Release the Krakens!

Four eggs in a single day!  These are such good chickens.  After spending several days cooped up in the chicken coop, they were ready to explore the farm.  

Like Zeus from The Clash of Titans, I yelled "Release the Krakens!" and opened the door to the coop.  For a few moments, they just stood there and stared at me. 

  

It didn't take them many minutes before they realized they were free to leave.  As soon as their feet hit the grass, they were eating blades of it like ravenous cows.  Watching them enjoy their fresh greens made me crave salad for dinner.  

Poncho is a very chivalrous rooster.  He was so excited by all the grass that he excitedly clucked and picked blades with his beak, which he would then drop for the hens to eat.  He knows the way to a women's heart is through her stomach, and spends all his time finding tasty bits to share while he keeps an eye out for danger.

Everybody was looking sort of dingy after their overnight stay in a cage, but during their incarceration in the coop, they spent most of their time preening and getting their feathers perfectly white.  I can see how birds that are kept in captivity could over preen and wear out their feathers.  

So far, the chickens stay in the mowed areas around the house and the barns.  I don't think they like the tall weeds, probably because it would be hard to know if a predator is lurking there.  I'm glad they stay close to things they can get under, like the cars or the coop, in case there are hawks that attack from above.  

Poncho can dance!

The evening of their first day of freedom, Brandon and I watched while they figured out how to get back inside the coop.  It was painful to watch!  They tried flying through the glass windows, perching on the roof, walking through the wire, just about everything but walking through the door.  Brandon couldn't take it any longer, and tried to coax them to the door with food, but they didn't understand.  They finally figured it out on their own.  Now that I know they can get in, I just try not to watch the process so it doesn't drive me crazy.  

Only once have we gotten four eggs in a single day, but everyday we get two or three.  I think they like it here!