Well, we finally made it to the ranch at 8:45 this evening. The chickens ended up having to stay an extra night in our garage because Emerson has had a high fever and needed to see the doctor before we could leave town. Sounds like she has a virus and it probably has nothing to do with the tubes she just got in her ears. I hope that is really the case.
The transfer from the raccoon trap to the cardboard box was seriously tricky. If Dominica, our housekeeper, who now is also fondly known to me as Dominica the Great Chicken Wrangler, had not have been at our house to help me, Louise, Henrietta, and Clucky would have had to fly to Hunt in the raccoon trap strapped to the roof of my Suburban. Luckily Dominica is lightening fast and sly as a fox. I basically dumped them toward her and she snatched them out and stuck them into the box. Emerson was sitting in her stroller and Harrison was keeping an eye on the lid of the box to make sure no one escaped. Well...Clucky made a break for it between the trap and the box and flew right over our heads around my garage! Emerson and Harrison were freaked out, screaming, running, panicked...I was laughing hard and trying to unstrap Em from the stroller so Clucky didn't perch on her head, scarring her for life. Dominica on the other hand was as cool as a cucumber. She had Clucky caught and in the box in seconds. She's good. Makes me wonder if maybe she, too, has chickens in her garage. Something to think about.
Anyway, our sweet hens made the six hour drive with no problems! Louise even laid an egg in the cardboard box we transported them in. Good thing she did since I didn't want to add another hour onto our trip by going to the grocery store when I got into town and Harrison was STARVING when we got home later that night. I was able to cook up Miss Louise's egg for a great late night snack. He said it was the best egg he ever had! He really digs this chicken thing. Here he is below in the chicken coop waiting for me to free the girls from their box. We put some hay in each of their boxes and filled their feeder and waterer and then set them free. You'll notice there are no pics of Emerson below. That's because every one I had of her looked so sad. She didn't feel good at all, but still managed to squeak out a "chick, chick, chick" every now and then. Poor, sweet baby girl:(
Harrison and Emerson's pretty head
The nesting boxes Lynda gave us are perfect.
Henrietta
Louise protecting Harrison's late night snack.
Clucky
Harrison, the proud little chicken man wishing the girls a good first night in their new home!
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