As the vines turn golden in the shortening days of fall, we embarked on a new project – chickens!

As a family, we built a chicken coop, gathered supplies, and brought home six little, peeping balls of fluff. Three Buff Orpington chicks and three Jersey Giants make up our flock. We needed something to do since we had no fruit worth harvesting this first year.

The kids fell in love before we even got the box of little peepers home. It’s been fun to watch them, especially our daughter, bond with the birds and learn to care for something besides the life inside the walls of our home.

As the days are (FINALLY) beginning to lengthen, our chicks are officially hens, producing eggs on a fairly regular basis. Wonder returned to our faces as we picked up the first perfectly formed eggs. And we are learning to care for our hens as they transition to adulthood.

It all makes me wonder what progress and maturation we’ll see in the vineyard in the next few months as we enter spring and our second leaf year…