Sunday, September 06, 2009

Wild and free - for a few hours anyway!




Last night my husband stayed in Oita and didn't get home till just before lunchtime so I thought it was a perfect time to try letting my little friends out for a walk. When we first got chickens I had visions of them pecking around in the garden, but unfortunately these visions were always kept in a cage due to my husband's fears of bird-flu. I think swine flu has now reduced the bird flu fears and this morning I decided to attack the garden around the chicken house and I thought it would be nice to have some helpers. And great little helpers they were! None of them ran away. They all followed me around and dug up the parts I had weeded - doing poos here and there and generally having a great time. My husband came home while they were still out and didn't complain so I'm thinking of letting them out every evening for an hour or so to do some scratching and fertilising. They are still laying 10 eggs most days lately so their large cage life can't be too bad, but it is nice to see them out in the open too. Who knows they may even keep the weeds at a manageable size.....

3 comments:

  1. that's pretty cool! cute chickens....

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  2. How did you get them back in? If I was a chiken at your place I wouldn't run away either. Why ruin a good thing. On the other hand if I was a chicken round here...

    I would be flying to your place at the first opportunity.

    Hope to see you soon.

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  3. Aren't they great companions when you are working in the garden! We pack ours up in a crate and carry them to our other fields that are a bit further from their home as well.

    They never run away, but can some times be annoying when they stick so dangerously close to the swinging scythe or kuwa.

    I have also been leaving mine out in the yard while I am not around, but still worry that they will sneak into the neighbors field and eat her sprouts.

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