In the course of a year, our henhouse sinks into the soil a wee bit. So in the spring, we raise each corner of the coop and the pen and I stick something underneath it -- a small piece of lumber, a flat rock or a compacted mound of dirt. This assures that the coop’s wooden supports and
the pen’s wooden frame will rest on, not in, the ground. At least for a while.
This task is complicated by the fact that I’ve laid hardware cloth on the ground right outside the coop and the pen, to help prevent predators from digging their way in. The hardware cloth is topped with bricks, to hold it in place. Before I could elevate the coop and the pen yesterday, I had to remove these outside "fortifications."
Our three hens paid close attention to all of this, of course. Chickens are inquisitive, and they’re always in search of tasty creepy-crawlies. So you can imagine their glee when, beneath brick after brick, I found dozens of worms. I tossed a few into the pen, where they were quickly gobbled up, but many more remained just outside the chicken wire, within plain sight of the eagle-eyed Snow, Nellie and Hope.
Chickens cannot see much of anything at night, but they have excellent eyesight during the day; better than ours in some ways. The hens hopped and bounced excitedly as they scrutinized this edible bounty just beyond their reach. I didn’t give them too many worms, though. Everything in moderation is a good rule of thumb when it comes to such delicacies. Although "the girls" had their share, they certainly didn't have their fill.
If hens can experience angst, I think I saw it on display yesterday, as escape-minded worms slithered into the ground.
This task is complicated by the fact that I’ve laid hardware cloth on the ground right outside the coop and the pen, to help prevent predators from digging their way in. The hardware cloth is topped with bricks, to hold it in place. Before I could elevate the coop and the pen yesterday, I had to remove these outside "fortifications."
Our three hens paid close attention to all of this, of course. Chickens are inquisitive, and they’re always in search of tasty creepy-crawlies. So you can imagine their glee when, beneath brick after brick, I found dozens of worms. I tossed a few into the pen, where they were quickly gobbled up, but many more remained just outside the chicken wire, within plain sight of the eagle-eyed Snow, Nellie and Hope.
Chickens cannot see much of anything at night, but they have excellent eyesight during the day; better than ours in some ways. The hens hopped and bounced excitedly as they scrutinized this edible bounty just beyond their reach. I didn’t give them too many worms, though. Everything in moderation is a good rule of thumb when it comes to such delicacies. Although "the girls" had their share, they certainly didn't have their fill.
If hens can experience angst, I think I saw it on display yesterday, as escape-minded worms slithered into the ground.
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