Because I was impatient for the chicks to grow, I bought a flock of chickens and a guinea from a guy on CL. While they are generally nice birds and one is just beautiful, the 2 RSL are so skittish they drive me crazy.
One of the RSL got out of the pen today. My daughters and I spent 2 hours trying to get her back in the pen. Kind of funny when I look back... it was the longest, slow motion chicken chase ever! (Can't run.. don't want to scare her).
I tried herding her back in the pen... nope.
I tried luring her with food and water... no way.
I tried using a catch pole-leg hooky thingy- it's what her previous owner used- she took 1 look at it and took off..... someone please tell me how a chicken can recognise and remember a device that hasn't been used in almost a year, but can't figure out how to get back in the pen???
I even resorted to trying their favorite treat, watermelon. You know... one of the watermelons that my kid was saving to enter in the fair? After hysterical crying and accusations and me feeling like the worst Mommy ever cuz she changed her mind about which one she was entering and I am not a mind reader, I have now promised NEVER to cut a watermelon without checking with her first... The next 40 or 50 summers will be fun.
I finally gave up getting the RSL back in to make dinner for the kids. After dark, and the kids are in bed, I decide to go out and hunt for the silly hen one more time. This time she was ridiculously easy to get... she was all hunkered down, nesting against he outside of the pen. Right next to an anthill. Which I didn't notice (cuz it was dark) until I picked her up and immediately felt stinging pain on my hand and arm. She wasn't covered in ants, but had enough on her to warrent a quick dusting of Sevin powder. So now she is all tucked back into the coop where she belongs... Stupid chicken.
One of the RSL got out of the pen today. My daughters and I spent 2 hours trying to get her back in the pen. Kind of funny when I look back... it was the longest, slow motion chicken chase ever! (Can't run.. don't want to scare her).
I tried herding her back in the pen... nope.
I tried luring her with food and water... no way.
I tried using a catch pole-leg hooky thingy- it's what her previous owner used- she took 1 look at it and took off..... someone please tell me how a chicken can recognise and remember a device that hasn't been used in almost a year, but can't figure out how to get back in the pen???
I even resorted to trying their favorite treat, watermelon. You know... one of the watermelons that my kid was saving to enter in the fair? After hysterical crying and accusations and me feeling like the worst Mommy ever cuz she changed her mind about which one she was entering and I am not a mind reader, I have now promised NEVER to cut a watermelon without checking with her first... The next 40 or 50 summers will be fun.
I finally gave up getting the RSL back in to make dinner for the kids. After dark, and the kids are in bed, I decide to go out and hunt for the silly hen one more time. This time she was ridiculously easy to get... she was all hunkered down, nesting against he outside of the pen. Right next to an anthill. Which I didn't notice (cuz it was dark) until I picked her up and immediately felt stinging pain on my hand and arm. She wasn't covered in ants, but had enough on her to warrent a quick dusting of Sevin powder. So now she is all tucked back into the coop where she belongs... Stupid chicken.
