Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Yard Chickens

My chickens roaming around the yard

Lately I've been letting the chickens out of their yard for an hour or so most afternoons.  They love it.  When I come out the back door in the afternoon they let out a round of chicken noises, and when I let them out the gate they fly out into the yard.  They look so happy and joyful.

But it does have it's downsides.  For one, I've had to put a protective fence around my new currant bush.  (That's it behind the adirondack chair.)  The chickens have taken serious bites out of several other plants around the yard.  Also, while they never try to fly over the chain-link fence, they do wander around to the front yard and I worry about them becoming a nuisance or visiting a neighbor's yard.  Or being attacked by a dog.  Also, I feel so bad for them on the days when I can't let them out - they look so disappointed.  And...I don't really like to let the boys walk around barefoot in the yard anymore.

I think it might help if there were fewer of them.  I'm hoping to sell a few soon, and we will probably have to kill the roosters soon.  The other day one of them (the barred rock, easily the most Manly of the roosters) tried to crow at me while I was filling the water dish.  I wish I could capture the sound, because it was hilarious!  Sort of like a really squeaky playground swing.

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