The Rain, The Ravens, And Other Things

Hopefully, losing an hour will put me back on schedule. I have been falling behind ever since it rained last week. We needed rain badly. So, when it rained 5 inches in 24 hours...that's when the chaos began. Since then, I have been trying to repair 'flash erosion' damage with a shovel, rake and wheelbarrow. The process of filling in ruts is never fun because the dirt is always somewhere downhill.
The rest of my time has been spent trying to control the egg-thieves of the neighborhood. I haven't had any problems with these ravens in all the years I've had these chickens. But, recently, the ravens have become very treasonous. In the last week, they have robbed my nests of over 100 eggs. Many of these eggs were being incubated by hens. I have set up a camera/monitor system which allows for some observation. It's really just a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. I am still at war with them. A few days ago, I caught one of them. I kept it in the cat-carrier until dusk. I wanted to mark him with fluorescent paint...but, I didn't. I don't know if we had any kind of an understanding...but, I released it unharmed. I don't think the problem is fixed. The beautiful struggle continues...

Egg thief awaits sentencing...