Coop Glamour

For the Birds
{and a parable}

I was amazed when I happened upon this the other day.

This is a chicken coop. I could live here...move over chick.

This is the chicken coop of Tiffany Kirchner Dixon.

View more photos of it on her blog

Just click on her logo below to view...

Actually, I'd like to turn the inside of my garage into this minus chickens.

Her chickens are some lucky girls.

Have you noticed that raising chickens has become the new hot hobby?

I've heard that actually chickens are very smart and make great pets.

I'd love to have some myself but realize that weenie dogs and chickens do not mix.

I know this for sure because my sister got chickens last year.

She called me one day and said they'd just brought home eight little chicks.

She lives in a smaller rural town where it wouldn't be surprising to find chickens 

in a person's backyard.

I was like..."What, Chickens!...But what about the dogs?"

She has four weenie dogs too.
She says,

"Oh...Charles (her husband) built a coop for them and has it all fenced in."

me: "Ok...well...good luck with that."

Over the next few weeks I'd call to see how the chickens were doing.

They were growing and as the weather got cool....I donated money to purchase them more
hay for their roost.

As time went by, I thought maybe this will work.

Each time I'd call...I'd say, "How are the chickens?"

"Well," my sister said one day, "we only have seven now."

I asked what happened.

"Charles forgot and left the gate open and I didn't know and let the dogs out."
This said very matter of factly.

"Ok", I say, "I get the picture."

Every time I called over the next few weeks there was one less chicken and a more and more

upset sister. One day I call and she says that four met their maker that day.

And now there is only one left and she is so, so MAD at the dogs.

"Well", I say, "You've been doing an experiment in survival of the fittest, haven't you?

You can't stop the ways of nature or mess with the food chain.

It's a Dog Eat Chicken World."

I tell her to not be mad at the dogs...they are only doing what comes naturally to them.
It's hard to teach four to be good at once.

So that one chicken...the only one left?
That chicken loved her husband and followed him everywhere.

(when the dogs were in the house)
I wonder if it was following him out of love or trying to survive by staying close to him.

They started taking her out to the land that they have outside of town.

What they call the farm.

It's an acreage that the neighbors keep horses and cows on.

Every time Charles would go out there, he'd take the chicken.

My sister always called to tell me how cute it was.
How it would jump right in the car...ready to go for a ride.

One day I ask about the chicken.

She says..."Oh...we left her out on the farm yesterday. She loves it out there."

"What!" I say "You can't leave her alone out there. There are coyotes in the woods!"

"Oh", she says..."Charles checked on her this morning when he went out to feed her.
She is fine".
This said with an oh, Nita....you worry about everything tone in her voice.
She actually thinks I am paranoid....never mind that the things that I worry about
actually happen over and over again.

So of course you know where this is going....
the next time I call a few days later and ask how the chicken is,

she says..."Oh she isn't there any more...she ran away."

Uh huh....right.

"It's a Coyote Eat Chicken World too"

I really felt terrible about the whole situation and perplexed that my sister and brother in law
must run these experiments instead of asking me first if I think it's a good idea.
(you'll be relieved to know they do not have children)

I would have told them that weenie dogs and chickens DO NOT mix.
I know better than to even try it.

So yesterday I'm reading one of my favorite blogs...

and Jenny includes a video that could be a documentary of my dog, Newman.

Remember Newman hurt his back around Christmas which was a re-injury from
what he did last summer.

Well, he's 100% again and totally into trouble all the time.

When Jenny posted this video...it reminded me of Newman when he's out and about.

That's how Newman runs, that's how Newman digs, that's how Newman eats,
that's how Newman fights, that's how Newman snorts dirt.
Really my sweet dear little boy turns into a Honey Badger
when he sees something he thinks is further down the food chain than he.

Remember last summer when he attacked the opossum?
Grabbing him away from the opossum was like grabbing a honey badger.
And this is exactly how Newman would be with chickens.

Anyway...this video made me laugh and I wanted to make sure you all saw it.