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| Chicken Run away |
It
is official. I am smarter than a chicken.
Henny,
our scrawny white leghorn, has been escaping from the chicken run for the last
few weeks. It was annoying, especially after we closed all of the obvious
escape routes, but not that big a deal. After all, chickens just want to be
with the flock, so, after a few moments of running around and shouting “Free at
last!” she would wander back to the coop and dig through the garden bed next
door, waiting for the gate to open for her return. When I chased her around the
yard, it was, really, a half-hearted chase on he part. However, when Gladys
followed her out yesterday and found the collard patch, we had a larger
problem. Half the flock was out.
As anyone
who has ever kept backyard chickens knows, the grass is always greener on the
other side of the fence, even if the “grass” is actually the back alley or the
neighbor’s dusty gravel parking area. You can give them free run of the entire
backyard, but then they congregate (and poop) on the back stoop, waiting to
stroll into the Big Coop. That grew old fast. When they are not chatting on the
back step, they are roaming through the garden, digging up the just sprouted
carrots or eating a collard plnat to the ground. They need to be restrained.
Restraining
a chicken is not as easy as it sounds. We learned this a few years into chicken
keeping. Our first two ladies, George and Mrtyle, were full-grown barred Rocks
when they arrived, and they required little restraint. They stayed in the back
yard with a few pieces of chicken wire between them and the Big World. When
Gracie, the Houdini of chickens, arrived, I would come home to find notes on
the front door: “Your chicken was out. We chased her back in.”
Chickens
escape by going over or under the fence. Both have their challenges and
solutions. Over can translate into higher fencing, which can be expensive, or
running a piece of yarn or wire higher up to create a thin barrier—cheaper, but
kind of tacky. For years we banged together a complex fence from pieces of wire
I had found along the roadside, but it was very tacky. I invested in some
decent four-foot high hog fence two summers ago. It is a huge improvement. It is also flexible and coils in amongst the
beds in early spring, giving the ladies access to the compost pile, but not the
young plants. Another solution, which we are working on, is to raise bigger
chickens. Henny is a light and scrawny bird, who still flies easily. The Buff
Orpingtons we brought home last spring are much bigger—and more peaceful—birds.
They will be too big to fly over the fence in the spring. It is always easy to
know when a chicken has escaped over the fence. She announces her landing and,
if you look out quickly, you can see her shaking her feathers down before she
heads for the collard patch.
Under is
more difficult to detect—but easier to solve. We eliminated the majority of
under escapes by building a board fence around the back area. This stopped the
chickens from even seeing the alley and neighbor’s parking lot, so they were no
longer temptations. Now, when we have an under escape, we watch. Mark takes a
book into the back yard as a decoy, sits down, and observes chicken behavior.
Within fifteen minutes, he can find the weak spot, usually where the cats have
pushed through near a fence pole. A brick in the gap, a good tug on the fence,
a few staples to reattach the wire and we’re good. Toss the chicken back into
the run and watch her head right for the gap once more. If she stays in the
run, it is closed.
There is
a certain triumph to outsmarting a chicken, especially if she has been more
clever at hiding her escape hatch than usual. This morning, when I opened the
coop, I stood perfectly still and watched. Within two minutes, I had the
answer. Henny was pushing her way out through a hole in the netting, which was
big enough for her, but not for the larger buffs. When she was three quarters
of the way out, I grabbed her and tossed her back in, then blocked the gap. She
did not come out today. Victory has been declared, at least for now.
Pasta with Broccoli
Start a pot of water to boil.. While waiting, chop two big
stalks of broccoli into small bite sized pieces. Toss a handful of whole wheat spaghetti into the boiling water.
When about two thirds of the way done, add the broccoli.
While this cooks, chop three cloves of garlic and cook in
olive oil. Toss in almonds or walnuts and brown lightly. Also, grate some
Parmesan cheese.
Drain. Mix olive oil, garlic, and nuts in. Top with
cheese.
It
is official. I am smarter than a chicken.
