Ribh's D'Coopage

[Ribh]

I was thinking of you as I took it!

I think I'll enter it on picture of the week.

They deserve to win! Truly beautiful chickens!

 

[drstratton]

I captured this lovely shot too!
View attachment 2588219

Stunning!

 

[MaryJanet]

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​

Imagine if you were asleep! So lucky you'd stayed awake!!

You dealt with it so very well. I salute you. What a champion!!

 

[MaryJanet]

Thanks, Shad. I'm so happy we've still got everyone. I thought Gloriana was a goner. Do chickens go into catatonic shock? Snakes can disengage their jawbone & have been known to eat possums, small dogs & cats so I guess a chicken is not beyond the realms of possibility though there were easier meals than Gloriana.

The real funny is the neighbour who is a really big Islander. The coop is outside his kitchen window. His window was open but he heard the word *snake* & suddenly all his lights went out!

What????

Very poor effort. Thanks for nothing.

 

[Ribh]

What????

Very poor effort. Thanks for nothing.

Yeah, that's what I thought! At the very least he could have gone & got the man.

 

[Ribh]

Imagine if you were asleep! So lucky you'd stayed awake!!

You dealt with it so very well. I salute you. What a champion!!

Thanks, MJ but I'm pretty sure any one of us would have done the same!

 

[MaryJanet]

Yeah, that's what I thought! At the very least he could have gone & got the man.

Exactly!

Now he's got nothing in the bank for when he needs support.

 

[Ribh]

Exactly!

Now he's got nothing in the bank for when he needs support.

Oh, well, we don't play tit for tat. Just the same it was a pretty poor showing. Imagine if I'd been in real trouble?

 

[MaryJanet]

Thanks, MJ but I'm pretty sure any one of us would have done the same!

I don't know about that, but I'd probably try something or other. I must keep a couple of spades handy in the chicken's areas.

 

[MaryJanet]

Oh, well, we don't play tit for tat. Just the same it was a pretty poor showing. Imagine if I'd been in real trouble?

Maybe he was genuinely frightened. Mean people are often very scared.