free ranging
Following the stuck-egg scare I've been letting the chickens out for half an hour every morning. The added exercise is supposedly good for them, and the grass and grubs they eat really cut down on the amount of feed I need to buy. Seriously. It's kind of incredible.
I wish I could let them out more often, but it's kind of a pain to keep watch over them. For the past two mornings they have snuck under the fence into our neighbor's yard, and while I'm making breakfast Dan screams, "Leah, your chickens!" And I run as fast as I can down the road to toss the ladies one by one over the fence before we all get shot. Yeah, we gotta put up some chicken wire soon.
They're so pretty. I wish I could let them roam around my feet all day long. Although, I'd have to demand that my kids start wearing shoes. Maybe it's not worth it.