At first it was charming----our chicken's ability to wander about the yard and scratch for bugs. And scratch. And peck. And bite off. Yes, bite off---as in biting off our burgeoning vegetables and flowers. Each time they travel through our corn patch, we find yet another stub where once there was a corn plant.
And the scratching-----as they've grown, they've become more adapt at scratching. Typically, they're scratching for bugs under the surface, but in the meantime, they uproot our plants in the process! We've found more than one cucumber plant uprooted in the past week.
As a result, the chickens now must have a babysitter when they're out of their pen. My son is more than happy to fill this important role. It seems that out of all of us, he enjoys the chickens the most. He returns from his babysitting duties with tales of chicken quarrels, funny antics, and general observations. He takes his job very seriously...