x2
Well I doubt this one will amuse as well but anyway....
You know how when you have a kid, things change. Before I had him, started wearing a seatbelt, quit smoking, thoughts about it not being just ME and mine, but responsible to someone else besides just ME (kid's in his thirties...so bin a while) and take less risks 'cause if I up and kicked, well it was not me I just harmed...well that sense of responsibility tends to spill over into all sorts of areas. It's like once it's turned ON, you can switch it to OFF.
That and that extra sensitivity for hearing sounds that mean trouble. I use to hate and I mean HATE that song, "Hungry like a Wolf" sung by Duran Duran...I hated the song not for the words or music but because certain parts of it sounded (to me at least) like my kid crying in the distance. HATED that...had to go fix what was upsetting him, so it played real bad on my subconscious...I doubt without having had a kid to take care of, that song would have meant diddly squat to me.
So I am sleeping, it's 4 a.m....I need my sleep, always a BIG day to be done. Sleeping at four in the morning and I snap straight outta a deep sleep in a state of shock, something is terribly wrong!
I can hear roos, lots of them kicking up a fuss...that noise they make when a hen gets upset and one boy answers and a few more join in. Then all the girls start the marathon of squawks and the boys keep up the chorus. Chaos usually. I've scared a few females in my day crashing about coop cleaning and such. Make a noise they don't quite like or move something they are not use to seeing moved and had them squawk, throw up a big fuss. I always laugh and shake my head because once the boys get in on the sing song, to try and get them to calm down too soon never does seem to work. Sorta gotta go about what you were doing, wait a bit and things just chill and go back to normal as if normal was normal.
So I get dressed, I know it was threatened that it would be -30C (-22F) so had the heat lights on for the birds in the Duck Barn and of course for the large fowl Chanteclers and one pen where I have a geriatric Lilac turkey hen. So I look at the temp and it is only -25C (-13F) but figure I still better put a pair of socks on since I am going to just slip on a pair of run runs, no -100C(-148F) rated fireman boots like when I do chores for four hours outside.
I look at the security cameras, no big Sasquatch or Werewolf running about outside any of the buildings, so I grab just a flashlight, keys for the latches on the coops, and go stand outside in the man porch. Not certain which direction I am to be heading, got chooks on both sides of the house and not yet determined WHICH ones are fussing. So I stop and listen, listen up good.
Veg Garden birds...so off I trudge up the hill to see what's up.
Some of the Veg Garden Girls on a nice April day last year...note the Lilac turkey toms on the far left, in the background strutting!
Yeh, the chorus of chickens is not stopping...I am wondering if one of them has flown up and gotten themselves leg tied, hog tied in a lamp cord...sounds terrible up there. No flicker of fire, so nobody has set the place a light...that's a good thing. Still they are all in an uproar!!
I get closer and don't see any upside down hanging birds, so I say in my loudest concerned voice,
"WHAT?"
Absolute silence...it was as if they were all waiting for some sensibility to take over and here I come to investigate and one word and they just up and quit. Complete "can hear a pin drop' silence.
Well ain't I the powerful one; queenie of the coop. I told Rick about them when I got back and he just shrugged...says they trust me. Well ain't that some cute then. My birds are all hairy scary in an uproar and all I needed to do was show up to say one word and complete calm ensues. Not pleased to be up at 4 a.m. but rather happy all it takes is a quick Mrs. DressUp and one word to calm and chill the situation over. Wish all things in life were as easily solved, eh?
Checked the birds out...everyone seemed happy and content now that the need to make noise was over. Even old Buff girl Chantelle was fine...I worry about her, matriarch of the Chanteclers.
Before I went back, I thought may as well collect up the eggs and sure enough, three frozen cackleberries, hard as rocks with one kewl one with the pointy end blown right out. I'll be some glad when one of the lady Chants decides to go setty again and keeps any early morning eggs (or late evening ones) warm till I come round to collect them up. Anything past -20C and eggs freeze up in minutes here...sigh. Don't much like that...winter eggs are good but having the girls waste their efforts to make eggs that end up frozen because I am not standing over them to collect them immediately...may as well not make 'em.
A good Parti girl keeping eggs from freezing! Worth her weight in GOLD.
Oh well...good news/bad news is I still don't know what set the chooks off...could be the hare...
Long before I saw it, I noticed long footed (what I thought were rather odd "squirrel") prints. Rick laughed and laughed at me...I mentioned I had seen some big footed squirrel prints and he said there was a Snowshoe rabbit about...not usual for us to have "clown" squirrels here implying my explanation of the foot prints would not cut it. So it could well have been girl dog Styra being disturbed by "Krusty" the snow bunbun. Could simply be an owl paid a visit and could not get in the Coop that set them all off. Alarmed them.
Not going to know, that is unless I get woke up again for another go to find out more. It is with a little intrepidation I think of going to sleep tonight...do I need to layout the "What?" gear in case duty calls again so I can RACE up to the Veg Coop to catch whatever in the act...
Ah well, I fell back asleep and only lost 20 minutes...not too bad, not bad if it means the chickens don't stress out for too long.
Nighty, night...
Doggone & Chicken UP!
Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada
