Well I cooped the chickens 4 days ago, so I can plant some rye grass in the chicken run and the goat pen, because the chickens have pretty much wiped it all out. So now I have to keep the feeder full of grain to make up for the free-ranging that isn't going on, so they are costing me more money. I am hoping I can talk my husband into setting up another pasture area for them, because by the time the rye will be tall enough for me to want to turn the chickens loose again, they will have consumed hundreds of lbs of feed. Besides I know he won't mind having another area that he doesn't need to cut grass in. Fortunately it has been raining, so I think I will start seeing some little green things popping up soon. I should consider myself lucky. Our northern counterparts are fighting frostbite on combs.