Kitty and Anne dash across the open yard towards the lilac bush. Brown Hen is still quick, but White Hen can’t keep up with them. The hens are seven years old. But they never seemed old to me until now. Compared to the chicks I can see how much they’ve slowed down.
Kitty and Anne’s favorite place is around the big lilac bush and in the garden next to it. Although the hens wander the farm as if they’re queens that no one would dare disturb, the chicks instinctually spend little of their time out in the open.
The four of them spend more and more time together, but they still pair off for most of the day.
By the end of August, the chicks should start laying eggs. That will work out well because White Hen is molting and has stopped laying.
These day’s Jon and I share an egg in the morning, but soon we’ll have more than enough.
