Unmolested, the tomatoes make a desperate bid as summer ends

Before the chickens were penned in, they spent their time eating my flowers and tomatoes. Once I got them locked up, I left everything alone to see what could recover. Not much, I found out. But the tomatoes, reduces to leafless stem stubs rebounded and started growing. Too late, though, I fear. Although the past few days have been warm, the nights are getting cooler. I don't think any of them will have a chance to grow and ripen before the first frost hits. So at that point I will pull up the plants and toss them into the chicken pen---and the chickens win again.