Early Harvest

Is it time to harvest potatoes?  The hens have decided it is by virtue of their sturdy toenails, unmanicured and filled with common dirt.  Nearly all of the potato vines have disappeared, so there is little hope that the tubers beneath the soil will find nourishment from above.  Must be harvest time.

Hen-harvested Yukon Gold.

While picking in the berry patch last week, I noticed fat brown and red potatoes with the distinct markings of hen tattooed on each of them.  Things I get to do today will be to salvage the rest before my eager farmer hens think I'm shirking my duties and take on the task themselves.  Could they be taught to use a shovel?