What do chickens eat? Have you any idea? Neither did we, so we figured the chicken that made its way into the yard last week would make its way back out when it realized it was slim pickin's around here. Au contraire!
I'll post more about the vacation later on, but suffice it to say we were leaving for a few days the day after this chicken made an appearance in the shrubs by the stairs. It seemed perfectly content to completely dig out my flower garden looking for bugs but we didn't relish the idea of coming home to find a dead chicken anywhere near the house. So, being totally not the farming types, we called friends who keep chickens (and goats and alpaca and rabbits) to ask if they wanted a go at catching this one and giving it a good home.
And off we went on vacation.
We called our friends a couple of days into the vacation to ask if they'd had any luck. Apparently this chicken is Houdini's reincarnation. No matter what they did or how far they chased it, it eluded capture. (Maybe it's a fan of the movie 'Chicken Run'.)
Today the chicken has been greeting guests as they come up the stairs. BA, BA, BA, BAAAAK! I was told this means it's upset. Our friends will be back when the weather is more amenable to chasing chickens.
We have fed it seedless grapes, which it really seemed to appreciate. Well, sure it did. After scratching and digging for a few days, here was someone tossing food right to it. It's rained since yesterday so there is plenty of water pooling up here and there. Still, I will put out a bowl of water tomorrow to go along with the blackberries that are on the menu for breakfast, for the chicken, not the guests!
My mother always told me to not feed strays. And here I go putting out grapes and berries for a chicken that clucks at me and the guests! Hopefully our friends will be by soon. Before I start naming the chicken. (Tallulah? I'm kind of fond of that name.) And building it a coop. And bringing home other chickens to keep it company. You see how this gets out of hand!
Got a video camera I can borrow? Chasing the chicken around should be interesting...
"If I tuck my head, they can't see me, I'm invisible."
White Cedar Inn Bed and Breakfast 178 Main St Freeport, Maine 04032
Tallulah update: If you were keeping track of the daily tales of Tallulah you know we spent a few days feeding her while trying to decide what to do with her. We found a neighbor with chickens who was willing to take her in, if we could all catch her. ('Hell on wheels' is the best description of this chicken!)
Well, while trying to catch her with a fishing net (yeah, don't bother to tell me), we attracted the attention of a neighbor's cat. I ran to scare off the cat, which was not budging, and instead, I scared off Tallulah who took for the streets.
She was across Main St later on in the day and her real family was over there trying to herd her back home. So, happy ending, I think. After all, over here she had the run of the yard, all the worms she could eat, yummy leftovers and no work. But, she also didn't have her 'family' so I hope she's happy at home!
Well, while trying to catch her with a fishing net (yeah, don't bother to tell me), we attracted the attention of a neighbor's cat. I ran to scare off the cat, which was not budging, and instead, I scared off Tallulah who took for the streets.
She was across Main St later on in the day and her real family was over there trying to herd her back home. So, happy ending, I think. After all, over here she had the run of the yard, all the worms she could eat, yummy leftovers and no work. But, she also didn't have her 'family' so I hope she's happy at home!
White Cedar Inn Bed and Breakfast 178 Main St Freeport, Maine 04032
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