When I was shooing everyone back into their coops last night, one of my Sapphire Splashes didn't come in. My poultry runs loose in a fenced area next to the house during the day, but only when I am home and can keep an eye on them. A pair of geese, who care nothing about the chickens' or ducks' safety, are nonetheless, great alarmists if they see a perceived predator. Nothing yesterday seemed out of the ordinary.
I called until I was hoarse and spent about two hours looking for Alice. She's one of those purebred Splashes that gets messed up coloring: every feather is pure white. Her bright whiteness makes her easy to spot, for me and anything that wants to eat her.
I searched in coops, under coops, in the garage (which I had briefly opened earlier), in the parked truck's bed, in the hay shed, in all the dying weeds and flower foliage. I checked under, in and around everything I could. I kept looking until it was too dark to see what I was doing and what I might trip over.
Aside from three hens that were killed in their coop by a mink several years ago, my missing hens have always reappeared by the next day. But, Alice isn't the kind to stray far from her coop mates, including her almost-identical white sister, Cora. Still, I refused to give up hope, and it was rewarded!!
My dogs like to get up in the early, dark morning hours and head outdoors to do their business. At 3:52, as I opened the back door for them, I spotted a white chicken, zipping around on the sidewalk next to the garage. Before I could get outside, she ran over by one of the ducks' water tanks and stopped. My first attempt at grabbing her failed, but on try No. 2, I hugged her close to me -- even as she screamed bloody murder. She quieted down as soon as I set her in her coop. Thankfully, she seems completely uninjured.
Given that chickens have poor eyesight in the dark, Alice likely didn't know it was me trying to catch her when I sneaked up behind her. But, why on earth was she running around in the darkness -- instead of hiding -- when her lack of vision would make her most vulnerable? She's so very white, she nearly glows in the dark, an easy target for predators.
Today, I believe Miss Alice will have to watch her sisters play outdoors while she stays in the coop and run. Alice is grounded!!
I called until I was hoarse and spent about two hours looking for Alice. She's one of those purebred Splashes that gets messed up coloring: every feather is pure white. Her bright whiteness makes her easy to spot, for me and anything that wants to eat her.
I searched in coops, under coops, in the garage (which I had briefly opened earlier), in the parked truck's bed, in the hay shed, in all the dying weeds and flower foliage. I checked under, in and around everything I could. I kept looking until it was too dark to see what I was doing and what I might trip over.
Aside from three hens that were killed in their coop by a mink several years ago, my missing hens have always reappeared by the next day. But, Alice isn't the kind to stray far from her coop mates, including her almost-identical white sister, Cora. Still, I refused to give up hope, and it was rewarded!!
My dogs like to get up in the early, dark morning hours and head outdoors to do their business. At 3:52, as I opened the back door for them, I spotted a white chicken, zipping around on the sidewalk next to the garage. Before I could get outside, she ran over by one of the ducks' water tanks and stopped. My first attempt at grabbing her failed, but on try No. 2, I hugged her close to me -- even as she screamed bloody murder. She quieted down as soon as I set her in her coop. Thankfully, she seems completely uninjured.
Given that chickens have poor eyesight in the dark, Alice likely didn't know it was me trying to catch her when I sneaked up behind her. But, why on earth was she running around in the darkness -- instead of hiding -- when her lack of vision would make her most vulnerable? She's so very white, she nearly glows in the dark, an easy target for predators.
Today, I believe Miss Alice will have to watch her sisters play outdoors while she stays in the coop and run. Alice is grounded!!
