Escape Artists

These chickens have taken over the yard.  No joke.  Snooki routinely flys out, and for the longest time would not let me near her, so anytime she got out The Husband was called in to rescue.  Only on Sunday morning he was out running yard errands, and when I went out to check on the hens, Snooki was gone.  The others are little tattle tales, because as soon as I went outside the remaining three came running to me, clucking loudly.  After a quick head count I realized Snooki was gone.  Which did not make me happy in the least because she is the one hen that I can’t rescue on my own.  So out to the front yard I go, in my PJs, hair going every which way, alternately calling her name and doing my own version of clucking.  (Laugh all you want, but if you have any better ideas on how to find a lost chicken I’d love to hear them.)  Eventually I found her at the neighbors house, on the front lawn.  Of course she would not come near me, so I attempted to play border collie and herd her back to the yard.  I’m pretty sure all I did was terrify her.  After what seemed like forever, I hear The Husband’s truck pulling up so I flag him down.  I’m pretty sure I terrified him too.  He tried to get her, and he’s usually the one she will let pick her up, but she just kept running away from him.  I got a good video of him chasing her – though I don’t think it captured the swearing adequately – but then she ran into the cactus garden so it took both of us to herd her into a corner where he finally was able to grab her (with gloves which I was lacking) and get her back into the yard.

Chica is another escape artist, though she doesn’t seem to venture as far and instead of chasing her, I end up fielding calls from the neighbors that my yellow chicken is out front, or at so-and-so’s house, could I please come get her before someone else does or she gets run over.

I still can hear him when he brought the chicks home when they were just days old – “what are you complaining about?  chickens are easy!  you don’t have to do anything to take care of them”.   Really?  And we haven’t even talked about laying eggs yet!