Gardening Companions – In Happier Times

I haven’t had much to do with the girls this summer.  I guess I’m what might be called a “Fair Weather Chicken Tender” although the weather has little to do with the current situation.  It all began with “Scratch, Scoot, and Scurry.”  Sort of like “Stop, Drop, and Roll” of the fowl variety.

First, let me say that, in our almost ten years of chicken nurturing and egg gathering, we have never had such a group of renegades as these.  When out in our garden, free-ranging as we call it, they inevitably go into the flower beds (the best flower beds) scratch around destructively until they dig a space large enough to belly under the picket fence, and off they go.  They make a bee-line for Carol and Tucker’s where they visit for a while, look for remnants of the morning’s wild birdseed and then toddle home.

In March – Heading on Out!

When we ‘lost’ one of the girls that way to a neighbor’s dog (who was momentarily off-leash), we decided they needed to be kept in their chicken-run for a while.  Then, down to four chickens, we purchased two young pullets.  Inexplicably, one of our older girls took an immediate dislike to those teenagers and managed to kill one of them almost immediately.  Talk about that pecking order!! We returned the survivor to our chicken-supplier to let her grow to adulthood and, just last week, brought her home again.

Secure Haven

Farmer Nyel had readied a separate cage for her.  It’s in the run where she can get acquainted with the old girls from a protected position.  But, don’t you know, that Meanie Hen is already on the warpath trying (but failing) to attack this newbie.  It’s been two weeks now, but Mrs. Meanie is unrelenting.  Nyel wants to exchange their places.  I want to stew the bully-girl.

And besides, before I could get my flower beds back in order from the “Scratch, Scoot, and Scurry” drill, the moles took over and I’ve given up.  Might as well let the girls free-range again and duke it out among themselves.  Wouldn’t you think with an acre of garden, we could all live in harmony?  But probably not.  It seems to be the way of the world these days.  I despair.