryza. This is a very serious and contaigous disease found in poultry. She likely caught it at the feed store, since she was in quarantine the whole time we had her at our house. I looked into treatment, but the overwhelming consensus seemed to be that we should cull her. Even if she had got over her symptoms, Becky would have always been a carrier of coryza and would have spread it to Lisa and Jackie. So, it was the right thing to do both for Becky and for our other chickens.

Of course, killing Becky was the last thing we wanted to do. Many tears were shed. I wanted to do it humanely, but was pretty certain that neither Dakota nor I would be able to cut off her head, which is the generally agreed upon quickest and least cruel way to kill a chicken. It turned out, I was able to find a way to kill her gently. We used automobile starter fluid, which contains ether. We sprayed the fluid on some paper towels and then put a Becky in a bucket with the towels. The ether puts the chicken to sleep, and then she suffocates in her sleep. It was very sad, but I think Becky went peacefully. After she died, we had to burn Becky's body. We also either burned or washed with bleach everything else she'd ever touched. That's how serious infectious coryza is. Scary stuff.

We said goodbye to Becky on July 5. We only had her a week, but she was a very sweet and pretty little chicken. I'm sad we never got to know her.

Today, we had another tough loss. As you know, Jackie has been sick for several months now. Tonight, when I got home from work, she was lying very still on the side of the run with her legs stretched out and her eyes closed. She's certainly been weak lately, but I didn't expect to lose her this soon. I thought she was already dead, but she was still moving a bit. I tried to move her towards water in case she was dehydrated and went to call Dakota. By the time I got back to the run, Jackie had died. I was very sad to lose such a sweet chicken, and I imagine Lisa is pretty upset, too. We'll miss Jackie. I hope she's in a better chicken place now.

So, as you can imagine, things are kind of melancholy in our coop at the moment. Life must go on, though, and I plan to get some baby chicks very soon. Lisa needs some companions, as chickens are social animals and don't like to live alone.

Here's Jackie, basking in the sun, in happier times.

So, here's some more detailed information about Becky, the new girl, because I know you're dying to know more about her.

Becky came from Blacksmith's Corner, which is a good-sized feed store in Bellflower, a city near Long Beach. We got her on Sunday on our way back from Sunset Beach. The feed store had a pretty good selection of very cute baby chicks, but we wanted to get a chicken that was a bit older so she could hold her own with Jackie and Lisa. I am guessing Becky is between 2 and 3 months old. She's fully feathered, but still pretty small.

As I mentioned in the previous post, Becky is a black sex link. The benefits of sex links are (a) they are supposed to be hardier and (b) you can tell their sex at birth because pullets and roosters have different coloring. Becky has very pretty feathers. She's black with a gold chest, and she has nice black legs as well. It's nice to have a different-looking chicken, just to mix it up a bit. Sex link hens are also known as excellent egg-layers and tend to have lovely personalities. Hopefully, Becky will live up to her genetics.

Unfortunately, Becky can't hang out with her new sisters just yet. She has to stay in quarantine for at least four weeks. This is to make sure she didn't contract any chicken diseases at the feed store. If she is sick, we don't want her infecting Jackie and Lisa. For now, she's living in a stylish chicken tractor, designed and built by well-known chicken architect, Dakota. She stays in the tractor during the day, and at night she sleeps in Jackie and Lisa's old brooder box.



Now, I know what you're thinking: You've told us all about Becky's breed and living situation, but what's she like, you know, as a chicken? Well, so far, she's pretty low key. She still peeps, like a chick, and she's fairly docile--except when you pick her up. She'll get used to being held after a while, I'm sure. I'm excited to watch her grow up and to see what her personality turns out like.