Lightening flashed and thunder crashed and the rain came down in buckets.  The ear-splitting thunder sent the cats into hiding and the chicks piled up on top of each other trying to escape the tempest.  I ran out to the barn to close the door and find something for the chicks to hide under.  I found half of an old dog kennel and threw it on the floor of the chick pen with the opening away from the outside.  The chicks couldn't get under it fast enough.  I got soaked to the skin on my way back to the house.  Buddy, the "I-never-want-to come-in-the-house" dog was nearly barging in the door to get away from the storm's wrath.  The buck goats huddled together in their small shelter, head-butting and dominance issues put aside in favor of a dry spot and comfort.  Alpacas huddled together too, their differences forgotten.  The turkeys, well, turkeys aren't very bright.  The three Royal Palms (black and white birds) had figured out how to get to their new pen so they were huddled in the shelter in that pen.  The Bourbon Reds, which are brown, were trying to get through the fence to get with their buddies and failed to even figure out that they could still go inside out of the downpour.  This was Saturday afternoon.

Since then we have had bad storms all around us every afternoon, but we have not gotten a direct hit as on Saturday.  Doesn't mean it wasn't exciting around here just the same.  On Sunday night the turkeys, all in their new pen now, decided to roost on the fence and in the tree overhanging the pen.  At about 8pm, I was on the phone and Buddy and Lux started going nuts.  They had something cornered by the garage but I couldn't see what it was.  I yelled for my daughter to help, got off the phone and went after the dogs.  They were after one of the turkeys who had gotten out of the new pen all together!  We all had a merry chase, we did!  The dogs finally treed the turkey in one of the bushes in the yard.  I never heard such a hideous noise! The turkey was actually hissing at the crazy dogs!  Buddy was just trying to keep the bird from escaping but I wasn't sure about Lux.  She is part Border Collie so maybe she was just trying to corral the bird too but we put her in the house just the same.  Then I slowly and cautiously reached into the stickery bush and wrapped my hands gently around the panicked bird's wings.  When I had a good hold on him, I pulled him close to my body and he seemed to relax and just let me put him back into the old pen. He did not seem any the worse for wear and the chasing. 

One of the Bourbon Reds was now in the goat pen.  We couldn't really see her because it was dark but we could hear her calling to the other birds.  I decided that the three in the new pen needed to be put back in the old pen too or they would be out again before the night was over.  I went into the pen and tried to encourage them back to the old pen through the door.  Of course, I didn't get much cooperation.  I had to grab each one and force then back inside.  By that time, the hen in the goat pen had returned to the fence.  I figured she was going to try to get back in with the rest of the flock so I waited to see what she would do.  She jumped back up on the fence and started stretching her neck looking for a way back in.  So I went out and encouraged her into the new pen.  Once she was back in there, I went inside and put her back in the old pen with the rest of them.  I left them all in the old pen.  I think they stay there because it has a roof of sorts and they figure they cannot escape and roost in the tree.  It struck me as paradoxical, this little incident.  Here I am chasing turkeys so they will stay in their pen and be safe from dogs and other predators when all the time my intention is to slaughter them for our Thanksgiving dinner!