Ribh's D'Coopage

[Shadrach]

When we built our coop we made the roosts the same height. It wasn’t intentionally to keep the peace at roosting time, it was just convenient for us at the time, but now I’m glad. Nothing for them to bicker about. Well except The Queen insists that the place on the end next to the wall is hers.
This is The Queen. (She is the sister to Princess Chicken).
View attachment 2587218

I have small height variations but they are all at jump height.

 

[Shadrach]

Not exactly what I expected when I went to feed the cats...

View attachment 2587297
Some how she was out of the coop and in the basement. Apparently I'll be checking for holes tomorrow.

Did she get any cat food?

 

[Shadrach]

A very nervous Cillin thinking about making a try for the coop again.
He makes himself as small as possible.

 

[Ribh]

I may never be a sane woman again after last night!

We have been doing our tax ~ which is an unmitigated nightmare, as much because the man & I work very differently & he thinks I am a computer genius just because I know a little bit more than he does, as anything else. So it had been a super stressful day & I was doing something I rarely do @ night in an attempt to destress; I was still up watching a movie on the computer long after I'm normally in bed, & my earphones in, which is a left over from when there were lots of us & several were very light sleepers.

I was zoning quite nicely when I thought I heard a chicken ruckus.

Now I don't know about your flock but once mine has roosted I don't hear a peep from them till first light so I grabbed my phone, which has the only torch we still own [all ours ended up in the lads boats] & headed out to check on the girls.

I arrived @ the pen just as 2 chooks fell out of the coop!

You can imagine my horror!

I reefed open the door to find a snake wrapped right around Gloriana several times!!!

I'm not frightened of snakes but they're not welcome to help themselves to my girls either so I grabbed the metal rake & began reefing the coils from around Gloriana. I found myself with one really, really angry snake as it slithered away from the body. I was trying to hang onto my phone & wield the rake when I noticed I had a Vorwerk on a stump & the snake was heading right for it!!!

Rake down, Vorwerk grabbed & shoved in the coop.

I made a quick exit to grab a pitch fork, shoved the phone in my teeth & proceeded to try & deal with the snake, who was proving an elusive customer. I wanted to try & pin the head with the rake & stab it with the pitch fork.

I tried bellowing for the man a couple of times but he's deafer than a door post & I wasn't holding out much hope of him actually hearing me. About 20 minutes in he wandered downstairs to fend of night starvation, noticed I was missing & in checking out the window heard me ~ @ last!

With the cavalry in sight I figured we had some chance of dealing with the snake. The man used to keep all sorts of reptiles, including snakes, as a kid, so while I know the theory I've never had to actually catch one. With me shining the torch the man was able to pin the head & shove the thing in a bag. Pretty sure we have nabbed a carpet snake.

I was pretty upset, thinking we'd lost yet another chicken when all of a sudden I hear Gloriana's distinctive, distressed honking. She was up & looking for a way back to her roost so I grabbed her & brought her inside for a quick check over, some electrolytes & a sip of water before putting her back on a roost. The 3 smaller Vorwerks & Portia were all huddled in the far corner nesting box so I reefed them out one by one & put them back on a roost too.

Here is the Lady of the hour enjoying her morning in the sun

The snake is bagged & due for a long car trip later this morning.
It's over 6' long but very skinny & the man reckons it was starving.
It's in even worse shape now, with several puncture holes from the pitchfork!

I found the hole the snake had made @ a join in the wire & mended it but I think I am even more traumatised than my chickens​

 

[drstratton]

I may never be a sane woman again after last night!

We have been doing our tax ~ which is an unmitigated nightmare, as much because the man & I work very differently & he thinks I am a computer genius just because I know a little bit more than he does, as anything else. So it had been a super stressful day & I was doing something I rarely do @ night in an attempt to destress; I was still up watching a movie on the computer long after I'm normally in bed, & my earphones in, which is a left over from when there were lots of us & several were very light sleepers.

I was zoning quite nicely when I thought I heard a chicken ruckus.

Now I don't know about your flock but once mine has roosted I don't hear a peep from them till first light so I grabbed my phone, which has the only torch we still own [all ours ended up in the lads boats] & headed out to check on the girls.

I arrived @ the pen just as 2 chooks fell out of the coop!

You can imagine my horror!

I reefed open the door to find a snake wrapped right around Gloriana several times!!!

I'm not frightened of snakes but they're not welcome to help themselves to my girls either so I grabbed the metal rake & began reefing the coils from around Gloriana. I found myself with one really, really angry snake as it slithered away from the body. I was trying to hang onto my phone & wield the rake when I noticed I had a Vorwerk on a stump & the snake was heading right for it!!!

Rake down, Vorwerk grabbed & shoved in the coop.

I made a quick exit to grab a pitch fork, shoved the phone in my teeth & proceeded to try & deal with the snake, who was proving an elusive customer. I wanted to try & pin the head with the rake & stab it with the pitch fork.

I tried bellowing for the man a couple of times but he's deafer than a door post & I wasn't holding out much hope of him actually hearing me. About 20 minutes in he wandered downstairs to fend of night starvation, noticed I was missing & in checking out the window heard me ~ @ last!

