So, I went out to feed my chickens this morning. It was nice and warm, and I was greeted by 6 eager faces in the door way. Normally, when I open the door, they all go back to the middle of the coop and wait with the hope of some scratch feed. This time however, as I opened the door, one of my hens decided to make a break for it... Successfully.. -_-
So the rest of my day, after I tossed a fishing net at her in a Hail Mary attempt, was spent sitting on the deck keeping watch with a .22 for the stray dogs, a 12 gauge for the hawk the crows were harassing earlier, and listening to 5 ticked off chickens with the 6th happily scratching and mocking them. Add to the fact the half dozen stray cats that couldn't make up their mind if she was friend/food/threat and I had an interesting day. I caged the 5 up, put them in the dark basement to quiet them down, left the rooster in his cage inside the coop so he could call her back, and left the door wide open. At six o'clock she walked herself right back in just as pretty as you please.
If she had only known how close she was to becoming soup, she wouldn't have seemed so pleased with herself.
I had been wanting to let them free range on the warm nice days, but after this little stunt mixed with having to run a dog off, the Cooper's Hawk, and hearing a fox vocalize at dusk, I don't think my nerves will ever be able to tolerate it..
So the rest of my day, after I tossed a fishing net at her in a Hail Mary attempt, was spent sitting on the deck keeping watch with a .22 for the stray dogs, a 12 gauge for the hawk the crows were harassing earlier, and listening to 5 ticked off chickens with the 6th happily scratching and mocking them. Add to the fact the half dozen stray cats that couldn't make up their mind if she was friend/food/threat and I had an interesting day. I caged the 5 up, put them in the dark basement to quiet them down, left the rooster in his cage inside the coop so he could call her back, and left the door wide open. At six o'clock she walked herself right back in just as pretty as you please.
If she had only known how close she was to becoming soup, she wouldn't have seemed so pleased with herself.
I had been wanting to let them free range on the warm nice days, but after this little stunt mixed with having to run a dog off, the Cooper's Hawk, and hearing a fox vocalize at dusk, I don't think my nerves will ever be able to tolerate it..