Barbee from Fort Worth, Texas.

It was fun hearing from everyone and finding out where you all live.

I arrived home from Los Angeles last night (morning) at 2 am. It’s hot. It’s humid. It’s gorgeous. In the six days that I’ve been away, the Rose of Sharon is in full-purple bloom, tomatoes have ripened, green beans have gotten too big, the lawn guys came and edged my beds (it looks so tidy!), the painters repainted the porch ceiling a bright blue, and Lulu is finally no longer broody and has come out of the nesting box.

I’m trying to catch-up. I’ve sent thank-you notes to the wonderful people in LA who hosted my HenCam party and had me read in their library. Thank-you, too, to Lora for bringing her most wonderful hen, Peckerella, to meet everyone.

Thanks, too, to my husband for decorating for the HenCam party. (I hope you came!) His thank you is a blueberry dessert that I’m making tonight. Shhh. Don’t tell him.

I’ve also sat with the goats and scratched their heads, said hello to Candy, and scrubbed the hens’ waterers. I still have blueberries to pick. But, right now I think I’ll take a nap.

A good hostess puts the food up high so that the guests have to reach.

A thankful guest shows off his acrobatic dining skills. Polite guests eat together. Grunting noises show appreciation.

Picnics are much appreciated by goats. Be sure to provide plenty of variety. Contrary to the myth that goats eat anything, they are actually quite fussy eaters. Make sure to have a prickly course, and something green and tall.

Invite dinner guests. It’s okay if they’re shy.

After dinner relax and chew your cud.

I’m going to Los Angeles next week. On Sunday, August 9, from 11 am to 1 pm (that’s 2 pm to 4 pm EDT)  Chevalier’s Books in the Larchmont section of the city is hosting a West Coast HenCam Party and TILLIE Booksigning. I’ll be bringing sugar cookies (hen and egg-shaped of course) and party favors. Christine Heinrichs, urban chicken keeping expert, will be there. Hopefully, a friendly Barred Rock who lives in LA is coming with her owner. There will be a door prize – a HenCam baseball hat. I hope to meet many of my California friends!

But, I don’t want to leave the rest of you out of the party. My husband, who will be home at Little Pond Farm, is going to attempt to decorate the chicken run. This will be tricky, as Candy gleefully turns into destructo-bunny whenever she sees anything new – and especially if it is paper or plastic. I’ve bought balloons and crepe paper. I’ll be watching HenCam from LA to see what Steve has come up and what Candy does about it!

Viewers from home also have a chance to win a door prize! (“Coop” prize?) This hat might be yours!

To enter the contest, simply email me and write “door prize” on the subject line. Also, let me know what state (or country) you’re from. A winner will be selected randomly from the entries when I return. I’ll announce the winner on August 12.

This is the door to the HenCam run.

The hen’s yard is surrounded by secure fencing, which extends 6 inches below ground to deter digging predators. There’s hawk netting above. Still, I close the girls up in their coop at night. Candy gets locked in her hutch. It pays to be cautious.

On Sunday, I notice these scratch marks on the posts, both inside and out. Obviously, a climbing predator made a nighttime visit. A large one. With very sharp claws.

I believe it was a Fisher Cat. They are gorgeous. They are also vicious predators that kill more than they need and stash the rest. I got this photo off of google images:

This is a small one. I’ve seen larger. Fishers used to be animals of the deep woods. It was said that they only lived in pristine wilderness. Now, they’ve moved into suburbia. They especially like to eat cats.

When first-time chicken keepers ask me for advice, on the top of my list is to have a secure coop and to close your chickens up at night.  Even if Fishers aren’t in your neighborhood – yet – you’ll have raccoons and opossums, which can cause deadly havoc, too.

Losses to predators are inevitable, but you can keep the damage to a minimum by having good fencing and secure housing.