Artichokes and chickens

The hens are still laying even in these dark days and keeping them producing eggs is important because they still keep eating and food costs money!
Keeping them in top condition and clean is essential.
Sanitized the hen house and clean fresh straw today. The birds had gone up the garden to ransack the greenhouse as they do! Letting them in had increased the egg production by giving them full spectrum of light without the wind chill and wet conditions. They cleared all the foliage from the tomato plants and all the bean leaves saving me a job and preparing the beds for springtime planting. They also rooted up all the artichokes that were deeply rooted and difficult to find! We are never without artichokes now as no matter how fastidiously I dig them up there are always a few volunteers lurking in the corners
The fennel seeds are a treat for them and any volunteer tomato seeds have been picked out of the soil, chickweed has been eliminated and the hens are well nourished
Gone to roost now so clean water in time for the tumble and rush when we open the pophole in the morning.