I've Gone Country A blog about a city girl learning a whole new world

Every day I count the chickens when they come out in the morning…and when they go in at night.  Anytime I pass by the coop area…I count heads.  I have a neighbor who loves the girls as much as I do.  She cooks them homemade cornbread regularly.  They run to the fence when they see her just like they do when they see me.  They cluck and make the cute little noises that hens… make when she heads toward the fence.  They know that she is coming with a treat.  She talks to them and can tell them apart better than I can.

We went out of town a couple of weeks ago just for two or three days.  When we returned we had two girls that had disappeared.  The only trace of evidence were a few feathers here and there in the yard….and a war wound left on Roo.

He obviously tried to protect the girls, but whatever took them….was a mean old thing.  My neighbor said that Roo comes at her like he is going to get her now that the attack has happened.

The girls stayed close to him for days after that.

A week or so went by and I was passing by and did the head count.  I was missing one….and I saw something in the grass.

I went into the fenced area and followed the trail

Whatever it was…it chased our girl around the yard before it got her.  Sprinkling feathers everywhere.

Then it apparently pulled her through the fence and into the woods.

Talk about a sick stomach….that will give you one.  And it all happened just an hour after I let them out that morning.

I have been really watching…and trying to do what I could in between cows being born…bottle feeding calves, and goats getting their heads stuck in the fencing.  Sometimes it is almost more than you can do in a day…..or a week.

I put everyone up the other night and they just looked pitiful.  They all hunched together in the coop.

Egg productivity is way down.  I didn’t know if they were just not producing because of the trauma…or if something was stealing the eggs.

The next morning….I let them out as usual and within an hour and a half….Roo was gone.  This time there were feathers in the coop.

The girls seemed scared…and I don’t blame them.

Billy and I have discussed what else we could do fencing wise.  It is a big undertaking to make most any kind of improvement.  We are trying…but the predator is faster at this than we are.

Saturday, I cleaned the coop real well.  I removed all  Roo’s feathers and all the old bedding.  I put fresh shaving down for the girls.  They like it when I am working near them.  They are curious little creatures, scurrying around to see what you are doing.  Making you feel appreciated when you are through.  Once complete they walk around their little dwelling and coo, seeming to admire everything you did for them.   How can you not love that.

Sunday morning we had a quick, but hard rain shower move through.  I decided not to let the girls out until we got home from church.  I would then be around to keep that third eye out for trouble.  I opened the main door…thinking this time I would keep the little side door shut…. so I could monitor all activity.  I counted them as they passed by….One, Two, Three….

What?…Where’s Four?  I put up four last night when I closed them in…..where’s four?   I almost panicked.  I looked behind the door, under the nesting boxes, and in the little rafters overhead….GONE.

NUMBER FOUR WAS GONE…    The only evidence….was feathers…. again.  This time I knew they were fresh feathers because I had just cleaned the coop.   YEP….another sick stomach.

Those poor, poor babies.  What horror they must have witnessed.  And they were stuck inside with whatever it was!

Sunday afternoon…Billy and I looked at every possible opening that the coop might have.  It is built really well so the only place we could see were the eaves.  There is a tree right behind the coop….possibly a raccoon is climbing the tree and getting onto the roof and climbing in through the eaves.  If it isn’t a coon it must be something that climbs.   It could possibly be a snake, but there again it looks like it has to come in through the roof.  I sure don’t want to walk in on whatever it is!

Billy worked until dusk getting it secured.  While he was there he hung a star that we had been intending to do for a while.

The girls stood from a distance looking as if they were making sure the star was centered….however, admiring his work…I’m sure.

While Billy was there one of the girls laid and egg in the flower box.  He hadn’t remembered to grab it before he left that night.  The next morning this is all that was left of the egg.  I had seen an egg like this one day after Roo died in the coop.  Soooo…..whatever came up was the same thing  that had come in the coop before.

Monday morning three girls were still in the coop safe and sound.  Hopefully…. we have at least gotten the coop secured.

Yesterday, one of the girls didn’t want to come out of the coop,  she decided to sit in the nesting box all day long.   I suppose she is scared.  I didn’t get an egg either yesterday.  However, I didn’t move her to see if she was sitting on one.  I decided not to bother her.  Poor girls.

This morning everyone was well….. so far.