Meet Scooty – an Amber Star Hybrid and, by all accounts, the most serene and sweet-tempered resident on the property. She was named by a devoted nephew who adored her from the moment she was a tiny, fuzzy chick.
Over the years, the kids and extended family have loved the flock and, admittedly, the delicious eggs that come with them. But if the family is being honest, no one has enjoyed the chickens quite as much as the husband. He could watch them for hours. And on one memorable occasion, he did.
The coop is fortress-grade. Fully coyote-proof, solidly built, and, as it turns out, escape-proof from the inside as well. The door swung shut behind him one afternoon while he was changing the water, and the latch caught. He was in there for four hours before his wife noticed anything was amiss – which only happened when she walked out to the patio to start grilling dinner and heard a faint but increasingly insistent yelling coming from the direction of the coop.
To his credit, he holds no grudge against the chickens. They were perfectly pleasant company. What he minded – and still mentions, occasionally – was that it took his wife four hours to notice he was gone.
There is now an interior release on the latch. Some upgrades, it turns out, are non-negotiable.
Do you have a Ranch animal with a story to tell – two legs or four, fur or feathered? Covenant Critters is the RSF Post’s newest column and we’d love to meet your crew. Send your photo and a few words to editor@rsfpost.com and watch for them in an upcoming edition.