Tuesday, April 13, 2010

a weasel in the hen house

With the chicken "spa" nearing completion, we decided to move Boose in.These were her digs when we first brought her home two years ago, so it is familiar territory. She seems much happier. No more pesky Kermit (her adopted brother who stayed back in the shop) and some windows to look out.
She doesn't even seem to notice the chickens and they don't notice her. Her job is to keep the hen house free of vermin. We don't want anything harming the birds or stealing their eggs.Boose has already proven her worth as a world class mouser, but on her first night back in the blue shed she scored some big points. When I came out to light the fire in the morning, this was right in the doorway.A weasel! I won't show close-ups because no one wants to see that, but this pic shows his size (Art's foot is for scale). Now a weasel is not so bad to have around because they, too, kill mice, but they are not good around chickens. They will kill the chicks and steal the eggs. So, they're not allowed to stay. Turns out those doggies really were on to something, sticking their noses through that hole. They could smell this guy big time. Cleo was particularly obsessive. After Art threw the dead weasel onto the shed roof (for the birds to take), Cleo went around and around for hours trying to find a way up there. Xena just went on with her day, but not Cleo.

So, Boose has earned her keep yet again. She definitely deserves this cushy bed in a sunny window.