She Flew The Coop!

[juliecox]

I've had chickens about 9 months, and none of them have ever been inclined to try to make it over my 6 foot fence. Yesterday my neighbor came by and asked if I was missing a black chicken. "WHAAAAT?!" said I. Sure enough, my Australorp had high-tailed it to the other side of the fence! I couldn't leave the kids alone to go down and around the street to her house, so I had to wait until my husband got home, and by then it was dark. I still went looking for her, bawking around my neighbor's yard, calling for her. My neighbor must've thought I was a class-A nut. I didn't find her, so I had to go home chicken-less. I worried all night that something had gotten her, or that she had gotten well and truly lost.

This morning I took the kids to school and went back to my neighbor's house to try again. And wah-lah, there was my black hen, sitting on the AC, letting the warm air blow on her butt! I was so happy to see her. I picked her up, plunked her in the passenger seat and away we went! She was very perturbed by riding in a car. But the fun part was yet to come. We're having our floors replaced, so I got to stoically walk through my house to the backyard carrying a chicken, much to the surprise of the nice fellows doing my floors. I offered no explanation, and they did not ask for one. *sniff* That's right, I have pet chickens. I am not ashamed ...


The silly bird in question ... back in her coop!

 

[Soccer Mom]

There is always one bird, isn't there?

That's hilarious!

 

[specklesmom]

Warm air blowing on your butt sounds lovely!! She must wonder why you haven't installed a butt warmer in the coop. I'm so glad she was alright after her adventure.

 

[LilBizzy]

Wow, lucky chicken!! When my 3 got stuck in a neighbors yard, they only had a shed to hide under. And it snowed that night. No butt warmers for them!!
Yes, I too was walking around neighbors yard with a dull flashlight calling for chickens.I didn't have the thrill of carrying chickens past the floor guys, though LOL.
There's one in every group, I think- totally out to try to embarass us.

 

[Tala]

I got one like that. She's always been that way. We dubbed her Houdini waaaaaay back when she was like 4 weeks old, they are 40 weeks now and the name still suits her!!

She was out today! Tomorrow's project is to put chicken wire around the deck rails.
Their wings are clipped short, but they can get up about 3ft - high enough to grab onto the deck with their feet and squeeze through between the rails, then they walk out the other side

 

[Serrin]

Chicken wire roofs over scratch yards and runs are our friends!

Glad to hear that she is none the worse for her adventures....loved the butt warmer idea!

I could just see more than a few of my girls making use of something like that if it were available to them!

Ssshhhhh!! Don't even hint that such a thing might exist...they'll be in here on the computer trying to figure out how and where to order one!

 

[lngrid]

Quote:
Don't feel funny, julicox. It they couldn't have been more surprised than the McDonald's workers who saw a BYCer in the drive-through with her silkie in the car. Wearing a barrette.

You're so normal, compared to the rest of us wiggers!

 

[The Sheriff]

Glad you got your girl back. This is Stella, my Icelandic / EE cross who voluntarily joined our flock several months ago. Every now and then she flies up on the fence just to put me on warning that she can leave anytime she wants.

 

[juliecox]

Yeah, I'm going to have to fence in a run. And here I thought a 6 foot fence would contain the adventurous spirit that is my Australorp!