The bear, the chickens and ME!

Checking out the door

Trying to get in the door

Guess I just have to watch them since I can't get in with them!

 Hi Josie,

Grandma Bobby told me that last spring a bear got into the chicken tractor.  Do you remember going down to see the chickens in the chicken tractor when you visited Grandma Bobby and Grandpa Larry?  You were not even 2 years old and I did not live here then.  -

Bears sleep all winter and when they wake up in the spring they are very very hungry.  I would be too if I had not eaten anything all winter!  Grandma Bobby said she visited you last spring just after your sister Hadley was born.  You saw a bear looking in your door.  I bet the bear was looking for some food.

One night last spring Grandma Bobby heard a giant commotion down in her field.  Chickens were cluckcluckcluking and bokbokboking and squawksquawksquawking so loudly they woke her up.  She got a flashlight and went to see what was the matter with those loud chickens.  Their door was open (the one you see me looking in in the pictures).  Grandma Bobby thought maybe a raccoon had figured out how to open the door and had gotten in to eat some of their food.  So she closed the door and put on the second lock and went back up the field, into the house and back to bed.  Next morning she saw that yes - something had gotten into the chickens food.  Something had gotten in and ripped the chicken's food dish right off their wall and taken it right out.  Food was everywhere.  It was easy to follow the trail of chicken food across the field and just into the woods where the empty chicken food dish lay.  Grandma Bobby knew it had to have been a hungry bear.  A raccoon would not be big or strong enough to rip off the dish which was nailed to the wall and to the floor of the chicken tractor.

When Grandma Bobby told me about the bear getting into the chicken tractor I thought I would like to try to get in there too.  I sometimes visit the chickens, but usually I just sit on the ground and watch them.  Just like you did when you visited the chickens with your Mom and Grandma Bobby.  I climbed up on top of the chicken tractor - well you have the picture, you can see me there.  And I tried to get the door open, but I guess I am not as strong as a bear because I could not open it.  So I climbed down and watched the chickens for a while.

The chickens don't really like when I come to watch them.  They bok bok, cluck cluck and squawk squawk.  

I can't understand why the chickens do that when I visit?  Can you?  I think I will go find a place to lay down and think about it.

Off for another cat nap

Love from Fenway (your family's Maine Coon Cat)