Every day when I come home from work, I let the chickens out to free range. They act like children out for summer vacation and run as fast as they can to the horse paddock to pick through the dung and eat the grain the Mare drops at feeding time. There is a watering trough that is fed by the downspouts on the barn but since it has not rained lately it was only half full. I just happened to see something that caught my eye during my evening duties. I walked to the paddock and there were two chickens that had fallen in trying to drink. Sadly one small cockrell had drowned and the RIR hen had pretty much accepted her fate when I arrived. I rescued the hen but the cockerell was allready gone. I added a cinder block to the water trough in case this happens again to allow a poor soul the ability to get above the water line. Just a warning if you have a similar situation. Hate losing chickens to Raccons and foxes but when its your own design, it makes it even more personal.
