BYC family

09/27/2026

I was shocked to find one of my hens headless and another one missing, I’ve spent hours searching everywhere for her in the dark. It seems one of my children didn't make sure the coop door was properly closed this afternoon... 😞 This has made me so sad. To me, my hens are like my little girls and I love them; it was heartbreaking to see this. Can anyone tell me what horrible animal could do this to chickens? Thanks! 😭😞😞😞 What can I do to scare off predators?

09/27/2026

So I decided to go out coyote hunting tonight. I’m sitting there in the pitch dark, wind and rain coming down, calling for about 30 minutes—and it’s completely dead quiet. 🌧️🌑

Then out of the corner of my eye, I see this black creature absolutely FLIPPING OUT. I nearly jumped out of my skin. 😂 I launched out of the UTV like it was on fire and swung my light around… only to find a very angry, very confused chicken clucking at me. 🐔🤣

Apparently Gertrude decided she was coming coyote hunting too and just forgot to tell me.

For one brief second, I genuinely thought a coyote was trying to take my leg off. 😭😂

So everyone, meet Gertrude the Coyote Hunter—my new feathery hunting buddy. 🐔🎯

And before anyone worries: the coyotes around here have gotten progressively worse and have even been trying to get through the fencing around our chickens. They’re safely locked in their coop at night, and Gertrude was immediately taken back after this picture. She had slipped out while I was cleaning the coop, and I thought I’d already put her back in.

Figured y’all might get a good laugh out of my unexpected hunting partner. 😂🐔

09/27/2026

09/26/2026

She is not running over because you are a person. She is running over because you are you. 🚗

Chickens keep a working file of faces, and the research puts it at somewhere around thirty individuals held straight at once, humans and other chickens mixed together. They read the same things we read, the arrangement of eyes and beak or nose and mouth, and they remember it. Which is exactly why a hen who will not let a visitor within ten feet of her walks straight across your boots without a thought.

It goes past faces, too. They learn the sound of one particular vehicle in the drive and ignore every other engine that passes. They learn which person in the house carries the scrap bowl and which one only ever turns up to shut the door at dusk. Some of them settle on a favorite human and follow that person around the yard like a small, opinionated dog.

It quietly changes what the whole thing feels like. You are not looking after livestock that tolerates you, you are being individually recognized by a dozen birds with strong opinions. Is there one hen who has clearly decided you belong to her?

09/25/2026

After spending the last hour outside looking absolutely everywhere for my missing chicken, I finally gave up and came back inside. 😅🐔 I figured I’d get some housework done while I waited for her to show up. Well, I reached into the dryer and got quite the surprise… guess who had been hiding in there?! 😂😂😂

09/24/2026

Big heart ❤️❤️

09/24/2026

A small stray feral kitten has taken up with my Girls, the lil'a kitten free ranges with my Girls within 1/2 acre fenced in lot and goes to roost with them at night. I feed the lil'a kitten out of range of my lil'a velociraptors aka My Girls .. they love them kitten food dry or wet. Gone if they can get to it.... I call my crew of Girls and the kitten comes running with them up to me, but not on me like the Girls...

09/23/2026

Had a fox kill 2 of my chickens yesterday. Set the live trap. With one of the dead chickens as bait. Woke up to this Bobcat in the live trap. It was relocated to a remote area away from farms.

09/23/2026

I thought I was going crazy… well crazier… when I kept hearing peeping this morning! Surprise! I almost forgot that Jenny had decided the hay loft was a prime nesting choice. Mama and babies have been moved to a safer lower spot to get settled❤️

09/23/2026

Anyone else accidentally end up with a legit HOUSE CHICKEN? 😂🐔❤️ We got this little Old English Game hen about five weeks ago as a full-grown girl, and we named her Smalls for pretty obvious reasons. 🤣 She is seriously the cutest little thing and has completely stolen our hearts—especially our youngest son, who is 9. Those two are absolutely attached at the hip! Her cage is in his room, she gets outdoor time every day, and when she’s inside she pretty much has free rein of the house. 🏡🐔 She even gives us about one tiny egg a week. 🥚 But the sweetest part? She literally cuddles up and sleeps with our youngest almost every night. 🥹❤️ At this point, I’m pretty sure she thinks she’s one of the kids!