Busybird Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I have just had a horrid couple of hours It is so cold I made the chooks some porridge and took it out to them. I had been watching them free range just before but when I went into the garden - no girls I searched the garden, the sheds, the greenhouse, looked in the Eglu but nothing. Luckily my OH was home so we started a proper search. He went into the wood, I went along the roads. Still nothing. We stood listening for scratching, peeked over neighbours fences but no sign. OH decided to cycle around the village and down the main road at the back of our garden. He appeared with a big grin on his face. All 3 girls had somehow managed to get into a back garden three doors up from us (that is a lot of fences!). As "Ooops, word censored!"ody was home OH tried their garden gate. Locked. Showing much more brazen cunning than I could muster he climbed the wall of the house next door and worked his way through to the garden before unlocking the gate with our three girls following. I had the corn ready and OH went back the way he came to ensure all gates were bolted as they should be. What a relief But did we do the right thing 'breaking in' to effect the rescue The girls are confined to their run at least until my heart stops racing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy chickens! Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Horrid feeling, glad the story had a happy ending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Phew. I'm sure that under the circumstances the neighbour won't object. A box of eggs will soothe any ruffled feathers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbaraJ Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Yep if it was me i'd explain what happened and hand over a box of eggs, i doubt they would have anything bad to say after that though i worry over everything and would worry that someone saw me and told them so i'd have to go and explain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helenmb Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 But did we do the right thing 'breaking in' to effect the rescue Phew, thank goodness for that - a narrow escape. Perhaps if you feel a bit bad about it you could leave your neighbour a note about you rescuing them, I sure they wouldn't mind. Plus, if they have a dog then you may have saved your girls from a nasty scare or worse. I think I'd warn then of what happened just in case they do it again, plus they will know who to inform if they see visitors. Well done to you OH for being so ingenious and saving the day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hennymom Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I am sure no one will be any the wiser..... but a few puzzled faces may occur when said neighbours find little henny presents in the garden.... unless you have fallen out with them ...then they'll think you have been flinging over to annoy....lol I am sure you have done the right thing, as peoples in question may not like birds.../ be angry at garden being eaten/ would not know what the heck to do if they came face to face with girls.../ report you for being bad henny mommy not keeping eyes on them....lmao grounded hens sounds like apt punishment till you have calmed down at least... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Well thanks for scaring me IO read this expecting something awful I cpud have with relief for you when got to the end Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fowlbird Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 ours set off one day for next door but one only the neighbours didn't didn't tell us where they were until the girls were knocking on their door wanting to know where they should sleep... didn't know whether to or these days they have a smaller part of the garden to roam in - OH fenced off the bit nearest the house - it means we have poo free areas and they're safer edit: forgot to say that this was our first two, Ginger I and Gertrude they also managed to get out on to the street by simply breathing in and walking through the wrought iron gate and they were the two we thought had been taken by a fox because we couldn't find them at bedtime - they spent the whole night carousing on the patio under our bedroom window while I wept all night thinking I was imaging the chicken noises all this has reminded me of the time, in Ireland, when all six of our (ex batt) girls went for a walk down the field... no idea then how they'd got through the sheep wire but there they were - single file going down the hill towards the main Dublin/Derry road I yelled "where the bl**** h*ll do you lot think you're going?" and they stopped immediately and flew back to the garden (right over the fence which explained a lot) all the while pretending that they hadn't meant any harm and they really weren't doing anything norty... it's no wonder I've gone grey sorry, Busybird, forgot to say how glad I am your girls were safe... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helenmb Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 all this has reminded me of the time, in Ireland, when all six of our (ex batt) girls went for a walk down the field... no idea then how they'd got through the sheep wire but there they were - single file going down the hill towards the main Dublin/Derry road Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fowlbird Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 not funny at the time, helen luckily it was nowhere near Aug 12th or those stupid pheasant killers might have had a go at them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seagazer Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 all this has reminded me of the time, in Ireland, when all six of our (ex batt) girls went for a walk down the field... no idea then how they'd got through the sheep wire but there they were - single file going down the hill towards the main Dublin/Derry road I'm sorry that is so funny but I'm sure it was horrible at the time. I love the way you describe them on their trip. Busybird is sounds like you had a scarey time and I'm sure I would have done the same thing as you but then be worrying as to whether I was in trouble. I'm glad you found them in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fowlbird Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 yes, it was funny afterwards but at the time I was sooooooo angry with them! why do they all do this to us? They should be pleased to hang around the house not go gallivanting... and I don't know about the rest of you but we're more careful now about keeping their wings clipped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helenmb Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Sorry, didn't mean to be flipant fowlbird but I just sounded very comical. They are naughly aren't they, they obviously don't know how much we stress about them do they! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minnie the Moocher Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Golly, I wondered where this story was going. Am so relieved that they are home. Naughty girls - grass must be greener a few houses up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 My girls would NEVER be so naughty gonna have a quiet word at bedtime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hennymom Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I'd give mine a speech too but they cleared off to bed ....they must have known the third degree/20 questions was imminent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 you not heard of learning while sleeping. you whisper."you will not leave the garden" over & over. by morning ......... ................ ................ ............. you will be very cold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fowlbird Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Sorry, didn't mean to be flipant fowlbird but I just sounded very comical. They are naughly aren't they, they obviously don't know how much we stress about them do they! no problem anyway, no harm done to any chooks on this thread - unlike some of the other stories on this forum - that's why we get stressed - we're thinking of what could happen while they're only thinking of the fun they're having at that moment... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moomin Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Sandy this reminds me of when I was a kid, my sister and I watched a film about a lady who had all her hair shaved off and was forced to become a nun Can't remember the name of the film but it's an old one. My sister for a few nights after used to whisper in my ear 'you are going to become a nun' over and over as I was falling a sleep. (we had bunk beds!) It used to freak me out and I still hate her for it ''Chicken Whispering" - it's gotta catch on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fowlbird Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 you not heard of learning while sleeping. you whisper."you will not leave the garden" over & over. by morning ......... ................ ................ ............. you will be very cold rather than hanging over the eglu all night whispering could I just leave a tape recorder in there? anyway, OH has decided - as soon as we can afford/have the time to make a walk in run we'll think about getting another eglu and some more ex batts and then repair all the garden fences so that when they are allowed out they can roam the whole garden instead of being restricted to the patio, herb garden (that was ) and the 'beer garden' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fowlbird Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 moomin, that's one cruel sister... my elder sister did similar things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helenmb Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Blimey you're going to be pretty busy then! But in a nice way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 tape recorder might work!!!! make sure nuns not memtioned or they might wake up with bad habits like moomin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fowlbird Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 good job I'd finished drinking my coke, sandy, or I might have spluttered all over the screen and keyboard that is such a corny joke... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 sorreeeeeeee I gon't even kmow if moomin got any bad habits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...