I am not a person who takes naps regularly.
I can get by on 5-6 hours of sleep which works well since I have a lot of chicken responsibilities.
Times are changing though, since I landed on the other side of 50.
Last week I was on my bed reading in the afternoon and I fell asleep.
After I woke up, I went downstairs and noticed it was 6:00pm which meant I napped for FOUR hours!???
Suddenly the chickens started bawking like crazy.
I looked outside and in my napping stupor I was shocked to see a large white bulldog was in my backyard chasing my chickens!
I ran outside in my socks and by the time I noticed I had no shoes on, I was already in the yard stepping in chicken doodles (my loving term for droppings) but I knew I was going to get that dog so I needed some shoes to be able to run after her.
I ran back to the house which is literally just a few feet away and slipped on my garden clogs and dashed to kill the bulldog with my bare hands. Just kidding!
But seriously, the dog knew I meant business!
I started yelling at the dog and said, "LET MY CHICKEN GO!"
You should have seen me. I was like Moses talking to Pharaoh. :-)
The dog dropped the chicken and started running up a hill under one fence and then struggled to get under the first fence she initially dug under to get to my chickens.
This bulldog broke through two barriers to get a taste of the original white meat.
The truth is, everyone likes chicken and they even like to claim that all animals taste like chicken, even frogs!!
After the incident, the chickens were hysterical and I was a MAD WOMAN!
I ran next door and told my neighbor to tie up the dog because she had broke through my fences and wanted chicken for dinner.
I ran back to the yard and counted the ladies and one was missing.
I found my chicken in shock hiding near an area where I keep garden tools.
She was damaged in a severe way, but I felt she would pull through. She was eating in the beginning and could stand up, even though she had gashes in her back and thigh. I sewed up the gash on her thigh because it was just a rip in her chicken skin. I have to say, it is weird to sew up chicken skin on a live bird. Being a serious cook, I have trussed many a bird in my day, but this was a new experience. The meat under the skin was warm and living. I am still contemplating this one for some reason. If you are wondering if I want to go vegetarian, no way. I still love chicken! :-)
Two days passed and Goldie stopped eating and just sat there in the coop. She couldn't walk. I took her out of the coop and held her while sitting in the sun, and she seemed happy, like she was getting better.
But she didn't get better. I had to put her down and free her little chicken soup for the soul.
I felt bad for about 24 hours. This was a chicken from my first flock and she was the first chicken I lost.
The only answer was to get another chicken.
But this time I was going to do it differently.
Instead of getting pullets, which are teenage chickens, I got little CHICKS.
We have some brand new living things in the growing room now…