I allowed the chicks to leave the chicken coop and run for the first time on Saturday. I opened the door. Meredith left immediately to take her dust bath. The leader of the other chicks out the door was Howard (the one I think is a rooster). He took about 5 minutes to exit the coop's open door. Four others followed him. One chick who wasn't paying attention didn't notice they had left until she saw them outside the run. She ran back and forth, trying to get close to her buddies but unable to figure a way out. Her friends stayed close to her, sometimes running back and forth with her. I watched her struggle for five minutes and I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed her and set her free. The chicks stayed pretty close to the coop. I don't think they wandered more than 8 feet away from home. Once Meredith noticed they were out, she was a good mother hen and stuck close by. They ate clover blossoms and spiders and anything else they could find. I knew it would be hard to get them back into the coop at the end of the day. Meredith tried to be a good role model and went to bed inside the coop early. None of the chicks followed her. I cajoled 5 chicks into the coop with dandelion leaves. As I tried to get the last one in another one escaped. Now two were out. I went back into the house and tried again a half hour later. The darker the sky, the less willful the chickens are. A half hour later, one of the chicks went in happily. The other one would not cooperate. After 10 unsuccessful tries, I finally grabbed her and put her away. The first day of freedom was a success.
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