Thursday morning chick fiasco

Ella and the nine are abroad

It was about a quarter 'til nine, when I went out to milk Thursday morning.  I noticed that the cats were all lounging around the chicken tractor (where Ella Mae and her chicks are living).  I should have known something was up!  They were all innocently sleeping when I went back in with the milk, so I left them alone.  

I brought the milk in and started to strain it when I heard a commotion outside including the excited peeping of a chick.  Running outside, I saw Sassy (Liam's cat) streaking across the yard holding a chick by the tail.  He went through the fence and out to the pasture near the goat pen.

Of course, I was barefoot (and we live in mesquite country) so I was running on tiptoes yelling at Sassy to drop the chick.  He ran under the truck and luckily kept going to the woodpile.  After I finally caught him, I had to choke him to let go of that bird!  While I held Sassy by the scruff of his neck, the chick ducked into the woodpile.

I locked Sassy and the other cats in the garage, then went out to help Liam with another  chick.  While I was chasing Sassy (with Liam laughing at me), he managed to catch the other escapee and hold him until I could open the cage for him.  After attempting to lure/dig/scare the chick out of the woodpile, we decided to let Ella Mae and her brood out to call the chick.

We locked the goats out of their pen, so they wouldn't disturb the returning chick.  Then we tried to get Ella and her chicks to make as much noise as possible as they were exploring the backyard.  Liam went out to watch for the peeping chick from a vantage point on a picnic table and reported on his progress.  The little chick actually crossed most of the goat pen and was closing in on the yard when Sassy came running around the yard fence and grabbed the chick again!  I thought I was going to kill that cat!  Evidently, he squeezed under the garage door.

I grabbed Sassy (I had shoes on this time) and he immediately spit out the chick.  The chick ran to the woodpile.  Aarghh!  I take Sassy and throw him into a chicken cage.  Liam was laughing at the whole chase and I was walking around muttering in disbelief and thinking murderous thoughts about a certain black and white cat.  I had told Sassy earlier that I was going to kill him and Liam wanted to know how we were going to do it!

After a couple of failed attempts to lure the poor chickie out using his mother, we ended up locking Ella and the brood back up in the chicken tractor.  I fixed the hole that had appeared under the edge of the cage.  Then Liam and I went inside hoping that the little chick would come out on his own.  It was 11:30am!  Over two hours of chasing fowl and feline and there was still a chick in the woodpile!

When we got home from my parents' house that afternoon, I was hoping, hoping that the chick would be waiting at his cage door.  I really didn't expect it, but miracles do happen!  Well, I went outside and there was the little guy waiting for me.  I opened the door and he hopped right in - thank goodness!

Oh, and I didn't leave Sassy locked in the chicken cage all day, though I was tempted!  I did relish seeing him continuously try to get out while the hen and her chicks wandered freely around the yard.