Making The Rounds

There are 8 steps up to the deck where I enjoy sitting when I get home from work. Every early evening the supervisor (The chicken formerly known as puppy) makes her rounds. As Jack and I sit and chat about our day, listen to lawnmowers, birds and wind chimes we wait for the click, click, click of chicken feet up the stairs. She has greeted us, checked all of the plants and has now descended. She is the only chicken who maintains this ritual and has declared Evening rounds complete.

The Huckleberry Jump

One never expects to pull into the driveway greeted by chickens jumping up and down. I thought they were just happy to see me, but I would be wrong. As I got out of my car and moved in closer I realized that the huckleberries were ripe and they had cleaned off the lower branches and now had to use their well-rehearsed jumping skills to reach the berries on the upper limbs. Really this has been a skill that they all strive to master due to the fact that the highest jumper gets the treat first and more to boot! The chicken logic…… Use your skills and take them out of the box you may get huckleberries or even better!  

The Big Shakeup!

There seems to be an unexpected shakeup in what has been a seemingly well run coop thus far. As I opened the hatch (on time I might add as chickens run a rather orderly life) there was a cackling push through the hatch that reminded me of Black Friday at Walmart! This might be a good time to add I had an egg drought yesterday!

A chicken on a mission is like a laser to a target and Eenie the brooder raced to a place near the door of the coop where I had placed the plywood used for the first couple of days of Marjorie’s recovery period. Following her was Puppy the curious and rather nosy chicken. As I took a closer look to see what all of the ruckus was about I discovered a first ever outside nest complete with eggs!

As I pondered the chicken logic in this I have come to understand that as the girls roosted in the rafters of their coop they had a bird’s eye view of the special attention and lean-to I had created for Marjorie’s safety. Later, in came a rather large kennel and out went the straw stack that had once been the favorite nesting place! In my limited capacity to understand the rotation theory I had only seen its lack of use lately. Apparently they were near rotation and they had been robbed! 

Today’s lesson from the coop: Don’t ever assume that you have a clue what is important to anyone other than yourself, there is a pretty good chance you don’t have all the details. Ones useless straw stack may be another’s throne!

From The Jaws Of Death

Four days ago tragedy hit when my distressed husband came in and told me that something had gotten a chicken that he only counted six! I have miscounted before but the huge pile of feathers and a trail that ended just beyond the coop made my heart sink. I was also shocked because my 150 pound dog was outside at the time.  I went back into the house to get an English muffin so that my remaining girls would follow me back to the safety of their coop.

As I scanned the girls to see who was missing I heard a cackle outside the door, it was Marjorie! She was badly injured but I couldn’t see the extent until I got Jack who was able to get a good look as I held her and lifted her right wing. Her puncture wounds were so deep we could see bone, we were sure that she wouldn’t last the night even though she enthusiastic about the muffin.

We discovered a wound on our dog’s ear and knew that he had saved her, probably from a raccoon. I never knew when I got chickens that I would care for them more than the fresh eggs but this is the case. I am realistic but have discovered that kindness has a force that heals those who offer it and the recipients who fall under its grace

We dressed her wounds with deep wound meds. But when she squeezed herself between the wall and a nesting box, I thought it was to die, I was wrong, it was to protect herself from her sisters who have a rotten health care plan that basically includes a visit to Dr. Pecktodeath.  After returning to the coop in the morning with a box to carry her away we were surprised to say the least when she was standing in the middle of the coop alive!

I made her a lean-to so she would feel safe in the coop and looked for medical advice. It’s hard to find a chicken doctor. After a few calls to the vet, then to a couple of exotic and wild bird rescues we decided to do what we could for her here. We have antibiotics in her water and she is eating. If she weren’t trying so hard to live we would have put her down.

Today I let her dine on rice, yogurt and grapes. I closed off the coop for a while so she could walk around a little. I let Puppy and Eenie in because they frantic to start working on their daily egg as I stood guard over her so she would feel safe.  The day after the attack she laid an egg so I fixed her up a personal nest and she looks content. It looks like from what I can see no infection, but I didn’t lift her as she easily tolerated before, probably due to shock.

If she continues to heal and do well we are going to rename her” Scar Tissue” because an event of this magnitude deserves a new name or title if you will.

The Fallen Hatch

Chickens require routine, you can set your clock to their schedule and when it is interrupted it’s never a good thing. Today the prop that I use to keep the hatch open somehow fell out leaving some of the girls trapped inside with full access to their nesting boxes while the rest were left trapped in the secure area with all of the food and water! Happily when I discovered this unfortunate event I was touted as somewhat of a hero! I solve problems, that’s something that I can hang my hat on!

Swooped By an Eagle!

I just had a heart beating surreal experience! I stepped out the back door to check on old dog Elsa when a giant bald eagle swooped down from the treeline laser eyed on one of my girls! If I have learned one thing from chicken logic it is this...follow your instincts!! thus the racket dance was born! I surprised even myself, it was unexpected and had little rhythm or grace and it was loud! Seeing this however caused that eagle to loose his train of thought as he completing a capital U pattern with empty talons! Seven of the eight girls ran down the hill with me shouting a shrill chick-chick-chick! Marjorie required some negotiation, finally folding so that I could carry her down the hill and into the coop where they are now safe!

Free Agent

Unlike congress, when there is a problem in the chicken world they put away their differences, come together and solve it, so when Cora the neighbor cattle dog stopped by for a visit, as expected they all came together to form one giant chicken! Suddenly Majorie bolts from the group like a free agent at a dead run in a grand attempt to chase Cora off of the property!!! Proof that if you can't overwhelm them with size baffle them with audacity! Cora left.