We moved all our chickens up on the hill and out of the back yard! Oh, happy day! I must admit that I did enjoy seeing them up close every day, but I didn’t like them digging up all my potted plants, eating my giant hostas to nubs, and pooping all over the back deck and picnic tables. Friday, I heard a knock at the front door and, when I opened it, there was a big white hen pecking at her reflection in the storm door window! Enough was enough!

Farmer Bob and I waited till dusk, when the chickens all went into their houses for the night. Then I closed them up tight and we hooked up the golf cart to a chain and dragged the house from the back yard across the dam…..and that’s all the farther the golf cart could pull it. Farmer Bob went and got his tractor and pulled the hen house the rest of the way to its new home at the top of the hill with the other chickens. Yay!

We unhooked the tractor chain, but our job was not done. We climbed into the hen house and Farmer Bob caught each chicken and held it while I clipped the flight feathers off one wing on each chicken. Flying around in the back yard was ok, but they don’t need to be flying over their new fence into the sheep pasture with Turk. (He usually ignores them, but we DID have just ONE little “mishap” and don’t want another one!)

Morning came, and we let the chickens out of their houses. For the most part they got along just fine. The major fussing came when someone from a strange flock walked into the other flock’s house. Just like gangs and their clubhouses, they started leaving a “guard hen” in each house to chase out trespassers. (At least that is what it seemed like!) Now they are all settled in and happy!

Come see us on Fox Trot Farm during our weekly Farm Market hours, Sunday’s from 1:00 pm to 5 pm. Farm fresh eggs, raw local honey, beeswax and honey soaps, quilts, Granny Bee’s cookies and cakes, and more!