Wandering chickens make happy chickens!

So a few weeks ago, I decided to let the chickens out in the veggie garden to see if they would help with eating weeds and fertilizing.  I caught and carried each one in, which was an adventure of sorts.  I gave up on trying to catch a couple of them, mostly because I don't enjoy being pecked and scratched.  A few of them are kind of mean.  They started out well...scratching around, looking for worms and other random bugs...they looked content, so I went inside.  Apparently, most decided they didn't like the confines of the garden.  You know, the grass is greener thing???  I came outside to see what they were doing and all but one of them had literally hopped the fence and were grazing in the yard area near the garden.  Oh my...how to get them back in the coop??  My fears were made a little more dramatic when I realized that there were cats lurking about in the yard.  Now what??  Had I created a situation I wouldn't be able to deal with?  I wasn't too concerned about losing a chicken or two, especially since they haven't been laying any eggs (more on that later), but the melee that might ensue had me worried.  I got a scoop of scratch and tried having them follow me, Pied Piper style, back to the coop.  Most of them complied, however, a few of them didn't understand the path I had chosen.  They kept running full force into the chicken wire on the outside of the coop, trying to get inside.  Um...there is a door, but I guess when your brain is smaller than a raisin, logic is not your forte.  After I stopped laughing, I finally was able to herd them near the door and they saw the goods and ran in.  Slammed the door shut and felt successful that there hadn't been any bloodshed...mine or the chickens.

They have discovered the front area as well.

So, about the cats...They don't seem to be interested in the chickens as snacks.  That could be since the chickens are twice as large as both cats.  The cats and chickens are odd creatures though.  I put out some snacks for the cats to eat.  More specifically, the carcass of a precooked chicken that I picked the meat off to make a dip for the Super Bowl.  The cats, of course, dug in and started eating.  The chickens, clearly sensing some sort of snack frenzy, waddled on over to see what was going on.  Much to my disgust and surprise, the chickens pulled the carcass out of the tray and started eating it.  Yech...cannibals!  Did they know they were eating their own kind?  So, the Ninja cat and the chickens ate chicken side by side...orange cat opted out of the feasting.

Ninja cat and friends enjoying their snack...

So, all of this made me pull out my favorite chicken book, also known as the chicken bible, and I read that chickens love to roam and explore, and that they will head back to the coop when it gets dark.  Really??  Can it be that easy?  So the next day, as I was leaving for work, I opened the door and they came pouring out.  I put some scratch on the ground because if I don't distract them, they will follow me and try to get in the car.  I came home at lunch to check on them and was amused to see them all sitting on the flat bed trailer on the side yard, soaking up the sunshine.  They ran to me and followed me all the way up to the back door.  Kind of a weird feeling, having all these beady eyed fowl following me.  After school, it was dark and I was worried to not see any of my feathered friends.  Thinking back to what the chicken bible said, I looked in the coop.  One, two, three...thirteen!  All there...roosting peacefully on their condo.  NICE!!!

I have found that the chickens really enjoy their days outside.  The only day that they probably regretted coming out, was the day that Avery wasn't tied up.  Jetta and Daisy are okay with the fowl population.  Jetta sniffs them.  I guess because she has been trained with ducks and doves, she has little interest in them.  Daisy...well, she is just a fraidy cat, so she stays away from them.  She doesn't enjoy conflict.  Avery, on the other hand, thought the chickens were yet another chewy toy.  She chased them around (she's very fast) and most of them avoided her jaws.  The rooster, being a stupid rooster, stood in front of Avery, wiggled his tail feathers, which ended up in Avery's mouth.  After the initial yelling phase that I went through was over, the rooster, minus his tail feathers went on his way, and Avery ended up in her kennel.  Lesson learned. 

It seems that wanderng chickens really are happy chickens!  I looked in the coop day before yesterday and someone had laid an egg!  A nice large brown egg.  About time I say! Yesterday, I was the lucky owner of three eggs in the coop.  Husband says by letting the chickens out to roam, we are opening ourselves up to a year round Easter egg hunt.  I'm afraid he may be right.  I found an egg in the garden shed...wonder how long that had been there.  Three eggs in the coop isn't bad though, seeing how we have had no eggs for nearly three months.  We'll see how today goes.  Maybe it's like the nighttime thing...they know where they should lay their eggs...maybe someone just couldn't hold it any longer...time will tell I suppose.