They're pretty cute, feathery and chatty. Since I often bring them a cup full of feed from this doorway, they have learned to wait, impatiently.
No, I'm not feeling the pressure ladies. Okay, I am. I'll be outside in a second.
The day that the Great Danes broke more boards in the backyard, I found myself herding my small flock of chickens into their chicken tractor. It takes minimal effort, I simply walk slowly with a bamboo stick and gently guide them into the tractor that can be closed easily for brief confinement, until the fence could be repaired.
Still, the girls let me know that they weren't thrilled about being "behind bars." I don't blame them.
But, they are in trouble this week. In spite of the netting surrounding our budding vegetable garden zone, the chickens were determined and found a way to get past the netting and they gobbled down everything that had been growing.
Deputy Dave was fairly angered to find all of his hard work to be gone. Both of us had tried to keep the chickens out of the garden, but I guess they feel as if this area is THEIR feeding zone. It's impossible to grow veggies out there with the chickens around. This is a dilemma of having backyard chickens.
The girls should be glad that we love their hard work at producing eggs for us every day. Otherwise, I might have had fried chicken after the garden had been destroyed. At this point, it's difficult to think about eating your "pets."
However, after a rough day, it's very nice to come home to find the chickens racing around after a grasshopper or to see a chicken resting beneath the large leaf of a plant. Chickens bring you down to Earth and help ground you in the simple things in life. There's something beautiful about a chicken and the egg that you gather from their coop. Eggs are a miraculous creation. Every day, I see the eggs from our backyard coop and am reminded of God's little gifts that are actually huge in meaning and substance.
And, I feel great when I'm standing outside among the chickens. Their gentle clucking at my appearance is rather soothing. After having chickens for approximately one year, I've learned to become a mini-expert in the different sounds of a chicken.
Even better, Howdy probably recognizes the clucking sounds more distinctly than I do. He is all ears and ready to pounce on a problem. If he hears something "odd" he races to the backyard and can barely wait for me to open the door so he can explore the yard.
It feels good, even in the middle of chaos, to have these feathered friends waiting for my simple acts of caring.
Chickens don't particularly care about where you've been or about where you're going; that's kind of nice.
7 comments:
Perhaps if you plant some things just for them they might stay out of your veggies? I think I read that somewhere...
I WANT CHICKENS TOO!
Sorry. haha. Just had to say that.
Hope you're all having a blessed day! :-)
Linda - if we finally get to the point of being able to raise chicks on our land, I'll be able to send you some of our chicks as starters...I'd be so happy to mail you a few for free!! I will be very excited for you to get to the point to where you get to raise a few of your own. You'll be a pro right away. I always learn so much from you helping me with research and figuring out how to handle chicken-emergencies. I WANT YOU TO HAVE CHICKENS TOO!!!!!! :-)
Lana
I can just imagine how mad you guys were after all of the hard work you put into the garden. As much as I want chickens, we are still debating...hmmm, maybe I need to put up a post about it....
I have started planting some seeds indoors in the mini greenhouse. My chickens have been roaming & I am finding they are snacking on the green sprouts of the flowers. Once the tree is cut & there moved with an enclosure around their home I plan to grow them pans of grass seed. I read in a chicken magazine to grow grass seed in bread pans for the flock. Grace has a soft cluck as she lays her eggs. Your hens look so cute lined up waiting for feeding. I have found chickens enjoy eating & they are quite grabby & selfish. Even so I am glad I got them. I seen peeps at the farm store & I wanted to bring some home. If you remember the I Love Lucy show there was an episode where tulips were mowed off that was for a competition. Wax tulips were planted in there place. The sun began to melt the wax tulips while being judged. Maybe you could replant hubby's veggies with starter seedlings from a nursery. But not wax plants. LOL. Blessings!
Lara
That first picture is a classic! We won't be letting our chickens free range until things dry up around here, still too much melting snow. Our garden is small but it is fenced to keep the chickens (and deer) out.
I love the peeping Tom picture! LOL!
Dreaming --- If we were staying here, we'd put up a more permanent solution as a block to the garden. Oh well. Such is the life in limbo.
Lara --- I'll have to try to grow the chickens some supplemental food when we're in the country, but I think I'll have to have that worm farm! And I'd don't think I've seen that Lucy episode, which I am a HUGE Lucy fan, so now I've GOT to see it!
Chai Chai --- I guess it's good that we don't have to deal with snow. I've not really thought about the difficulties with having chickens in such weather. It must be a challenge.
Clint --- I get to see those chicky faces every day at that window, they always bring a smile to my face, but the poop...I could live without it. Our next house won't have these kinds of views with the chickens, but we won't have the poop either.
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