APPARENTLY MY CHICKENS CANNOT READ

Late last fall, I busted my butt in the back yard. There was an area where our dog Mia had peed and killed all the grass in various places. Add to that, the compost pile that hadn’t been completely distributed and the pile of dirt Mia displaced when she was buried. It was a mess. So, I spent hours preparing, moving, smoothing and making everything nice and level. Once that was done, I threw grass seed around and topped it with peat moss. I also cleaned up two flowerbeds, one against the house and the other against the side fence.

The flowerbeds looked terrific with their smooth coat of red bark, and it didn’t take long for the grass to begin growing. I could visualize how it would look next spring. I also realized I should have thrown the seed a little more heavily, but that could be rectified come spring. Then, John let the chickens out of their pen.

You have absolutely no idea how angry and upset I was when I saw how the chickens had scratched and scraped all the areas I’d replanted…all that hard work, aching back, hip and shoulders, doses of vicoden, etc., for naught. Then there were the flowerbeds with their nice red dressing thrown about all over the place. I have to confess I had a complete screaming fit, said many unkind things and determined I’d never do another thing around here…EVER, SO THERE!!!!  Then I retired to my room and ignored John, the cats and the chickens for a couple of days. 

Meanwhile John took some kind of orange fencing with holes in it…snow fencing maybe…and stretched it around this particular area to keep the chickens out. Great, too little too late. Then, he and the boys began talking about fence posts and when questioned, I was told to never mind.

One Saturday AJ shows up here and he and his father retire to the back yard where they begin to install poles (not real fence posts) the length of the yard to which they attached the orange fencing material. This essentially splits most of the yard in half lengthwise, but will allow the chickens to roam freely while keeping them from most of my flowerbeds. Only the back flowerbed was available to them.

Good job, yes? Well, no actually. John looks out the window and somehow the chickens have managed to end up on the wrong side of the fence. He believes they flew over the fence, so he and AJ string yellow caution tape from pole to pole. But that didn’t work either because once again, they ended up on the wrong side of the fence. AJ’s wife, Angie asked me, “What’s the problem, can’t your chickens read?” I laughed and laughed.

Then, John discovers the chickens are getting through the fence by sticking their heads under the fencing. While one holds it up, the other two scootch through to be followed by the last one. So, another modification is needed. AJ returns and he and John do something that makes the bottom of the fence rigid and prevents the chickens from raising it up. 

As I’m typing this, I can see all three chickens in the back flowerbed. They are enjoying the late afternoon sun, scratching and clawing away in the dirt. I know there are some dahlia tubers in the ground there and wonder if they’ll survive to grow up and bloom again this year. There are also some other plants that may not survive, but I’ll just have to wait and see.

What I’m wondering now is if this orange fence topped with yellow caution tape is a permanent fixture? Will it remain in place as winter turns to spring and spring to summer? Will anything green get a chance to grow in the back flowerbed or will the chickens chomp the green shoots as quickly as they appear? Ah well, if that’s what I have to sacrifice for those yummy fresh eggs, I won’t complain too much. Besides, one less flowerbed for me to keep up just might be a blessing…I’ll have to wait and watch.