I decided it was time to try something new at the Shaw household. I have known for some time now that chickens, besides providing a great source of protein, are also a fabulous source of pest control. Bless their little chicken hearts, they just love to eat those pesky little, multi-legged beasts that crawl around and make my skin itch. So, it was time to try an experiment in free ranging my little darlings. Now, you must remember that my backyard is also inhabited by two very large chocolate labs and a not so large, but full of attitude, little Lhasa Apso. I began my experiment by opening the door to the chicken run and then standing back and observing the behavior of all the parties involved.
First, my babies carefully, but fearlessly, stepped beyond the boundaries of their domain and ventured like troopers into the outside world. They marched happily down the fence line marveling at the great expanse of lush greenery before their eyes.
I'm not sure what they found so fascinating as they all stared at the fence. Maybe they're just curious followers and since one of them was staring, they figured they all better look. I'm hoping it was a smorgasboard of creepy crawlies they had decided to devour that held their attention. The dogs, however, were of no concern to them what so ever.
I continued to monitor their activities carefully. Moose seemed more concerned about what was on the outside of the yard than he was by the fact that the previously caged birds were wandering about the yard freely.
And Tater just wanted to make it perfectly clear that the tire was his, and off limits to anything bearing feathers.
At the end of the day, these noble creatures seemed content to accept that the backyard was big enough for everyone, and they could coexist together without incident or ire. Oh that humans could be so simple.
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