A few days ago a friend brought over three Bantam's - two hens and a rooster - which I named after my Aunt Sandra and Uncle Charlie, with the third bird named after my Mom, Shirley. Charlie Boy, Sandra, and Shirley quickly settled right in, temporarily making the horse trailer their roost.
On the first morning, the trio ventured out, doing what chickens do, pecking, scratching, and clucking. Hubby decided to go check on the birds as they foraged on the edge of the woods. Three of the dogs joined him for the walk.
I missed the action, but from what I heard, Blondie was tenacious in her quest of the feathered fowl, sending the trio flapping for any tree limb, branch, or perch out of her reach. Charlie Boy took roost on a pencil-thin branch of a scraggly pine tree, Sandra found a sturdier roost on a fallen Oak branch, about two feet above the ground but nestled in the thick underbrush, and Shirley, well Shirley flew the coop so to speak.
The remaining two birds eventually settled down and went back to their chicken ways and the search for Shirley was on. Dozens of forages through the thick Southern brush on the back edge of our property was conducted through out the day. At times, I would stand there quietly hoping to hear the cluck cluck cluck of Shirley, but alas, Shirley was not to be seen or heard. Just like my mother, she was out doing her own thing.
On the second day, more searches for Shirley were done, but hope was getting dim of finding more than scattered feathers of her foray into the wild, wild jungle of southern Mississippi. Meanwhile, the other two feathered foul went on as if Shirley's disappearance was matter of course. Sandra, while scratching for food, absentmindedly wandered into the paddock area where Elliot had taken up post since their arrival, his head hung over the back door of the horse trailer, amusing himself watching the chickens.
So, here struts Sandra, her head down pecking at strands of hay, out between Elliot's front legs, not a clue of what she was getting into. That's when Elliot decided it was time to tap dance around Sandra, his head shaking, his front hooves raising up into the air before coming down around Sandra, who by this time was squawking and flapping, and trying to get away from the dance.
In the meantime, Charlie Boy, sensing the need to rescue his damsel in distress, gets sidetracked by Blondie and Ocho, who have decided chicken for lunch just might do the trick. Charlie Boy makes it to the roof of the trailer, as I scurry to round up Sandra, who is just plain mad now.
I toss the two fowl back into the trailer, shoo off the dogs, and take one more look for Shirley.
On Day Three of Shirley's departure, I hook E & E out front so I clean the barn and paddock area in light of a weather report to expect foul weather. (Yes, I used that word on purpose). As I pushed the wheelbarrow into the stall, lo and behold, in the rafters there perched Shirley, looking a little ragged with one, crooked tail feather left and a flopping crest.
Not to let her AWOL episode go without a climax, I find a long branch to poke her out from her roost, which is abut ten feet off the ground. After a brief chase around the paddock, with Blondie and Ocho back out to help in case I needed it, I manage to catch Shirley.
I carried her back to the horse trailer turned chicken coop, and toss her back in with Charlie Boy and Sandra. Charlie Boy, upon seeing the disheveled Shirley, decides to do the strut, (now I understand where the phrase cocky comes from), and begins pecking at her while doing this one wing dance around her. Not to be outdone or be brought back into submission, Shirley responds by pecking Sandra, and Sandra runs around like, well shall we say, a chicken without its head. Soon, though, the trio settle down and go back to all the pecking, scratching, and clucking chickens do.
I wonder how long it will be before Shirley goes out on the town again?
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