This past weekend, we had a new visitor to our yard. It appears our neighbors across the road and up the hill have decided to share their chickens with us and one of them moseyed over to our place to roam free. It was quite a treat to see a chicken in the yard. I've always wanted some of my own, but my hubby says no, we have enough to take care of as it is. . . He's no fun!
Anyhoo, Monday morning as I was leaving for work, I stepped out onto the porch and there on our porch swing sat the chicken! I startled her and she startled me back, and we both ran squawking our separate ways. Needless to say, if I wasn't already awake, I sure was now!
The first thing I do when I get home from work in the evenings, is take Tubby out back to "water" the bushes and stretch his stubby little legs. Last night, as he was going through his routine, I went out to the fence to see why the donkeys hadn't greeted me in their usual noisy way. Normally, all I have to do is step onto the back porch and they assault me with hee haws, begging for treats, but tonight they were silently absent. I looked out into the pasture and saw Clementine and Baby Chloe' huddled together looking out toward the back fence. I could see Cooter way in the back with his ears pinned back and looking down toward the ground, but I couldn't see what he was looking at. I climbed up on the fence just in time to see Cooter chasing a cute little red fox! He chased him across the pasture and the fox ran under the fence.
I called Cooter to me, and all three donkeys came running. I noticed the fox was still standing on the other side of the fence and I thought he sure was brave because surely he could see me and Tubby standing there watching him. As soon as Cooter was out of the way, the fox darted back under the fence and into our pasture. I watched him snatch up a dead chicken and run back under the fence and out behind the neighbor's barn. Oh no! Poor chicken! I couldn't believe that fox had already killed my new-found friend!
This morning however, as I was leaving for work, there was the chicken, safe and sound and clucking away in my yard again! Hooray! She's okay! So what did I see the fox carrying off? Maybe it was a small turkey, or some other kind of bird, but it sure looked like a chicken. I'm just glad she's okay, at least for now. . .
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