The Wayward Chicken

The other evening, I was out tending to chores. I always take a head count when I shut the chickens up just to be sure everyone is present and accounted for. I counted 10.
10? I seem to recall that I've had 9 chickens for some time.
 I counted again.
And again.
And when I mentioned it to DH that night, he tilted his head and the look in his eyes seemed to tentatively question whether his wife had finally lost her senses.
Perhaps, but there are 10 chickens out there in that coop!
The next morning? Still 10 chickens.
This one did not belong.

She's a smidge smaller and lighter in color and she seems to prefer pecking through the horse pens instead of meandering through the grounds between the coop and the house.
The family at North Camp has chickens, but the are 9 miles away and there are approximately 357 coyotes between here and there. When you are a coyote, chicken is always on the menu. Did someone say 'coyote'?

So when Jake came over to get feed, fuel, and help drench a 2-yr old heifer that has been sick, I mentioned my extra chicken. Kassie said she noticed one had been missing but she doesn't have a coop for them so they truly do run free and once in a while she may lose one or two.

We finally surmised that my new addition to the flock had hitched a ride on the back of Jake's feed truck and apparently she bailed when he wasn't looking and had pulled up to get fuel. DH said he had noticed a chicken on Jake's truck before when he was over at North Camp and Jake just shooed her off. She must have hidden herself between

the feeder and the truck this time:

 I can just picture that chicken hunkered down next to the feeder in a flatbed pickup, flying down the highway.

I called Kassie before work on Monday and told her that her chicken might want to come home. She didn't take too kindly to being cooped up at night  When I let the girls out in the morning, she could not find her way out of the enclosed yard. She just did not know what to do with a fence in her way. There are only 9 chickens in this photo because Carol was in her nesting box, doing her job, but you can see Kassie's chicken peering through the fence:

It made me laugh, but she is gentle and I just walked up to her and set her in the doorway and she made a beeline for the horse pens. My chickens didn't want anything to do with her and the feeling seemed to be mutual. I saw one of my girls peck at the newcomer. Shame on her. That's no way to welcome a visitor.

So Kassie came over and when she stepped out of the truck, that little chicken ran to her and she scooped her up, set her in her lap, and home they went. I could just see that chicken thinking, "Mama, Mama, Mama!!" when she was running to her. LOL

And when she got home, I'm sure she had quite the tale of adventure to share with her circle of feathered friends who had all been wondering where she'd been hiding.

The boys think we are much too easily entertained by our chickens, but I think this may have the makings of a children's book...who among you can draw a chicken? :)