enjoy the ride
Sufficient Life
My next door neighbor has a renter who thought that the empty chicken coop was crying for chickens to lay eggs for her. She is a real city girl but blythly went off and bought 5 "hens" as chicks. Of course, two of the now 5 month olds are roosters, two of the hens seem to be banties. And the only large one seems to be part greyhound. I can't catch her for love or money. They all seem to fly quite well.
She said they had not started laying and were a pain. So she decided to "free range" them. First they "free ranged" into my manure pile, then into the horse's winter paddock. I told her (and the neighbor) that the next thing they were going to do was end up in the horse's night paddock and run in shed. The neighbor told me he would tell her to keep them confined.
Today of course, I found that the chickens had spent the day on my firewood, the enterance to my hay shed and the horse's paddock and shed. There was chick poop all over the rubber mats, feed trough and and everywhere else. So I spent the waining day light hours picking up chicken poop before bringing the horses in for the night.
I hate chicken poop - the chickens also dig up the bedding and scratched up the mulched path.
At least my conversation with the nieghbor, which started out with him saying they were not his chickens and he would not get involved, ended up with him saying he would work with them to see if he could get the chickens better confined before they "free ranged" into my garden and strawberry patch. Seems these chicks will not stay in their run now they have tasted freedom.
I guess this is the same philosophy that people who turn dogs loose share- a clear disconnect with the responsiblity.
She said they had not started laying and were a pain. So she decided to "free range" them. First they "free ranged" into my manure pile, then into the horse's winter paddock. I told her (and the neighbor) that the next thing they were going to do was end up in the horse's night paddock and run in shed. The neighbor told me he would tell her to keep them confined.
Today of course, I found that the chickens had spent the day on my firewood, the enterance to my hay shed and the horse's paddock and shed. There was chick poop all over the rubber mats, feed trough and and everywhere else. So I spent the waining day light hours picking up chicken poop before bringing the horses in for the night.
I hate chicken poop - the chickens also dig up the bedding and scratched up the mulched path.
At least my conversation with the nieghbor, which started out with him saying they were not his chickens and he would not get involved, ended up with him saying he would work with them to see if he could get the chickens better confined before they "free ranged" into my garden and strawberry patch. Seems these chicks will not stay in their run now they have tasted freedom.
I guess this is the same philosophy that people who turn dogs loose share- a clear disconnect with the responsiblity.