The Surprise in the Chicken House

Living with animals leaves me scratching my head -- and it's not because of fleas.

While training Raven, the Border collie, in the five-acre pasture, I thought nothing of the bleats and cries from the lambs left at the barn. My work group of sheep included a ewe whose five-month old lamb was back at the barn.

But we'd only been in the field for ten minutes. Five-month-old lambs don't cry that loudly for their mothers after a short time.

The crying continued after I returned the work sheep to the flock.

I investigated.

The sound was not coming from the sheep barn. It was coming from the hen house.

The hatch door, usually open during daylight hours, was closed.

I walked inside to find two lambs and Trick the Cat.

There were no hens in sight.