If you read my previous post, you may have wondered whether “that stupid chicken” survived her night outside the coop and if you have, the answer is “YES!” She was walking all over the place this morning when we went out for chores. I was thankful, but not looking forward to wondering every day if she was still alive.
Then, when I let the chickens out of the coop this afternoon (I leave them in the coop for the first part of the day so that they lay their eggs in the laying boxes. I learned this the hard way when I let them out first thing in the morning and upon finding only a very few of the expected eggs in the laying boxes, had to play “Easter morning” and locate the various places they had chosen to lay them. Therefore, they stay in the coop until the laying is done.), that chicken went over to the corral where the chickens always go right after being let out of the coop. She was trying to rejoin her flock!
However, Merlin had other ideas! I heard him scolding and squawking and I turned around to find him chasing her away from the group! She tried several times to get around him and he was quite firm that she was not going to rejoin them. I got the feeling that he was saying “You haven’t been willing to come under my authority, so you can just be out here on your own!” I was shocked, but it was quite obvious that he was meant whatever he was saying to her!
We had a busy day today, so I didn’t really have time to monitor the situation until it was time to go out and milk this evening. I didn’t see her around, so figured she was off by herself somewhere. And when I was finished milking, it was still light enough the chickens hadn’t gone into their coop yet, so I just headed to the house.
When I returned at dusk, I jokingly said to my guys “OK! I’m taking bets on how many chickens will be in the coop. Thirteen or Fourteen?” Jeff said thirteen and Micah said fourteen. The whole way out to the coop I was playing out different scenarios in my head.
However, when I went into the coop I was pleasantly surprised…no, shocked, actually, to find all fourteen chickens were in the coop, settled down in quiet contentedness on the roosting bars. Even more surprising was the fact that the “stupid” chicken was settled on the roosting bar just one chicken down from Merlin! It looked like his discipline had the desired effect! I was amazed…TOTALLY amazed!
Merlin has amazed me from the very beginning. His intelligence is obvious and the innate understanding of his jobs here on the farm is quite impressive. But, this recent example of his wisdom in disciplining one of his girls, ostracizing her and then bringing her back into the fold just really was more than I ever imagined he was capable of! It makes me wonder if there shouldn’t be a “My Name is Merlin” Volume Two!
