Who'd have thought that a trip to the chicken houses could be so eventful ?! There I was with my little straw basket with the blue gingham lining tripping into the "Roost with a view"...our new 5 star chicken house when all the commotion started. I wasn't looking for trouble, I went bearing gifts ( 2 buckets of perfectly balanced nutritional chicken food) and all I wanted in return was the warm eggs lying waiting for me in the nest boxes. Not too much to ask...? The troop of girls waiting in the yard raised the alarm and before I got the Roost door open I knew I was in trouble, there they were, waiting for me. Beady eyes under quivering red combs lined up on the perches, a gaggle of puffed out feathers watching my every move, daring me to challenge them. The big Rhodie rooster pretended he had no part in the insurrection, not looking for trouble he took advantage of a little barred rock hen that was too distracted to notice his attention. Too late she recognised the diversionary attack and set up screeching and flapping a storm around the hen house, that set every one off, feathers were flying, and the volume raised to a cocophany of chicken noises all trying to be louder than the next bird. I seriously contemplated retreat and wondered (1) if there is such a thing as a chicken counciler and (2) Just how much soup a whole roost of mutinous chickens would make. One Rhodie hen got so excited that she dropped a warm wet egg into my hand as I passed, (serendipity or just pure good luck) The ladies on the advance warning party all tried to get through the little door at the same time voices raised to a crescendo, wings flapping they were 5 abreast through a door designed to take 2 at a time....they popped through like peas out of a pea pod, but a lot louder ! Startled, I looked out into the pen from whence they came and there it was, sailing around on the thermals, barely moving but its shadow threatening over the hen pen. An eagle, a beautiful fully fledged bald eagle, its white head and tail shining in the sunlight and it was looking for a snack or three. Silently it flew over and around the hen house looking for a "takeaway",....Kentucky Chicken, not on my watch !! Suddenly the chicken house went quiet, not a feather moved,not a beak quivered, not a squalker squalked, it was like everything stopped breathing and then just as suddenly, my girls were back to normal, the cluckers started to cluck and the roosters got back to roostering and I, with my little straw basket lined with tiny blue gingham squares could go ahead and steal their hard won eggs, their unborn babies, beautiful brown white cream and green orbs lined my basket. The eagle had bored of the hunt and had moved on to a more lucrative and less noisy dinner site. Everyone was safe ..till the next time. I made my escape and wondered at the instinct that can make a domestic bird so aware of the dangers in the sky. Oh well, I survived, Bran is out for potty time, the cuckoo clock is cuckooing and its time for bed. Good night, God bless and take care. M
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