My New Dogs

I didn't realize when we got the chickens that they would become so domesticated. We let them roam around the backyard. At first it was for short periods of time. Then it became whenever they wanted to because they figured out how to get out of the pen, and I hadn't gotten around to fixing it. Instead of looking for insects like good chickens should, they spend a majority of the day sitting by our Arcadia door, dreaming of coming inside, and pooping all over our patio. Lovely. As soon as you open the door they run up to greet you. They will eat out of your hands and practically push you over to see what you are putting into their cage (whether it be food or water).

We had plenty of practice for Easter egg hunting, as every day we tried to figure out where they were laying their eggs. Sparkles was a little more regular and easier to find, but for the longest time we couldn't figure out if (or where) Chicken Little was laying. We found the mother load the other day, seven light green eggs, in our garden. Between the two of them, we have found eggs behind the shed, under the coop, in the garden, and by the laundry room on the concrete floor. Nice. Who needs a thoughtful cozy nest when you can just pop them out anywhere?

Needless to say, the coop is fixed, and they are back to the infrequent outings.

We have eggs galore, and they have gotten bigger. Now they are more like a large egg, rather than a small, as they started out. Guess even chickens start out small and work their way to the harder stuff.

I would love to brag about how smart my chickens are, but apparently it isn't anything new. See here.

Jaxen is doing a report at school. He needed to come up with a topic. (He picked chickens.) He then interviewed three adults about what they knew about chickens. Then he wrote down 10 questions he has about chickens. He also wrote down 6 places he could go or look for more information. Now he is answering his questions to compile his report. He is working on his rough draft, and then final due in about a week. He needs to do something artsy and then he is going to present it to his class. I might see about bringing in Chicken Little that day, but I need to find a cage to take her in. I have a feeling the cardboard transportation system we currently have is inadequate.