Chicken Licken'

I've written about this before, but yet again I share with you about my dog's hankering for chicken.  The live, squawking, bwacking, egg laying type housed in my chicken coop.  That is...once live.  He didn't get them all, but did do some damage on two and a half.  The story about the 'half' part is, she was   alive but I think she was in shock or had a heart attack-or both. There wasn't a mark on her, and all digits and neck were present and accounted for.  Although, she was sort of shaking...not a little but a lot.  So it seemed to be an impressive and obvious bad sign.  Then the next morning when I checked on her, she'd gone to the big hen house in the sky to lay the ultimate golden eggs.  With that, however, it angered me some what greatly.

My mission began, teach 'em rat dogs a lesson.  You can't beat them, that's not right or effective.  You can't do the 'old hang the chicken around their neck', they'll just want more.  I'm not going to get rid of them over a couple chickens, because they're sweet little dogs and actually help me with my ewes.  So I decided I needed to scare the chicken licken' cravings out of them.  "How does one do that?"  I say to myself.  None other than...fireworks.  Black cats to be exact.  They're terrified of gun shot sounds, and I knew I had to act fast upon finding the remnants of one particular chicken.  Running instinctively to their kennel, they knew they were in trouble.  And I ran directly to the shop where we had some left over fireworks.  Promptly grabbed a metal bucket and fire starter, and away I went. 

It took me all of a few minutes to line up the multiple packets of 100 black cats and light away.  I forgot how fast they fizzle and start popping.  So my kids got a great spectators view from the house of me leaping out of the way onto a snow bank, backwards with arms flailing.  But it worked!  Dogs jumped into their house, and didn't show their chicken licken' lips until the next day.  (They were fine, just scared. No permanent damage, and they had plenty of food and water).  They sure don't go close to the chicken coop anymore....time will tell.  But for the meanwhile all my hens are alive, well and laying some yummy big eggs.