My girls working in the garden

[kla37]

I can usually grow some winter veggies under a frost sheet, but not this year. None of it was growing well, so I let the girls tear it up! They had a blast.

Our blue cochin Luna:

They really loved the frostbitten baby lettuce:

Hermione, our partridge cochin:

Ronnie, a black australorp, sitting in my lap, looking ready for a nap

Sunny, the BO who was convinced the camera MUST taste good

 

[kfchickenlady]

that is the cutest thing ever! thanks for posting

 

[equinehugger3]

AW!!! Those lucky chickens! What my chickens would give to tear up our garden...

SO cute!

 

[kla37]

That particular garden is not in our fenced in backyard, it's on the side of the house, that's why it's fenced to keep deer and rabbits out. Turns out to be a great place for chickens to play when I'm not growing anything or between seasons. I put bird netting over the top to hopefully keep hawks away. When I see them all out there with their butts in the air, I know why people want roosters.

 

[Sassafras]

A very lovely flock! They sure seem to be enjoying themselves. Me, I have about 3 feet of snow in the back yard.

 

[tamberlin]

Wow! You can see the ground! We have so much snow now that I bet we won't be seeing green grass until July! My poor chickens are in the garage.... but I bet they are happier there than in the snow...

 

[kla37]

I feel bad for you all up there with all that snow! I'm originally from the Chicago area, so I remember all that stuff! When it snows here it melts away fairly quickly. Stay warm!

 

[clairabean]

 

[smithzoo100]

kla37, Cool pics of chickens hard at work!! Our birds all have chores here, too!! The ducks and chickens are GREAT at helping to clear the drainage ditches around the driveway before the rains come of all the fallen oak leaves. The turkeys help a bit, but are better at big patches of leaves so that the grass will have a chance to grow. Handfulls of scratch tossed where I want the birds to work is all the motivation that they need!! Our geese and Muscovy ducks keep the weeds and grass down to a very neat 1" or a little less once it starts to grow so all I have to do is get the wild carrot and this huge weedy plant that tries to take over the property every year. I haven't identified it yet so haven't a clue what to call it

It's amazing to look around now that we have some sun to grow grass after all of our mud (I am so sorry for everyone who lives in all of that snow and weather the rest of the country seems to be getting!!!!!). I have knee deep grass in spots that are fenced off from the animals and need to get that handled with the big organic lawnmowers (horses) now that the ground is solid enough. If I open it up for the geese and Scovies once the horses have the grass down to a level they will eat, it looks like I go out and manicure it. I love that the critters can do the yard work around here and think that it's awesome others have their birds working for them as well!!

For all of you belly deep in snow and ice around the rest of the country, our trade off for more mild winters is we have no grass here period once it dries up until the rains begin again in fall or winter. It works for us, but I am sure that some of you would never trade in the rest of your year's weather for our's...

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

They are too cute!!