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Fresh Air for the Hens

Yesterday I was sitting out on the patio reading and enjoying the glorious weather. I was also feeling bad for the hens, stuck in their run. I have been imagining lately that they're not so happy all cooped up as they always are (pun intended).
So I decided to give them their first taste of freedom. It was like watching your toddler walk for the first time. I sat back, gave them some room, and in no time out they came.

They didn't get much further than the compost pile, right outside their coop, and every time I came near they ran back inside. But hey, for an hour or two they got to stretch their legs and eat some bugs! As a side note, I have been reading "The Martha Years" books, a fictional series about Laura Ingalls Wilder's great-grandmother Martha, daughter of a Laird in Scotland. They are written by Melissa Wiley and are a delight to read. More to feed my "Little House" obsession! Also, in tracing my family tree on Ancestry.com I am related to Laura Ingalls via her mother's Scottish/English side and I believe this Martha's family is the ancestry we have in common. I have to check on that for sure, but either way I am just really enjoying reading about Scottish traditions and life in the 1700s, and this sweet little girl Melissa Wiley has created.
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Comments

Tara said…
Hooray! Hens are so much fun to watch when you turn them loose! They get into all sorts of little adventures.
3:03 PM
anita said…
Beautiful hens! Are they Buff Orpingtons??
8:13 AM
Lisa Zahn said…
Thanks, Anita. They are Rhode Island Reds. So far they look like their daddy, not much like their darker red mothers. If you find a post called Chicken Family that I did a few weeks ago, you can see their parents at my friend's farm.

And yes, Tara, I'm hoping to let them out every day. It makes me happy!

Lisa
8:26 AM
barefoot gardener said…
Hiya! Just found you through Casaubon's Book, and am really liking your place. We live in (kinda) the same area, as I am also about an hour north of the cities. I look forward to getting to know more about you as I follow your blog....
9:04 AM
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