Chicken Run

So, everyone knows how the weather has been in Texas lately. Tornados, more tornados and a side order of tornados. Yeah. We have a new storm system bearing down on us. You can feel it in the air. Tonight, the winds picked up to crazy levels while I was putting the animals up for the evening. If you've ever dealt with animals before a storm, you know it can make them a little wild. All the critters were silly. The donkeys escaped and I had to chase them down. The goats all kept trying to go into each others' pens.

But the winner was Blackberry, one of my chickens. The chickens were having a grand old time. The wind blew leaves down into their run as they ran around snarfing up the bounty. I have the same routine every night. The girls know this. When I enter their run, they all come over to see if I have any treats. I never have treats at this time, but a chicken has to have hope, right? So, once they realize I don't have treats, they let me herd them into the coop for the night.

Mostly they co-operate, but occasionally one will do a runner. Well, I almost had everyone up when suddenly--the wind dropped a little branch covered with leaves into the pen. Blackberry was the early bird and nabbed the nummy branch. She had a dilemma. She couldn't take her nummy into the coop or she would have to share. Someone might steal it from her. So she ran.

I spotted her turn tail and hide under a picnic bench in the run. I put everyone else up and went after her. Twice I had her at the door when she ducked out and ran off again. Herding her wasn't going to work. I had to catch her. How hard can it be to catch one little black chicken in a closed run? Cue Benny Hill chase music.

Blackberry is no naive pullet. She's one of my OGC (Original Gansta Chickens, y'all) and she is too darn smart. I chased that darn chicken all over before cornering her. When I picked her up, she dropped the treat rather than take it in the coop with her. I bet she remembers it in the morning. She's probably planning to race out and grab it before anyone else.

Clever girl.