A slightly better chicken story

Nobody dies in this one.

We recently expanded our chicken run to extend along the entire north boundary of our property, a stretch of woods that provides good cover for the chickens, and plenty of bugs for them to scratch for. The northwest corner of the property is rather remote (for Delaware), and I happened to notice a channel dug under the fence by some four-legged intruder. It didn't look very used (maybe last time was last summer) but I thought I'd take a little preventive measure just in case. I happen to be fairly protective of our hens, and I've dispatched several chicken predators over the past years.

But I like to know who's looking for an illicit chicken dinner, so I posted a live trap over the opening. I moved the trap as close to the fence as it would go, and even blocked off the sides with debris so the only reasonable route would be for a would-be predator to sashay right into the baitless trap.

Val is a little paranoid, too, and she walked the fence line a day or two ago to check on things. She found not one, but two creatures in the trap—hens! Somehow two of our biddies had managed to climb over the trap and insert themselves through the narrow opening above the front of the trap and get inside together before the one in front managed to trip the trigger. They were crowded into a feathered ball of sorts making plaintive clucks when Val found and released them.

I had gotten a full head count the night before, so the longest they had been trapped was several hours. No harm done.

If I reset the trap they'll probably try to get in again.