It's Open Access Week at Sunwise

Open Access takes on a brand new meaning at our house...
after we messed up the chicken coop combination lock and were unable to get in for a week, someone had to do the inevitable: take out the entire latch+lock! But...our historical latch was now unusable, and chickens are too smart not to get out from a semi-closed door...
What's more...someone put a juicy prize on the challenge of separating lock and latch (nothing less than a long-term title of king*, with open choice of what to associate it with). Lady Betta did not resist the urge to fight this important battle of honor and dubious practical reward, and armed with time-tested technology (top right in picture) restored the right order of things. Now peace and prosperity can reign over the lands. Let's rejoice.

* regretful sign of distrust in female leadership? John Knox, I'll kick your darn a*s.

Saga of Pete the Rooster

When Sunwise started raising four chicks this past Spring, no one knew what to expect.  No one, that is, except our neighbor Scarlet's little nephew.  You see, Scarlet was helping us raise the four chicks, and named each one of them according to their color.  Except her nephew insisted this little dark chick be called Pete, despite the supposed near-guarantee that they were all hens.  Well, he knew.

Little Pete grew and grew, and soon none of us could deny that cock-a-doodle-do in the morning or the way he strutted around the coop.  Roosters aren't exactly included in regulations, and his morning habits would soon prove a challenge to many.

We tried many things.  He was carefully boxed up in the coop each night, to be released only at a decent hour.  We spoke to local farms to see if they would take him, but none could promise that more than a stew-pot awaited.  We resigned ourself to his fate and scheduled a good friend to come over and give him the final rites of his kind.

Then on the same day, the student farm replied that they had recently lost their rooster!  Pete was saved! This morning, Derek took the lucky bird to his new home.  Derek writes:

The Pete saga (as far as Sunwise goes) is over. He has had many firsts today:

• first time being caught as an adult
• first time being put in a box
• first time in a car in a box
• first time in a moving car in a box
• first time he did not make any sounds for more than 30 minutes
• first time seeing his new home (Ecological Garden at Student Farm....who knows, maybe you'll hear him if you are on that side of campus)
• first time he gets his wings clipped (I have a feather for each of you)
• first time he takes a crap at his new home
• first time he meets the Student Farm hens
• first time he'll "Cock-a-doodle-doooooo"s on campus

Last time I mention Pete in an email...

Thanks for being patient with our rooster friend!

Tour De Cluck!

Sunwise Chickens star on the front page of the Enterprise for their participation in the first annual Davis Tour de Cluck, a bicycle powered tour of backyard chicken coops. Over six months in planning, the event was epic, with its 500 tickets selling out weeks in advance and riders coming from as far as LA to participate (the tour was a fundraiser for the Farm to School connection).    The Tour fell on Sunwise work day, and our four new chicks spent their first day in the sun helping weed in the chicken tractor while some 300 cyclists came by to check them out!  See if you can spot them in this music video of the Tour:




All Clucked Up! from Rusty Rogers on Vimeo.

The film-maker Alvin Remmers also documented much of the tour, look out for his entry in the Davis Bicycle film festival next October!  Read more about the tour on Davis Voice blog. 

Chicken Tractor!

The Sunwise chicken tractor in action taking down weeds and bugs before the start of summer planting.  Derek made sure to test it out before the chicken!