So I went to do my usual afternoon stuff (bit of poo-picking, collect eggs, empty poo trays, give the girls their afternoon tea of porridge or corn) and they all bundled out of the door! They've never done that before. They've not shown one ounce of interest in going outside! So I thought, "they must be ready" and let them get on with it! Thankfully, the mud was dry - it hasn't rained (much) for a few days so I wasn't worried about them (apart from the water filled holes).
So how did they get on? Well... They scratched around, searching desperately for worms and bugs (we don't have any, as our soil was only delivered 3 months ago!). They stretched their wings and puffed out their feathers... and then went barrelling up and down the garden like roadrunners. Then Gabrielle took off - all of about 5 yards and she looked more like a Dam Buster than elegant feathered friend, as she's so chunky and big after her moult :o) Tallulah went straight into the garage - they all hung around there for a little while so they must know that that's where the treats are kept (well, I did scatter a few mealworms for them in the mud!). Then they spent a good half hour just digging and scratching in the soil... and the stone chippings. Roxy was as enthusiastic as ever, with stones flying across the garden! They managed to find a few blades of grass (well, corn actually - some that I dropped a while ago!) but there's not much greenery for them. Apart from my hyacinths and daffs - I had to shoo them off a few times, especially as daffs are meant to be poisonous for them!¬
I was pleased that none of them noticed the gardens to our left, right and behind us! And then they put themselves to bed, but not before I dosed the Cube with lice, mite and disinfectant powder!
Six very happy chickens and two very happy adults :o)
Oh PS, tomcat went out of the front door and had a quick explore before going down the side alley to the back garden - his familiar morning territory! So we've all had a good afternoon :o)
