Outside at last!

Finally got the "girls" (still too young to know if we have all hens and the fingers are crossed) outside this weekend full time and boy was I a nervous Nellie all day and all night. They seemed quite content and aside from the heat wave coming back and needing to help them keep cool during the hotest hours of the day they seem quite content.

The dogs on the other hand are a different matter. Since technically in my city chickens are not allowed to free range and must be penned up 24/7 then officially they aren't out an about on their own. But the dogs right now love stalking them in the run and the tractor so the dogs have had very little outside time unless I am there to redirect them (constantly). And I hope the "girls" are beginning to get used to them and will eventually calm down around them. The less the run and fly around the coop the less excited the dogs get.

When the whole family is on the alert to not let the dogs out (a habit we need to break of just opening the door to let them run every time they ask) and I am outside in the garden or working on the lawn with them then the "girls" do get some unpenned time. But don't tell the animal control.