A Smaller Flock, A Simpler Way
At our peak, in 2012, we had close to fifty birds. Different breeds, different personalities, constant motion. Feed buckets, fresh water, coop cleaning—it was part of the rhythm of the day. Busy, but in a good way.
Time has a way of shifting things.
Fourteen years later there are just four hens left from those early flocks. Old girls now, but still laying, still part of the daily routine. There’s something steady about that… a kind of quiet persistence.
As we’ve gotten older, we’ve found ourselves leaning toward simpler things. Less maintenance, less ground covered. Not stepping away from it—just easing into a better balance.
So this is the next chapter.
Our four hens won’t be laying much longer so we’ve decided to downsize. The plan is a flock of six. Small, manageable, and just right for our egg needs. We have also decided to have a new coop and yard close at hand, just out in the garden. With ideas from youtube I built a confortable 8 x 4 hen house with an attached 8 x 10 chicken run. Plenty for 6 hens.
Our first four chicks arrived today and the journey begins.
This page will be a running journal of the new transition. From these first new chicks, through their growth, their habits and their production
A smaller flock… but no less meaningful. Just a different pace.
This past March 2026 I finished the new coop and chicken yard and we actively started looking for new tenants.
April 11th 2026 – Two weeks ago we put up the vacancy sign on the chicken coop. Donna has spent a lot of time looking around for the breeds of chicks we want and yesterday we found two of the breeds at Flocking Around Farms in Pomona Park…we came home with 3 Ameraucanas and one Wellsummer. Now we just need a Rhode Island Red and a Barred Rock…
