"That's odd.... I haven't let the birds out yet..."
Then into my visual field walks another hen.
"Hmmmmm, maybe we forgot to lock them in last night?"
Nope. Check out the other windows~no chickens anywhere else in the yard.
So I walk up to the coop to let out the rest of the gang.
About 8 feet from the coop I noticed this:
Over the weekend, HE had put skirting around the base of the coop and filled in with rocks. The chickens really liked to use that area as a dust bath, but then they would create holes large enough to crawl underneath the coop. We began to suspect that they were laying eggs under there~it would explain our drastic reduction in apparent egg production. To solve that problem, HE shored it up.
HE did look underneath before closing it up.
But not well enough.
He buried a couple of those girls underneath the coop
Maybe "buried" is a bit strong.
Trapped sounds good.
Never fear, though: WONDER CHICKEN is here!!
They pecked and clawed and pushed until they detached the skirting, pushed through the crack, tossed that measly piece of wood aside and fed their tired bodies.
Puny humans!
Just as I was getting ready to push the "publish" button, my son peered over my shoulder to see what I was doing (really he just wants to use the laptop).
He proceeded to inform me that his dad had actually pulled open the skirting last night while I was out at a cooking class.
Bummer.
I kinda liked the idea that we have bionic chickens.
