Yesterday as I was cleaning up around the house, I happened to notice that one of the slats in the backyard fence had fallen down.

As I straightened up the slat and tried to push the nail back in to the fencepost, I heard the distinct sound of clucking from the opposite corner of the yard! I turned around, and there they were: three hens scratching and pecking around.

Our neighbor keeps some chickens in a coop in the exact corner of the yard where the slat had fallen. Apparently the hens were feeling a bit adventurous and decided to check out our yard for food.

When Ethan got home, I let him run around the back yard with the chickens, who were surprisingly tolerant and friendly: one of them even let him pet her. They’re not the smartest animals, though. One happened to walk into our now-defunct garden and circled for about an hour trying to figure her way back out of the fencing. I finally got frustrated just watching, and picked her up and dropped her off with her friends.
They finally decided around dusk to head back to their coop in the neighbor’s yard.

Millie has been stuck to the window for the entire time.