Flyin’ the Coop

HUMOR I never thought doing a favor for a friend would put me in such a tight spot.

y husband and I live in the country, where we help out on the family farm, plant a huge garden every spring, raise chickens and cows, and grow grain on our little piece of paradise.

One summer day some friends asked for a favor. They’d be camping over the weekend and wondered if I’d check on their chickens. “No problem,” I said.

When I headed over to care for the birds, I expected no troubles. I entered the coop with a bucket of water and was greeted with clucks of interest.

I filled the waterer and looked for eggs in the nest boxes, finding none. As I turned around I saw the door had swung open and a chicken was attempting to escape. Moving fast, I shooed her away from the door. Thank goodness. I didn’t much feel like chasing a chicken around the yard.

Grabbing some feed, I went back into the coop and made sure the door closed properly behind me. The girls eyeballed me curiously as I filled their feeder.

Satisfied they were all fine, I decided it was time to go. I pushed on the door. It wouldn’t open. I pressed

Mharder, thinking it was stuck. Nothing. Perplexed, I stared at it until the reason came to me. The wooden latch on the other side must have fallen down. I put my whole weight against the door. Again, nothing. I kicked it. No luck. I finally admitted defeat.

“Should I call my husband?” I asked the chickens. They, of course, were no help.

I reached for the phone in my pocket and felt nothing. I‘d left it in the pickup. There were windows in the coop, but breaking them was a last resort.

That’s when I saw the poop-covered chicken door. “I guess that’s my best option,” I sighed. All of a sudden the chickens’ clucking sounded like laughter.

I crawled toward the chicken door and wiggled my way out, trying to stay as clean as possible. Luckily, I was able to squeeze through. Dusting myself off, I made sure everything was secure and headed home.

Later on, I told my hubby the embarrassing details. He tried to keep a straight face but failed, and so did our friends. At least now I can see not only the humor in it, but the fact that it’s the unexpected that keeps life interesting.