Tuesday 15 July 2008

Highly trained chickens!

This morning I went to see the chickens after taking Kane to school...

...I was rather pensive as the holding pen is an unknown as far as safety from Mr Fox is concerned.

As I walked up to the run from the veggy plot, I noticed something strange...

...one of the chickens didn't have a chicken wire pattern on it.

It was a few seconds before my brain put two and two together and realised that the hen was actually OUTSIDE the run!

I hastily unlocked the gate and ushered her inside...PHEW! I thought, and I suddenly couldn't see the other four... my mind raced as the worst situation possible came into my mind - Mr Fox must have taken them...

... it was only after I looked round the back of the coop that I found the other ladies...PHEW! I thought for the second time.

We went to a fairly local big supermarket and decided to pop home to eat a spot of lunch, then the idea was for me to go back down the new place and put the netting over the top of the holding run so no more could escape.

It was weird, I looked at the runs, and could have sworn that there was more in one run than I had previously thought.

Indeed there was - one of the new ladies had done something so clever that I now don't think chickens are so stupid after all.

What this hen had done, was to jump up onto the old coop, walk along the apex, jump onto the netting over the main run, then she had walked over the netting (the holes are just over 1" square) and managed to fall down a hole right by a corner!!

I put the one I thought was new, but unfortunately i made a mix up and put the 'leader' of the new ladies in with the old lot.

Why I say unfortunately is because the leader of the new ladies didn't only get angry at Rhydian the cockrel, she absolutely kicked his behind into next week!

It was like looking at a spitting cobra - her feathers all around her head and neck exploded into action, making her look very scary (even to me!) and she made short work of getting Rhydian... he was cowering and running away from her she was so viscious!

I managed to get her away from Rhydian and into the holding run - but BOY was she miffed!

Later that afternoon I managed to cover most of the run with the netting, but one hen still tried to get up on the top of the coop again.

A very strange day.

7 comments:

joanne wardle said...

I can hear the mission impossible music in my head as I read that post!

Don said...

I love your story. Isn't this a big reason why we have these creatures? I haven't gotten a single egg from my hens yet, but they have earned their keep with their ridiculous attitudes. Are you eventually going to have them all together? How did the new hen even have the idea that she could go anywhere? I'm assuming that in her previous life she lived in a small cage.

Stiggy said...

I wish I'd seen it Joanne - it must have been like watching one of those squirrel assault courses that you see on telly!

All the ladies will eventually live together, I'd like to see them all in the renovated coop - it's like a Tardis and is massive inside.

The chickens were freerange Don, so that's why they are in good condition - but they do seem to be a wee bit more feisty than the others - especially their leader (whom I want to call 'Honcho' cos she's a very tough lady indeed!)

:D

Little Veg Patch said...

They are crafty arent they?! :D I have an escape artist too, nothing is too challenging for her and she is an ex batt! She has worked out that if you shuffle along on your chest and get you head under the netting protecting my veg, you can get underneath and grab a tomato :O Would not be without them though.

Stiggy said...

I wonder what will await us today when we go down there - maybe they've been building something like out of the film 'Chicken Run' !

;)

Don said...

BTW, I just "tagged" you on my blog. You can go read my latest post to see what you need to do, if you so choose! Please don't feel obligated.

Stiggy said...

OOOh how very exciting!

:D


I shall go there now my friend!

:D