Why We Need an Assault Rifle

A couple of weeks ago when it was really hot and I had the air on and the windows closed so I couldn't hear, a few of coyotes drew our dogs off about a half mile away. Then, the rest of the pack went into one of our hen houses and pretty much decimated the flock. There were only a little more than 50 left out of around 125.

Last night, I heard them out in the corn field at about midnight, but the dogs ran them off. Then at about 2, I heard them again. This time the dogs didn't respond. They must have been tricked again. I threw on my shoes, grabbed a baseball bat and ran outside yelling at them.

I could hear them in the corn field. If I'd had a assault rifle with a night scope, I could have sprayed a few bullets out there and maybe convinced them that our chickens aren't a desirable late night snack.

I take the baseball bat just in case they should decide to attack me. As far as I know that's never happened in this area before, but I'd rather be prepared. Grampa Tom is always on my heels when I go chasing coyotes, but I hear better than him so I'm always the first one out.

My son came by this morning. I told him about my night. He was shaking his head at the image I painted in his mind about his dear old mom out there yelling at coyotes while swinging a baseball bat. Grampa Tom was laughing too. He told Jess, "You think you were scared when she came after you when you were little!"

OK, so I probably do look a little silly out there in the middle of the night in my night gown with my baseball bat.

City dwellers, please don't let people tell you there is no one out there who needs a military style rifle. That is just wrong.

And to our wonderful Macomb customers who just started to get our eggs again, we feel just awful. We just can't justify spending the gas money to run only a few dozen eggs clear out there.

Sometimes farm life sucks,  but we know there is a huge market out there for our eggs. We will keep trying. We bought some chicks back in April that should start laying in a few more months, and we bought another batch of chicks a couple of weeks ago that will help. $2,000 worth of electric fence would solve the situation, but we don't have that. Once the weather cools down, we can put the water and feeders back into the hen houses and totally lock them up at night. We've got them shut into the inner lots at night now. They are really pretty secure, but I'm nervous.

In the meantime, if you are out my way in the middle of the night, don't be surprised to find a crazed old woman running around outside with a baseball bat screaming her head off :)


God Bless You All!

~Grama Sue