MY EMPLOYEES

The chickens have finished the larger area weeding, fertilizing and scratching up in the garden, so today I moved them to their smaller individual chicken tractors between the rows. They are working between the mesclun and rainbow kale rows today... and will be for awhile, as they get moved down the row to the end. Then they'll start on another row. Truthfully, I have WAY too many weeds that are getting so much taller since the rain we had. I think I will be forced to get out there and actually chop some of them mysef, with a hoe.

The chickens love it. I saw Goldilocks get a small grasshopper earlier. Both hens are banties, so are smaller than the usual chicken. The cats, who would like to try to kill and eat them, have been very curious about them in the smaller tractors. They can get closer and the sides are wire, not boards, so they can see them better and reach in! So Coconut is having a blast helping me by keeping them chased away from the tractors. Of course, SHE would like to get the chickens too, but knows I highly disapprove of that, so is very satisfied that I have lifted my ban against chasing cats, as long as they are loitering around the chicken tractors. The one cat that you see in the photo is Nissa, who has a free pass to be anywhere she wants. She is very old, and is a sweetheart who will not hurt chickens or anything else. Coconut is not allowed to chase her, ever. Of all the cats here, she is the only one who is actually 'ours', as a voluntary choice. And poor thing, she has it rough with ill-tempered Thorn attacking her and running her off the porch/patio every time she sees her. When you take a cat to be fixed you have to come up with a name for it, and 'Thorn' fit so well for our large, contentious squatter.

I had some stale bread, so gave the chickens some as a 'tractor warming' gift this morning. Coconut really, really wanted some too, since I was giving it to someone else. So I gave her a piece, which she carried off and reluctantly ate, lest the cats get it.