There is a glass egg that I use sometimes in the chicken nest boxes if they need a little help figuring out where to lay their own eggs. A "dummy egg" in the nest will inspire a hen to put her eggs there too. There is one pen of birds which has been continually laying eggs in their feeder. So two days ago I put the glass egg in their nest box. This glass egg came from my great aunt, it was "vintage."
Yesterday they laid two eggs in the nest box. Yay!
Last night night, in the moment of being almost asleep, I suddenly realized that I should have seen THREE eggs in the nest box that afternoon... one glass and two real. I couldn't remember if I had. This bothered me.
I checked first thing this morning, and indeed the nest box was empty. Perhaps I'd left it in the other coop and not brought it over at all... No, that was not the case. Perhaps I set it down somewhere and never put it in the nest box. No. I was sure I put it in the nest box. But it was gone.
In the other corner of the pen, directly across from the opening of the nest box, was a rat hole (as I mentioned, it's like the plague out here right now, this mortifies me). Hmmm.... Methinks the rat stole the glass egg.
So after getting back from breakfast with friends, while my neighbor was over here visiting, I set out to dig for the egg. I dug, and dug, and dug. I dug up feet of tunnels, but never found it. It must have gone down a tunnel I never found. And while digging, my neighbor's 4-year old son kept telling me to put my gloves on, because my hands were getting dirty. A little dirt doesn't bother me, I said. Well I should have listened to him, because suddenly out popped a big rat, and I'm not dumb enough to grab them without gloves on. And I sure wasn't expecting it to be there. So, I missed that one AGAIN. Arg! I think that was the third time I've missed that one.
Luckily Angus and I made an excellent team and were able to reduce the rat population by one in another pen a few minutes later.
I am bothered that the glass egg is gone. Strange, very strange.
Yes, my life is weird. It's okay.
Now you have a vintage glass egg stealing rat problem. Much harder and longer to pronounce than just rat. -BMc
ReplyDeleteWas Jack there when the rat jumped out? I'm sure that would have been an exciting time for a 4 year old. I'm glad Angus has become a rat terrier.
ReplyDeleteBMc, I know, it's problem with a long name.
ReplyDeleteJan, yes Jack was there. Suzie screamed, I said a few unsavory words because I was gloveless and weaponless... This morning apparently Jack asked to go rat hunting again, and Suzie asked what his favorite part of yesterday was... rat hunting or school, and he said "RAT HUNTING!"
Angus is a beast. I actually caught it, and grabbed it out of my hand! He's a little too excited. I think we're going to have to have some very serious discussions about the chicks this year.... Let's hope he can differentiate one little critter from another like Jessie and Nellie could.
I remember that glass egg! Sigh - I can hardly imagine what a rat might do with a glass egg, or, for that matter, how it would carry it. I seem to remember it was pretty heavy. Hmm - very mysterious.
ReplyDeleteI just keep remembering the scene from Charlotte's Web where Templeton the rat has this GIANT underground burrow with all sorts of stuff in it. The egg is heavy, it's solid glass! Mom still has the one that's been in the sewing drawer forever, this one came from Auntie Lulu with a bunch of other sewing stuff after she passed away.
ReplyDeleteStupid rat musta just rolled it on down the hole!