Last Night with the Chickens

Last night was one of those "I can't believe this is our life" moments. After dinner, Jim and I were settling in on the couch, ready to watch the Timbers, when we heard one of our roosters crowing on the front porch.

During the off-season, we've moved the chicken tractor closer to our house. We weren’t sure if this would be a good idea, but to our surprise, instead of being bothered by their early morning routines, we fell in love with having them right outside our home. Sometimes they run back and forth on the porch, or sit on the windowsill with our dog pressing his nose against the other side. Other times, they surprise us by peeking in the bathroom window while we're in the shower. They also run around outside our kitchen window like a pack of goofballs, making us laugh while we're on Zoom calls at the kitchen table.

So, a few days ago, when we moved the chicken tractor to another part of the farm, we knew we'd miss their daily shenanigans.

The problem is, they keep making the 500-foot trek back to the house during the day. At night, they either can't remember how to get home, or they just like it here. But sleeping on the front porch—or in the back of our vehicles—is not safe. Yesterday morning, we woke up to a rather large coyote under the nearby oak tree, waiting for breakfast as the chickens emerged. So last night, when the rooster crowed from the front step, we knew they needed help finding their way back home—because there was no doubt the coyote would be back.

We put our boots back on and grabbed some food, hoping to lure them to safety. It worked for about 50 feet… then they turned around and headed right back to the porch. So Jim and I each scooped up a chicken under each arm, walked them down to the chicken tractor, and tucked them in for the night.

After a few trips back and forth, we decided on a new strategy: Jim would hold the chickens on his lap in our Gator, and I would drive him back and forth until they were all inside.

The whole time, it was an absolutely gorgeous night. The moon was just a bright sliver, sitting next to an incredibly luminous Venus.

We got them all in before kickoff—and the Timbers won.

Our daughter ran into Diego Chará at PDX