Rowen hits the road

Question: How many livestock novices does it take to capture an escaped Rhode Island Red hen?



Answer: More than six

If a hidden camera had been around on Monday night at our house, we would be vying for the grand prize on America's Funninest Home Videos for sure! Rowen (on left above) some how made it to the top of the coop and picked just the right spot or right angle and flew the coop-literally. Josiah, Jeremy and Jeffrey were outside. Josiah ran inside yelling "The chicken's out! The chicken's out!" Michael, Jonathan and I immediately went outside. Then the comedy began. We were trying not to run directly at her, because then she would run away and possibly run through the portal into our neighbor's land which is covered with trees, cacti, brush, rocks, snakes? coyotes? wolves? So, anyway, Josiah runs to get a bug net. Too small. Michael has a "bright idea" to get a beach towel and throw it over her and then grab her and put her back in the pen. Problem is, she's too fast. We found that out right away. At one point, she's running toward Jackson (not a smart move!) and then does an immediate about face and dashes back toward the pen. There was even a time when she ran back to the pen and was frantically looking for a way to get back in. I'm sure she was thinking "These folks are lunatics! Let me in! Let me in!" By this point, there are three beach towels poised ready for use. But no one can catch her. She takes off across the yard-the entire way across the yard with six people running in a circular formation around her trying to keep her hemmed in . Add to this hysteria the fact that the ground is soggy from rain, so we're slipping around in the mud as well. She makes her way to the dreaded destination....the fence between the properties. Jonathan and Jeremy almost catch her but she squeezes between the opening in the fence. (BTW, it's amazing what small spaces these chickens can fit through!) Michael calls off the search and resuce mission, much to the boys' chagrin. We pretty much give her up for lost. I set off on my evening walk , praying that she comes home. I find out later that Michael told the boys that the next time they see Rowen, it will be her carcass. Isn't that terrible!!!!????? However, when I get home, Jonathan runs and greets me to let me know that she came back!! Jeremy had a God-inspired idea to just open the door to the coop in case she comes back. (We put all the other chickens inside the mobile coop and left the door to the expanded part open). A few minutes later she came back, circled the coop "like an airplane" (Jeffrey said) and went inside. She never seemed so happy to be in such tight quarters. We heard she had a meeting with the other hens that night and told them that the whole "free range chicken" utopia is not all it's cracked up to be. We're glad she's home. Now we just need those hens to start laying some eggs-though Rowen might be so traumatized that it's months before she lays!