Health & Fitness
Florence HENderson & the Fox
Chicken Sitting - not exactly like dog sitting but not as different as you'd think! There's still feeding and walking involved.
I’m heading off to sit for 9 chickens this week. The last time I sat- I literally chased a fox from the Hen House. Here’s the story:
"We're going out of town for 8 days and we're taking the dog but wondered if you'd come watch our chickens and the cat?" Heather hesitantly asked. "Chickens?" I posed? The line from from Gone with the Wind went through my mind "I don't know nuthin' 'bout birthin' no babies" - instead- insert "caring for chickens". So I went to visit and see if this was something I could master. I felt confident that I could.
The chickens were held up for me to feel. "Such soft fur" I whispered. "They have feathers, not fur" I was corrected. oh yeah - duh!
In the days I was there, I watched the chickens hunt and peck their way around the entire fenced in pen, picked up their eggs in the evening, let them loose to "range" for an hour a day where I was out with them; I fed them and gave them treats. Easy. Fascinating. I did not realize that chickens without a Rooster do not lay eggs that become chickens. So there is no life being taken when I have a fried egg for breakfast. I felt much better and realized I should have paid more attention in biology class!
I made quiche and meringue cookies and egg salad. I called friends to come eat with me and I sent them home with eggs. 5 fresh eggs a day for a single person is a lot!!!
Until one day, the cat was in my lap at 7 a.m. and I suddenly noticed a fox behind the electric fence - scooping Florence HENderson, the brown spotted chicken, into his jaw! "AAAAAHHHHHH" I screamed banging on the window, running outside toward the fox in my pajamas, hollering at the top of my lungs. Luckily I scared the fox (and the other chickens) away and Florence had only lost a bunch of feathers and seemed no worse for the wear! I spent the next few hours shaking, talking with Heather, fixing a hole in the fence, re-electrifying the circuit with the help of a neighbor, and trying to calm down.
The rest of my time with the chickens was relatively uneventful, only one hawk to be chased away, but I was on-guard all the time!
I was promised free eggs for life for saving the chicken. How fun is that? I am a chicken hero! What kind of cape comes with this title I wonder?
