Chickens are such silly birds!They do nothing for years and then suddenly surprise by doing something totally unexpected!
Like this black hen. She's a homebred Leghorn Cross; didn't get on with many of the hens in the Poultry Palace so was 'given' to Merlin as one of his flock. Since when she's been remarkably unremarkable.
Then all of a sudden a couple of weeks ago she's off. Through the fence and down the Churc
h field. Right to the bottom. And back again. Every morning when we're about the yard feeding and opening up etc she wanders off. Returns to Merlin by the time the serious work of the day begins - that's when the dogs are running around so I guess she's not so daft that she hasn't worked out that that is not a good time to be wandering around. So back she goes to her pen, where invariably she is greeted with some consternation - or relief - by Merlin and shooed off to join the rest of his flock. After a few weeks of this behaviour she has earned the distinction of her own name - Wanda, of course.
h field. Right to the bottom. And back again. Every morning when we're about the yard feeding and opening up etc she wanders off. Returns to Merlin by the time the serious work of the day begins - that's when the dogs are running around so I guess she's not so daft that she hasn't worked out that that is not a good time to be wandering around. So back she goes to her pen, where invariably she is greeted with some consternation - or relief - by Merlin and shooed off to join the rest of his flock. After a few weeks of this behaviour she has earned the distinction of her own name - Wanda, of course.Not infrequently she can be found strutting around at other times of the day when, presumably, she thinks the coast is clear. Unfortunately, that is not always the case and she did inadvertantly find herself being closely - very closely - guarded by Gunner one day last week. During which
event she got a little panicky - not that he was doing anything except watching her very, very closely (he was under "Leave!" orders at the time) - and tried to scrabble under some wire in the hedgerow, and consequently lost a few feathers. Hence the bare patch on the front of her neck!
event she got a little panicky - not that he was doing anything except watching her very, very closely (he was under "Leave!" orders at the time) - and tried to scrabble under some wire in the hedgerow, and consequently lost a few feathers. Hence the bare patch on the front of her neck!Scratchy and Delila keep a close eye on her too - not that they'd do anything (except maybe gloat) if she were to get into serious difficulty.
Let's just hope she doesn't get too "cocky" in her wanderings otherwise young Charlie or Mrs Fox may just take advantage of Madam Wanda.........
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