Okay, so I mentioned briefly in my last post that there was one minor incident in the chicken pen. On Thursday morning (the first morning we had the chickens) I woke up early to move the pen and get ready for work. I went out and found that the pen was heavy and that I had to really lift to get it to move any. So, as I was lifting I noticed a few hens trying to escape, but I was always able to get it down before they got out … until this girl decided to escape!
Yep, this little girl took off running towards the neighbors backyard … which I might add looks a lot like a nature preserve with tons of bushes, shrubs, etc. I lost her and knew that I wasn’t going to catch her by myself so I went inside to get reinforcements (a.k.a. Becca). We went out and I took off down the railroad track waking up every dog along the way! Finally, I gave up and decided that she would have to try to make it back to the yard on her own if she survived. When I was just about back to our yard I noticed her in the undergrowth of the neighbors yard. What ensued was about a twently minute chase all over the yard, up and down the railroad ditch, and back and forth across our back fence! In the end Becca was the one that was able to make the catch … with our big northern pike fishing net!!!
So, what did I learn? Number one: I need to find a better way to move the pen. Right now I am moving it sideways which is much easier, but I think I will add some wheels to the heavy end to make things easier. Number two: Chickens can and will run away if they get a chance! Number three: It’s a good thing that I got up early to move because I needed the extra time to catch my runaway.
Ahh, the life of the city dwelling wannabe farmer. Hopefully tomorrow I will get a chance to go check out some Dexters in Carlisle. Maybe I will find the beginning of a herd???
4/2/16 Hilarious! Most of my girls are institutionalized. Only A couple would make a break for it, Rose the red sexlinks, and maybe Olive, the green egger.