Headache

I know that I've mentioned the chickens before. They have been real easy keepers. We just feed and water them, and they have been no real problem.....that is until last week...

One evening while playing outside, Joel looked towards the garden area and saw a chicken. Yes, our chicken, OUTSIDE. It turns out there were 5 escapee chickens (one of which turns out to be a rooster).

Some were easy to catch and, oh, some of those suckers are pretty quick and more intelligent than others. I took Sage inside to go to bed and Joel and Jack did the chicken chasing.

Jack came in crying a while after, apparently a chicken flew several times into his face trying to stay free. He was consoled and went back outside with me to pet a chicken that Joel had just caught. Then he resumed the chicken hunt. Eventually all the chickens were caught. And some precautions were made on their humble abode (the horse trailer picture above.)

(Jack's self portrait taken a few weeks ago - so much concentration on how to get the camera to work)

That night Joel and I had just fallen asleep. Then came a blood curdling scream from Jack's room. As I got in the hall, Jack was bookin' it towards me, still screaming and sobbing.

He was able to calm down and told me a chicken had gotten out. Poor guy. We went back to his room, turned the lights on, and looked under the bed where he insisted a chicken was out. Nothing there. And not under his pillow either. We talked about how they were all caught and how we put stuff in the windows so they couldn't get out again. He was settled with this explanation and went back to bed. (He did wake up at least 5 more times that night, but it wasn't chicken related.)

Some kids have monsters and their beds, but oh no, but Jacky boy - our kid has chickens.

But when you think about it proportionally, that would be like have 40lbs on wings flying at your head. Totally scary! My poor little guy!

Needless to say, that weekend Jack and Joel spent the entire weekend working on the chicken coop. It is not entirely done now, but it is done more than it is in this picture. Sooner than later we are going to have a great coop and run.

As way of followup on this story, one chicken and the rooster got out this Tuesday. They are houdinis for sure. The kids and I couldn't get them, so I called Bill and Katherine to come help me. We had to call Joel (who stayed home with the stomach flu that has been going around) to come down from his folks' house (where he was banished so we didn't get his germs and so he could watch tv) to show off his honed chicken catching skills.

Ay, those chickens. If the coop isn't done soon I think I'm ready for some roast chicken for dinner!