Little {crazy} farm.
Last night we welcomed 4 little gals into our lives that were generously given to us from friends. Her husband brought them over last night after plucking them off the roost. He gave me the advice of perhaps leaving them in the coop, which has a small space underneath to get food, water and peck for bugs, for the first day just so they get acquainted with their space and where they should roost.
This morning when we went to check on them and give them food and check their water, they were all still up in the top portion of the coop, unsure of how to use the ramp to get down below. We left them for a bit to pick up our co-op food order and returned to chickens still in the top of the coop.
We opened up the door on the top portion and lifted the roof up to just give them some space to try to figure this ish out. Well, they all ended up jumping from the top of the coop down to the group. Like the very top where the roof normally sits. Three made it just fine. The fourth got some serious air and flew completely over the fence for their area into our seriously overgrown ditch.
For the rest of the day Joey and I tried catching this chicken. Running through the ditch. Getting stuck and torn up by thorny vines. Stopping to pick some wild blackberries. Leaping over logs and falling in hidden holes in the underbrush. Chopping down the plants with a dull machete, being careful to not end up with a chicken dinner. We'd see her in one spot then seconds later she seemed to be on the entire other side of the ditch, getting past the both of us without a sound. We would take breaks to let her rest, and our sweat drenched selves rest. Come back out to find her up at the fence with her sisters just at the other side.
A couple times getting her into the carport, getting our finger tips on her and then having her fly over us, out of the carport and back into the ditch. I had the brilliant idea of "Let's catch the other chickens, you know the ones IN the designated chicken area, and stick them back under the coop, close their door and then leave the gate open to hopefully have the Houdini find her way back to her sisters." Nope. Not happening. We tried luring her in with a mixture of oats, wheatgrass seeds and dried split peas, my homemade version of "scratch." Nope.
So then as the sun was setting we found her back up by the gate. It was go time. Now or never. Joey corralled her back into the carport which ended up being a back and forth dance (picture the Elaine dance from Seinfeld really, it wasn't pretty) of not letting her escape past us again. But then it happened. She got herself caught in the corner between the wall and some bags we have in there. I was able to walk up slowly and calmly but firmly grab her and waltz her fluffy butt back into the "run" to be with her sisters, who she was more than happy to run off with.
My body is jello. If you've seen Howl's Moving Castle I'd describe the feeling in my body as when Sophie and the Witch of the Waste are going to see Madame Sullivan. Then the Witch of the Waste's bodyguards/chauffeurs start melting. That. Exactly.
I went to check on them after showering as it was starting to thunder outside to make sure they got back into their coop to roost. I found one in there, perhaps Miss Houdini but the other three were not there. I didn't see them roaming around either. I moved to the side and heard one make her chickeny noise. They were roosting. In a tree. Right next to the fence. I came in and got Joey to help. There we were, thunder rolling and the sky flashing incessantly in the pouring rain and strong winds. Joey holding a baby on one hip and a kiddie pool up at the fence to keep chickens from flying over it, because we were not playing THAT game again, while I plucked them one by one out of the tree (and off of one another since one chicken found it perfectly acceptable to roost on her sister) and put them on the roost in their coop.
What a first day of chicken ownership for this family. You know, maybe I should have just listened to George when he suggested I just leave the coop shut for a day. Maybe.
Houdini girl's name is Amelia, as in Amelia Earhart and Leena named her twin Laura Lisa. Our all black gal is named Sue, also courtesy of Leena. When my brain is not mush we'll name the fourth. But right now? Right now I am going to go enjoy sparkling moscato with my husband. We've declared it "date night at home" tonight with baked brie, fruit, glutinous bread, because I earned that freaking gluten tonight, perhaps chocolate and scrabble. And candles, of course.
Only jiggly jello love,
Katelyn
P.S. Did I mention the heat index today was 115? Yeah.
