Free Range Chickens!!

Yum!! Pumpkin Seeds thier favorite!!! I was wondering what I was going to do with the 40 pumpkins I grew this year!!!! We have had a productive week. As it all started last Monday night when we first brought out 6 girls home!! Monday night, and Tuesday night I had to take the girls into thier coop and place them on the roost one by one. On Wednesday night, they were all in the coop one was perched on the roost as they all should have been and a couple were not, but they were all in the coop!!! By Thursday night, all 6 girls were perched on the roost when I came home. They all fit perfectly in the 4ft wide roost that they have in thier cozy coop!! City Ordinance says our girls each have to have an identifying bracelet placed on thier little ankles!! Thankfully most of the girls don't mind being picked up, and all of them seem to settle once you have them close to you. Snuggling must be comforting!! My neighbor came over to hold the girls while I clasped thier bracelets shut. It just so happens that the bracelets close with an eyelet that has to be crimped. I happen to have a scrapbooking tool that was the perfect tool to use to get this job done. At the zoning department, they were sure to show us the tool that is recommended to be used with the tags. They were quick to add that thiers was not going to be lent out. When I seen the bracelets, I was totally confident that my scrapbooking tool would get the job done!! And so it did!!

During the week, Jason has been busy putting up a bit of privacy fence to keep our chickens in thier designated "Chicken Free Range Yard." He has been able to work on the fence on a couple mornings this past week, and was able to finish it today!! It looks really sharp! I can't wait to get another section of fencing put up. I will feel much more comfortable as my chickens free range in the future. Tonight, after the gate was placed on the fence. We brought the kids outside, and gave them a few rules about the chickens being able to be free ranged.

The chickens can only free range while we are outside with them, as we don't want them to jump the fence and venture to unprotected territory, by neighbors dogs and so forth. Our birds are a bit flighty and when they feel threatened, whether by a child or by another bird (as in this case) they are not afraid to use thier wings!!

The only person who was having problems with the one and only rule was Miss Lucy (who would have thought) she was set on chasing a chicken. She wants to pet them on her terms, not thiers. She ended up on the other side of the fence determined and letting us know (loud) that she was going to come back in the chicken yard with us.

She eventually was able to come back in and did much better about not chasing the chickens. The chickens were a bit on edge while "Free Ranging." They were very hesitant about leaving thier pen and coop. They were out for less than 10 minutes and happy to get back in get up on thier coop and call it a night!