With the cavalry in sight I figured we had some chance of dealing with the snake. The man used to keep all sorts of reptiles, including snakes, as a kid, so while I know the theory I've never had to actually catch one. With me shining the torch the man was able to pin the head & shove the thing in a bag. Pretty sure we have nabbed a carpet snake.

I was pretty upset, thinking we'd lost yet another chicken when all of a sudden I hear Gloriana's distinctive, distressed honking. She was up & looking for a way back to her roost so I grabbed her & brought her inside for a quick check over, some electrolytes & a sip of water before putting her back on a roost. The 3 smaller Vorwerks & Portia were all huddled in the far corner nesting box so I reefed them out one by one & put them back on a roost too.

Here is the Lady of the hour enjoying her morning in the sun

View attachment 2588090
The snake is bagged & due for a long car trip later this morning.
It's over 6' long but very skinny & the man reckons it was starving.
It's in even worse shape now, with several puncture holes from the pitchfork!
View attachment 2588093

I found the hole the snake had made @ a join in the wire & mended it but I think I am even more traumatised than my chickens​

Oh my goodness Jehane... I am so glad that you were up and able to save Gloriana! I'm so glad your husband finally arrived to help you!

 

[Ribh]

Oh my goodness Jehane... I am so glad that you were up and able save Gloriana! I'm so glad your husband finally arrived to help you!

Me too ~ & of course I didn't sleep well for worrying but everyone seems fine this morning ~ including the littlies who were awake & upset by all the hoo~ha in the big coop.

 

[Shadrach]

I may never be a sane woman again after last night!

We have been doing our tax ~ which is an unmitigated nightmare, as much because the man & I work very differently & he thinks I am a computer genius just because I know a little bit more than he does, as anything else. So it had been a super stressful day & I was doing something I rarely do @ night in an attempt to destress; I was still up watching a movie on the computer long after I'm normally in bed, & my earphones in, which is a left over from when there were lots of us & several were very light sleepers.

I was zoning quite nicely when I thought I heard a chicken ruckus.

Now I don't know about your flock but once mine has roosted I don't hear a peep from them till first light so I grabbed my phone, which has the only torch we still own [all ours ended up in the lads boats] & headed out to check on the girls.

I arrived @ the pen just as 2 chooks fell out of the coop!

You can imagine my horror!

I reefed open the door to find a snake wrapped right around Gloriana several times!!!

I'm not frightened of snakes but they're not welcome to help themselves to my girls either so I grabbed the metal rake & began reefing the coils from around Gloriana. I found myself with one really, really angry snake as it slithered away from the body. I was trying to hang onto my phone & wield the rake when I noticed I had a Vorwerk on a stump & the snake was heading right for it!!!

Rake down, Vorwerk grabbed & shoved in the coop.

I made a quick exit to grab a pitch fork, shoved the phone in my teeth & proceeded to try & deal with the snake, who was proving an elusive customer. I wanted to try & pin the head with the rake & stab it with the pitch fork.

I tried bellowing for the man a couple of times but he's deafer than a door post & I wasn't holding out much hope of him actually hearing me. About 20 minutes in he wandered downstairs to fend of night starvation, noticed I was missing & in checking out the window heard me ~ @ last!

With the cavalry in sight I figured we had some chance of dealing with the snake. The man used to keep all sorts of reptiles, including snakes, as a kid, so while I know the theory I've never had to actually catch one. With me shining the torch the man was able to pin the head & shove the thing in a bag. Pretty sure we have nabbed a carpet snake.

I was pretty upset, thinking we'd lost yet another chicken when all of a sudden I hear Gloriana's distinctive, distressed honking. She was up & looking for a way back to her roost so I grabbed her & brought her inside for a quick check over, some electrolytes & a sip of water before putting her back on a roost. The 3 smaller Vorwerks & Portia were all huddled in the far corner nesting box so I reefed them out one by one & put them back on a roost too.

Here is the Lady of the hour enjoying her morning in the sun

View attachment 2588090
The snake is bagged & due for a long car trip later this morning.
It's over 6' long but very skinny & the man reckons it was starving.
It's in even worse shape now, with several puncture holes from the pitchfork!
View attachment 2588093

I found the hole the snake had made @ a join in the wire & mended it but I think I am even more traumatised than my chickens​

Bloody hell Ribh! Now that would be a shocker. Would the snake try to eat a chicken?
Well done on the rescue.

 

[Shadrach]

Fudge looking a bit indignant.

Mum and daughter. Donk and Knock.

 

[drstratton]

A very nervous Cillin thinking about making a try for the coop again.
He makes himself as small as possible.
View attachment 2588134

Fudge looking a bit indignant.

View attachment 2588174
Mum and daughter. Donk and Knock.
View attachment 2588176

Nothing quite like seeing chickens out in beautiful nature!

 

[drstratton]

Me too ~ & of course I didn't sleep well for worrying but everyone seems fine this morning ~ including the littlies who were awake & upset by all the hoo~ha in the big coop.

I wouldn't have been able to sleep either! What a terrifying experience!