Busted

The day after I moved the pullets over to the big pen I found one of the two white Leghorns, joined by a redhead, had (I thought) managed to fly over the fence to play outside.  Perhaps I'd not clipped enough feathers?  They went back in that evening and I thought no more about it.  Then a couple of days later I saw the Leghorn out and about on her own.  Hmmm.  Then she was back in the pen.  That was good; at least she'd figured out how to fly in both directions.  Yesterday I was filling the pot with water for the wild things when I saw the little escape artist sneak under the fence through a channel dug by the ground squirrels, not very big, but big enough.  Busted!  Going out later, I managed to herd her back in through the same hole and then blocked the opening with sticks.  Yeah, good luck with that.  Runaway Rhonda was on the loose again at bedtime and I didn't know it until I heard squawking and fluttering as I was getting the chicken feed.  Bess had discovered Rhonda and was doing her best to herd the escapee back to the pen.  I grabbed Bess as the two raced by and got her into the feed room.  Rhonda was more than happy to rush back into the pen to rejoin the flock.  I'll have to walk the fence line this morning and find where that little twerp is getting out.

That was enough excitement for one day.