The Flock Chronicles

Something is happening at Cedar Paddock. No official announcement has been made, but construction has begun on the other side of the White House. Hardware cloth appeared on the ground, and weed barrier cloth was laid out on top. A structure arrived and was placed in the same spot. Activity around the site has increased in ways that have not gone unnoticed by the residents. Particularly by Beryl. Beryl making sure things are up to code. Beryl has taken it upon herself to condu

There was a time when there was only one house. The Red House It stood red against the yard, trimmed in black, solid and unapologetic. Larger than necessary. Older. Strong in its lines. It held everyone then — the bold, the careful, the relentless, the observant. It worked. Until the air inside it began to feel tight. Not fractured. Not hostile. Dense. Feathers pressed closer along the roost at dusk. Corrections came quicker. A shoulder shift meant something. A pause at the f

In the red house of Cedar Paddock, peace is never truly quiet — not with Gertie around. While Travis recovers indoors from his injured leg — a lingering reminder of the fierce fight with Ricky — the hens have settled into a rhythm all their own. But the rhythm has a voice: a low, throaty, unmistakable moooaaaaan that rolls across the run like a farmyard foghorn. That’s Gertie. She doesn’t cluck like the others. She moans — loudly, constantly, and unapologetically. It’s the so