The Chicken and the Egg Incidents

 Many of you know that we have chickens.  They are a source of a great quantity of eggs and also of amusing anecdotes.  Both of the stories I am about to share happened yesterday.

First, I went to feed the chickens yesterday with a somewhat nervous feeling.  We have set up a temporary fenced area for the chickens in the yard so that they can come out of the barn and get some fresh air.  The barn was our winter accomodations for the chickens.  We actually have a chicken coop & another fenced area for them, but they completely decimated the grass last fall & we're giving it a chance to grow back.  Anyway, since they are still getting used to their new fenced area we have been checking at night to be sure they all are back safely in the barn to roost.

We forgot the check the night before & I was so worried that I would encounter missing, or worse, dead chickens.  About 8 of the chickens were already out pecking in the yard when I went out that morning.  We have 12 altogether.  And, usually they all pretty much hang out in the same area.  My nervousness increased.  I wasn't sure what I was going to find when I got in the barn.  Had a wild animal gotten in and killed some?

I walked in the barn and I never could have imagined what I was about to see!  I kid you not!  One of my chickens was hanging upside down by his feet.  String was wrapped around both his feet & he was suspended by that string from a nail on one of the roosting boards.  I freaked a bit!  The chicken was still alive, so I lifted her from off the nail.  But, the bird was a bit traumatized to say the least & without a scissors or knife I couldn't get the string off her feet.

Now, let me tell you, I was convinced someone had come into our barn and strung up our chicken!  I went back in the house & called my husband, telling him exactly that.  Luckily he works right down the road, so he said he'd come and get the chicken untangled for me.  When I showed him the chicken & where I found the chicken hanging my husband started looking at me a little funny.

Turns out that what must have happened is the chicken got itself tangled in a string that had come off a feed bag while it was scratching about.  Then, later when it tried to get down off the roost, the string got caught & thus my hanging upside down chicken.  At least, this is what my husband tells me.

"You're sure someone didn't come in here and string up our chicken?" I demanded.

"I'm sure"  he replied.

I guess I believe him.

The second incident involves my resident 2 year old, Charlie, and about a dozen & a half eggs.  I was feeding Baby Joseph in the living room.  My husband was in the basement & the other 2 boys were off playing.  I had a feeling Charlie was too quiet.  Why don't I just let these pictures speak for themselves?

When I found Charlie he was standing in the middle of that mess, stomping away on those eggs.  I think my dear husband saw that I was in danger of 'cracking' and cleaned it all up.