Brother Russell and Donna are off for the weekend and I've got 'chick duty'. Actually they couldn't have picked a better time. I'm cleaning out the fridge. There are two coops - one for the younger chickens which aren't laying yet and one for the hens that are. Fortunately, Russell assured me the current rooster is as tame as a kitten so I just tried to ignore him. Hard to do when he is standing only a foot away and starts to crow. It's incredibly loud and you feel the sound waves pass through you. Anyway, I distracted the chickens first by throwing in a small bunch of leftover salads, onions, green peppers, etc. That kept them from pecking at my feet. (I wore old leather shoes just in case.) The younger chicks got chick food, scratch grains, and I topped off their water dish. Did the same for the hens except they get hen food instead of chick food. (Something about how developed their crop is.) Then to picking up eggs. Russell has that set up so I don't have to reach under chickens. The eggs gently roll down into a cage from each nest. Didn't take long to accomplish all of those tasks so I went back to watch the chickens scratch through the food stuffs I'd brought for them. The younger chicks were eager but seemed a bit unsure of the carrots and berries. The hens had cleaned up everything. Not a scrap left and they were eyeing me to see if I had anymore. Sort of like a group of tiny velociraptors.
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