Nobody Here But Us Chickens

We have been chicken farmers for a whole ten days now, and tonight was the first time I went out to close their coop (my husband usually does this). I'm used to the cacophony of eager voices that greets me when I collect the eggs in the morning, expectant feathered critters crowding my ankles in hopes of kitchen scraps. As I approached the coop, I was disconcerted by the silence, until I opened the door and found Reason That I Love Chickens #216: 22* birds peacefully snoozing on the top of the door and nesting boxes, heads lolling, sweet clucky snores, oblivious to my presence. No wonder we need to keep the coop locked up at night; a weasel would have an easy time of disposing of prey this complacent.

I whispered "Thanks again for the eggs, and sleep tight, my dears", and closed the door as gently as I would for my children. After all, they have a long day of scratching and foraging tomorrow!

*we thought we had 20 hens and 2 roosters. 20+2=22, right? Well, tonight's head count totalled 23. I counted several times. We seem to have acquired an extra hen...