Free Range

When I got home yesterday Mike and Farmer were in the back yard chatting about chickens.  Farmer is a really nice gentleman in his middle to late 70's.  He is often giving us vegetables from his garden, he gave me wire and string for my green beans in my garden, and last week he gave us crates to transport chickens to the flea market.  When I arrived yesterday we were discussing the price of chicken layer pellets and how much they like to eat.  He was saying that if you let them run around the yard to eat grass and bugs that it can help defray the cost.  I do let them out from time to time, but there is a hawk that has been hanging around for the past weeks.  So I try to only let them out when I can watch them.  They do love to run around though.  And when I'm in the yard they chase me all over the place (waiting for me to feed them, of course).  I had to wrangle up the bantam bitties, though.  Henry suggested it because he let his roam and they got big enough that he couldn't catch them.  He waited till they roosted and they were roosting in the top of a very tall Maple tree.  So that didn't help.  I didn't want to have that situation, so I caught them and pinned them up.  I'll probably sell them at market this weekend, anyway.  China is sitting again on 12 eggs.

Well, it is a holiday weekend, as Labor Day is upon us.  I really don't know what Labor Day is all about.  It is called Labor, but we don't work.  What's up with that?  But I have a three day weekend staring me in the face.  I will be going to market most likely on Saturday morning.  Then in the afternoon I will be heading off to visit my parents, and my father's birthday is on Sunday.  Holiday or not for you, enjoy your weekend.