Augustine
Flagship Hen. Firstborn. Problem Child.
Augustine is my first chicken, my gateway bird, and the reason Cedar Paddock exists at all. She is a Dixie Rainbow, which means she was advertised as “friendly, productive, and adaptable” and instead arrived with opinions, audacity, and a deeply personal vendetta against peace.
She is built like a surprise—no two Dixie Rainbows look the same—and Augustine took that as a challenge. She changes feathers like a mood ring. She does what she wants. She lays eggs when it suits her narrative arc. She is frequently in charge despite no one officially voting for her.
Augustine believes:
She started this farm (correct)
She runs this farm (also correct)
Everyone else is simply here
She is curious to the point of trespassing, confident to the point of delusion, and always exactly where she should not be. If something strange is happening in the coop, Augustine already knows about it. If something breaks, she warned us nonverbally.
She is not mean. She is not sweet.
She is important.
Cedar Paddock began with Augustine—
and frankly, she’s still deciding whether we’re worthy of it.