An experiment in chick freedom

Ursa Minor was protesting the confines of the chickery, so I tried something.  I let all the moms and chicks loose.  This is not rain day, these are the tiny chicks in their first few days of life, that are typically in chickeries in the greenhouse (warm and dry), before they go out to chickeries on grass for a few days, before they run wild with their moms (a staged transition to free-range).

So I propped up the chickeries so they could leave, but still get back in their familiar box.  Clever stayed in for hours.

Ursa shot out and within a minute, was demonstrating hole digging in the tomatoes.

Hers are the smallest chicks too.  The others have an edge by a couple days or at least some hours.  But she’s a real go-getter.

No time to lose!  I’ve done this before.  Can’t waste a minute with early chickhood education!

Thinking about it.

Domino’s thinking harder about it.    

Oh!  Big moves! 

This is the cost of chickens on the loose.  The danger to low hanging fruit.  It’s negligible.

I think I see a tomato right now.