Fancy Chickens

I originally saw this beautiful home, located in Santa Barbara, California, in my print edition of House Beautiful magazine, but saw the link on my Facebook page this morning and thought it would be worth posting. It looks like chicken-keeping is really taking off! (As an aside - I so wish my backyard looked like the photo at right from this home!) This exchange from the article was particularly giggle-inducing for me:

Interviewer Mimi Read: Hey, you've got interesting chickens! I hate to inform you, but raising fancy chickens is officially a hipster trend. Susan Orlean even wrote about it in The New Yorker

Home Owner Penelope Bianchi: I guess Martha Stewart started it. Mine are Mille Fleur bantam chickens. They're just so beautiful, with feathers on their feet! I had them sent to me in a taxi from San Diego.

I'm just picturing these squawking chickens in the back of taxi, rolling up the 101. I wonder what lucky employee got to make that trip with those birds?

Here's the link to the complete article and photo slideshow on the House Beautiful website:

A Mediterranean-Style Home with a Well-Worn Patina

The Bad Neighbors with The Bad Chickens

Thanks for the suggestions re: the deer netting and the discount soil. This project just seems very overwhelming at times, but I feel better knowing other people have had the same issues. We did get a second bed built last Saturday (photo left) but haven't had a chance to place it or buy the soil for it.

I know it will eventually get done, but it is frustrating looking out and seeing both my front and back yards in complete disarray. My neighbor asked my husband the other day - "Are you EVER going to plant anything in the front yard?" (Sigh, yes, but we either have to pay someone $$$$$ to do it for us or have the time and $$ to do it ourselves.)

I think I'm going to investigate using the deer netting over the chickens' area so they can't fly out. We first have to secure the bottom of the chicken wire so they can't dig or duck under. Railroad ties would be perfect for this, but I don't like the fact that they've been treated, so I'm on the lookout for something else at the moment. The chickens have been on lockdown since they escaped their pen and went on a seedling-eating rampage. (See photo of decimated seedling at right.) Grrr... I feel terrible they have to be confined, but hopefully we can finish the enclosure this weekend or next week. Their coop does have a small run, but I know they're happier with more room to roam.