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

I’m sure you remember me telling you about Miss Mara, my hard headed hen.

Mara continued day after day to get out and go on the “other” side of the fence.

When morning would come she would pace the fence line acting as if she wanted back in.

It became a game to her, I suppose.  She would allow me to get close…only if I was on the opposite side of the fence than her.  I would tell her to come on….and I would start walking along the fence, toward the gate.  She happily flitted along the way….until we neared the entrance.

That’s when she would promptly make an about turn and head back into the wood line.  ARGH….this went on day after day.  Most of the time I would have to finally just walk away.  Eventually,  she would get  SERIOUS about wanting back in….and whoever was around would let her in.    However, by dusk, the whole scenario would start all over again.

I discovered how she was getting out.  She would flutter onto a cedar cross bar,  that is part of the fencing, and then she was able to flutter again, gaining just enough height to be able to let herself over.

Before I knew it ….Quinn and Lynn had followed in Mara’s footsteps.

She had set a VERY BAD EXAMPLE.

They were almost impossible to get back into the fence as well.  I will have to say, THANKFULLY,  that they didn’t continue this bad habit.  I was very glad…I can’t say the same for Mara.  She continued….and finally one day….Mara wasn’t at the fence anymore.

I really hated it when I arrived one morning….and she never showed up.  All day I kept my eye out for her….but she never appeared.  It is possible that she went through the woods and found somewhere else to call home….but it is not real likely.

A few days later I found parts of one of my hens in the yard.  It wasn’t Mara….it was one of my red girls.  I think that Mara started it though.  Once a predator gets one…they start showing up, over and over.  Within a few days I was missing another….and then I found a mound of black feathers.  My poor rooster Sylvester was gone as well.

That put us down to 9 hens.  It hasn’t been a good year for them….

Our automatic door opener isn’t cooperating either.  Due to the fact that we do not have electricity at the coop…we have to use a battery.  We have solar panels to help with recharging the battery…but things get out of kilter easily.  The time change has been a tricky thing for the timer too.  Several times we would check on the girls just after dark and the poor babies would be huddled next to the automatic door opening….but the door would have shut early, leaving them stranded outside.

I know…it is so sad…and pitiful.  Fortunately, nothing bothered them during all that adjusting with the door.

Billy finally said…you know…I’m going to do something different.  l’m not going to depend on this opener…we will build them another enclosed area that hooks to the coop and they can come and go freely.  It will be completely enclosed, top and sides.  Then we can to let them free range in the big yard when we are around to make sure they are alright…otherwise they will free range in this smaller area.  They will be safer, or at least as safe as you can make it.

Well…..it’s been COLD…and RAINY…so the construction hasn’t started yet.

Sunday, Billy let the girls out after church.  I didn’t know he had.   About 9:00 that evening he asked me if I had put the girls up.  No…I didn’t let them out today.  I knew we weren’t going to be home long.  He said…Uh…Oh….I did.  I let them out…we better get home.  We were in two different cars so I stopped at the coop and he went home to take the trash can to the road.  I know…we have such exciting lives….

ANYWAY….

I just so happened to have my handy dandy LED flashlight with me.  Naturally the goats greeted me at the gate and followed me all the way to the chicken coop.  I opened the main door and shined my light inside, just before stepping in.  I usually hurry in and close the door, so the goats won’t go in.  But that day I didn’t I opened the door and was ready to do my headcount.

MUCH TO MY HORROR….A Raccoon was in one of the nesting boxes…looking back at me.

The goats were standing by my side….all of us….we were just looking at this raccoon.  And he was just looking at us.

Amy…one of our prettiest hens….walked right past me and the goats…. into the yard.  It was as if she was in a daze.

I stood at the door and started screaming for Billy.  The raccoon continued to look at me….I continued to scream for Billy.  But Billy apparently couldn’t hear me. Finally…. after about 5 times…he said …WHAT??????

OH!!!!…..COME HERE!!!….COME HERE!!!….. I said.

HURRY….

RACCOON….

HURRY…..

That coon was beautiful….he had a huge fluffy tail…and the cutest little black mask across his eyes.

Then I saw my POOR innocent girl….laying there….without her head….

It was awful.  The whole scene was UGLY…

The coon started moving, squeezing himself between the wall and the nesting boxes.  He was trying his best to back away from the light….inching… into the darkness.

About that time…..Billy showed up.

The other girls were pretty calm…all in all.  They made their little chicken noises…but they handled all the excitement well.

We dealt with the coon.

We closed the small opening and secured the girls coop for the night.   We couldn’t find where Amy had gone.  I’m sure she decided she would just take her chances in the yard.  Bless her heart.

The next morning…Amy was back.  She was with the goats in the little goat house.

I feel pretty sure raccoon’s have been a lot of our problem this year, as far as predators go.  There are many more in the nearby woods, more than likely.

When we got home of course my mind was reeling.

I kept reflecting on scriptures referring to light.  Like this one for example.