I let my chickens free range after lunch on most days. I work 3 miles from home and come home at lunch everyday to let the dogs out to play, eat, and spend a little time with the flock. When I leave I just leave the run open, and they do whatever it is they do. Well on Friday it didn't go quite the way it usually does. I went home, ate, played and then let the flock out as I was leaving. I threw some BOSS out in the yard and went on my merry way. My husband hadn't been feeling good and decided to leave work early, without telling me. I'm sure you can see where this goes.
He gets home, lets the dogs out (we have 3, one is fine with the chickens, one wants to play with the chickens and one wants to kill the chickens) and then realizes the flock is out. Here is the phone call I got:
I didn't know the chickens were out, I have got 5 of them in the coop, 3 are still missing, and I think I broke Phinneas leg ( the chicken killer)
Luckily I only work 3 miles from home. I was out the door and down the road before we even hung up.
I get home and hubby and Kya (chicken friendly) are out in the timber. We have 8 acres and most of it is timber. I got in the coop and checked my 5 girls, they all seem shaken up but fine, and head out to join hubby and Kya. I started calling for Frick, my roo, who is my total buddy sweetheart, yes a roo! He comes running down from the field next door. I get him back in the run, check him over, he is fine. Then I go back out. Finally Elvis comes out from the grove of pine trees. Kya walks him back down to the run and comes back up to help me again. Frack is nowhere to be seen, or heard. We walked the property and neighbors field for an hour. I decided to go ahead and go back to work, hubby would be home and hope that when it was quiet he would come back.
I went inside and checked out Phinneas' leg. He was limping but weightbearing on it so not broken. Hubby had gone to try and scoop him up (he's a little dog) and tripped. Phinneas is also kind of a wimp so hubby worried when he started screaming and holding the leg up.
Frack did come home, none the worse for wear. Everyone let me check them over once more and I found no blood or anything. The next day the ladies laid eggs like normal. They also go a special treat added to their hot breakfast. Could have been much worse but luckily it turned out ok. Hubby knows to the run now when he gets home, before he lets the dogs out.
He gets home, lets the dogs out (we have 3, one is fine with the chickens, one wants to play with the chickens and one wants to kill the chickens) and then realizes the flock is out. Here is the phone call I got:
I didn't know the chickens were out, I have got 5 of them in the coop, 3 are still missing, and I think I broke Phinneas leg ( the chicken killer)
Luckily I only work 3 miles from home. I was out the door and down the road before we even hung up.
I get home and hubby and Kya (chicken friendly) are out in the timber. We have 8 acres and most of it is timber. I got in the coop and checked my 5 girls, they all seem shaken up but fine, and head out to join hubby and Kya. I started calling for Frick, my roo, who is my total buddy sweetheart, yes a roo! He comes running down from the field next door. I get him back in the run, check him over, he is fine. Then I go back out. Finally Elvis comes out from the grove of pine trees. Kya walks him back down to the run and comes back up to help me again. Frack is nowhere to be seen, or heard. We walked the property and neighbors field for an hour. I decided to go ahead and go back to work, hubby would be home and hope that when it was quiet he would come back.
I went inside and checked out Phinneas' leg. He was limping but weightbearing on it so not broken. Hubby had gone to try and scoop him up (he's a little dog) and tripped. Phinneas is also kind of a wimp so hubby worried when he started screaming and holding the leg up.
Frack did come home, none the worse for wear. Everyone let me check them over once more and I found no blood or anything. The next day the ladies laid eggs like normal. They also go a special treat added to their hot breakfast. Could have been much worse but luckily it turned out ok. Hubby knows to the run now when he gets home, before he lets the dogs out.
