Got umbrellas?

When I went to the chicken coop first thing this morning, I found the same thing as I did yesterday.... one chicken and two Guinea hens, huddled up on the roosting bar. Audrey just looked at me with that old-hen stare that I've come to recognize. It's as if she's challenging me-- Well, now... what happened to the other hens?!

I feel sorry for Audrey..... she's the odd hen out now, being with the two Guinea hens. As I started to clean the coop this morning, the Guinea hens clearly didn't want to be in the coop with me and the broom, so they started squawking to get out. They walked around for about five minutes, came to the spot where a few of Jaye-Bird's feathers are still in the grass where the hawk got her, and then the Guinea hens flew up on top of the rose arbor and started screaming.

I cleaned the coop as fast as I could so the Guinea hens would come down from their perch and get back into the coop if they wanted to, which they did. Audrey watched me sweep the floor and put down clean paper underneath the roosting bar, all the while staring at me with those wrinkled old eyes of hers, so unlike the bright round eyes of the other chickens we had. (Had. The operative word these days when we talk about the hens.)

After the coop was all done, I stood there wondering what I could do so these birds would feel comfortable again walking around the grass without remembering what happened with the hawks-- which, by the way, happened again to our across-the-road neighbor: a hawk flew away with one of his chickens today. ("That's just the way it goes," he said. He has had more experience with losing chickens-- his flock has gone from sixteen down to just two at times.)

Outside our coop, there is a small grassy area that's surrounded by a picket fence with a gate. In order for me to get in and out of the coop's gate, the picket-fence gate has to be opened, which I do in the mornings, then shut it at night after I lock up the coop. I had suggested to my husband that we cover that grassy area with chicken wire, but we haven't done it yet because the chickens have been content to just stay in the coop since the hawks took away three of our hens, and my husband just hasn't had the time yet.

I got to thinking about things we had in the garage, and maybe I could improvise something..... and I remembered that we had two beach umbrellas. Big and colorful umbrellas...... surely I could stick those into the ground, open them up, and the chickens could walk around that grass within the picket fence and they wouldn't be seen by the hawks soaring around the hills. Right?

Out came the umbrellas.... into the ground went the stakes, good and deep so they wouldn't shift in the wind..... into the stakes went the tops of the umbrellas and I opened them up. When they were both open, the grassy "front yard" of the coop was covered with the brightly-colored umbrellas and it looked like the coop was ready for a beach party. After I opened up the umbrellas, I closed the picket-fence gate but left the door to the coop open. I called out to Audrey and tossed some of the chicken-feed near the door of the coop. She made a low sound, sort of like my sweet Dolly used to do..... it sounds like "Ohhhhhhhhhhh," followed by a few little clucks.

Audrey ventured out into the grass, followed by the Guinea hens. They all looked up at the umbrellas........ then they all looked at me (most likely thinking I had lost my mind). But they did walk around the grass, and I think they knew they couldn't be seen from the sky. (I know that for a fact because before I called them out there, I stood underneath both umbrellas and looked up-- I couldn't see the sky, just the undersides of the umbrellas.)

For now, this seems to be a good solution. The chickens have their grass to scratch around in, and they also have a sense of safety again which had been stolen by the hawks. I have come to terms with losing three of our hens to those dang hawks. Nature is what it is, and it's not going to change. Hawks search for chickens, and they catch them now and again. And again.

I only wish I had thought of those umbrellas before my sweet little Dolly was taken away by the hawk. I miss finding her eggs in the nesting box every day. I looked at Audrey after I cleaned the coop this morning and said out loud-- Well, Audrey-girl, I guess I won't be getting any eggs from you anytime soon. And Miss Audrey looked at me with those old eyes of hers, as if to say "That is eggsactly correct."