Deer in the Hen Yard

The photo on the right was taken through the kitchen window screen. The chicken run is covered by brown, green and blue tarps, the eglu is covered by the silver quilted insulation material. One buck and one doe are standing left of the eglu; the other buck is on the right with his white butt showing. Two chickie girls (one red, one black) can be seen in the upper center of photo on right.

The hen scratch made of corn, millet and other grains which I scatter on the ground must have attracted the deer. There was less than a ½ cup of it remaining after the hens pecked at it earlier. Until now the remnants of grain have only interested the squirrels and LBBs and LGBs, (Little Brown Birds and Little Gray Birds).

Queen B sounded her alarm 'sqwaaaak' and I went flying to the kitchen window. Queen B and Arriauna were in the far corner of their yard as three deer stood in the middle of the yard. One doe and 2 bucks were staring at the chickens in puzzlement. In the 3 seconds it took me to get to the backdoor, all the hens were outside the fence leaving the deer to stare at me. The deer were not afraid as I photographed them. I suggested they leave because this was a yard for chickens. Well, OK, they seemed to say as they sauntered to the 3 foot high wire fence. They paused, then turned slightly and leaped over it. In no apparent hurry to go elsewhere, they meandered through the yard, nibbling and sniffing as they went. I looked around to see what the hens were doing…afraid they had run for the hills, but like the sweet shortterm-memory gals they are, they were busy scratching for bugs under a bush, having forgotten why they had jumped the fence. Clinking a dish of Basmati rice with a spoon, brought the girls running back into the deer-free pen and all was back to normal.