Observations on chickens

Many months ago, Sonja, then eight, got it in her head that she wanted to have some chickens.  She researched raising chickens, gave us a very sophisticated presentation promoting her idea.  It gestated for many months and by the spring, it was decided, Sonja would get her chickens.  When we were here in March, Bob built a beautiful chicken coop and the chicks they'd bought, by then adolescent, were moved into it.  It's the chicken Hilton.  A cute barn red coop up on stilts with a ramp leading into it.  It's been five months and the hens have been laying eggs for 3 months.  Sonja has learned lessons: about loss, one of the most beautiful chickens (named Sunshine) was eaten by a neighbor's dog and responsibility.   We all think fresh eggs really do taste better.  It gives her great pleasure to share the eggs with neighbors.   I've been watching the chickens closely since we've been here and come up with some observations.  Common sayings- pecking order, hen-pecked, chicken scratching- have their origin in chicken behavior.  It's clear her six chickens know who's in charge.  Speckles is boss.  She's the biggest and most beautiful and powerful chicken.   She  comes out of the coop first every morning, gets to eat first, pecks any chicken that gets in her way.  Speckles is also the escape artist who finds every small crack in the fencing to get at the greener grass outside their run.  Yesterday Speckles got it into her chicken brain that she wanted to lay her egg under the Hosta plants in our yard and she escaped at least three times until she finally was out long enough to lay her egg there.  Can chickens plan ahead?  I think maybe, Sonja says no way.  The chickens do eat almost everything in their domain until it's striped of all vegetation.  They've cleared a thick patch of periwinkle out under the bushes between our houses and before that they cleared a large patch of grass in our yard which now reseeded is growing back vigorously having been fertilized generously with chicken manure.  I find the gentle clucking sounds they make very restful.  It's very pleasant just to sit in the shade of the trees, zone out and watch the chickens do their chicken thing.   I hope Sonja's interest in the chickens and her sense of responsibility for the chickens remains high.

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