When Jeff and I had chickens here before, we loved letting them loose in the garden in the fall to clean up. This spring when we got chicks, we looked forward to the fall when we could do the same thing. All summer long we couldn’t let them in our garden because they would have eaten all of it. But right now the garden is slowing down (and in our excitement, we were having a hard time waiting any longer) and the chickens are having the run of the place. Last week during two sunny days we let them romp around the garden. Watching them eating so many greens and bugs made our hearts glad. They ended up venturing a little too far though. We don’t have our gardens entirely fenced in yet. So I brainstormed a solution. I wanted a quick fix since we don’t have time for any big fencing projects right now.

 Bracken was absolutely ecstatic to have his chickens in the garden. (He’d seen them there on occasion when they had gotten out, but not when they were supposed to be there.) Opening their door and wandering with them all around the garden, he was pleased as pie.

 Yesterday as I was figuring out what to do to keep the chickens from venturing too far from their garden (and hadn’t let them out of their yard yet), our spunky gal Honey escaped from her yard and joined us out front. We had just finished eating a watermelon we traded some farmer’s market friends for. Bracken shared the rest with Honey. (Later he brought it in their yard, using it as a little bowl and filled it with chicken feed .)

 I made a makeshift fence where the grape arbor connects the front yard to the back yard. Jeff took a break from loading firewood to haul a heavy pallet over for me. I got it blocked off temporarily to help keep the chickens in the back garden. It worked yesterday and today. Of course they could fly over it if they really wanted to, but I’m hoping they won’t have the inclination with all the good greenness in the garden to eat.

 Bracken brought out his kazoo and played it for the chickens.

After all the cold and rain lately, the three of us really enjoyed soaking up some warm sunshine yesterday. Jeff hauled firewood all day long until he could hardly stand anymore, he was so exhausted. He wanted to get all the firewood under cover before the rains returned. Every morning now when we let the chickens out in the garden and I watch them scratching around contentedly, doing a mighty fine job of cleaning up the space, it brings a huge smile to my face.