We finally got some new chickens. They’re a little younger than I was planning on, so they will stay in a temporary pen close to the house for a couple of weeks. This way we can frequently stop by the pen and try to tame them a bit, as well, we get to watch them at play. 
Now I know chickens don’t really belong in a kitchen garden, at least not in the summer-because they love to scratch up everything-but I’m thinking I might start letting them in during the winter. Even though I know they’ll make a mess!
We didn’t give our previous girls many opportunities to free range, but when a couple of them got attacked by ravens in an open section of their extended pen – after three years with no problems – we were left with one old girl on her own. I couldn’t bare to see her by herself all day so, as long as I was outside, she was free to roam. I loved seeing her pop out of some flowers or resting under the shade of a rhodo. So I’ll see what happens when I let the new ones free range but I think I’ll try just two at a time.
My neighbour made us a couple of mosaic stepping stones of a hen (our old girl) and a chick. Apparently a rooster is in the works!
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