The chickens have moved! After determining that it is time for them to start earning their keep around here, we found a nice spot in the retired spring greens for our mobile chicken tractor. Last week we rolled our friends up to the field, set out the fencing to keep them happily contained, then turned them loose!

They seem to be thoroughly enjoying the chance to hunt and peck through their little corner of the field for seed heads and can be seen darting back and forth erratically, which looks a little odd from a distance, but up close reveals that they are hard at work chasing down insects. In addition to reducing the pest population, they will fertilize the soil with their droppings, then incorporate them into the soil as they scratch and do their chicken thing. All of this activity is excellent for the fields, which will get a nice rest while they are groomed.

update: after 27 days with only 3/8ths of an inch of rain- today we recieved 1/2 inch under cloudy skies- a good day to get some chix pix. Last week the chickens spent the hot “code orange” days in the shade of the chicken tractor- all of us are grateful for the break.