Tilly, she's a great chook, sometimes!!

G'day. I love my one remaining chook, well most of the time anyway. Since the sad demise of her friend Molly, Tilly has been very subdued, not getting into any mischief and generally staying up near the chook house most days, but oh, how that's changed lately. For some time after the attack on Molly by the hawk, Tilly wouldn't come out of the hen house,or if she did it was only to peek outside and then run back in. It took some time for her to be game to run out into the paddock and when she did she would run from one bush to another,then run under a trailer, and then run behind the wood box. She was very scared to be in the open. But then she became gamer or as hubby said, maybe she just forgot about what happened to Molly. In any case she is now back to normal, with a twist. She would never try to fly across into the house yard, which was just a matter of her flying up onto a fence and then hopping down to feast on any number of gourmet delights that might have been lurking in the garden beds, so I never worried in that regard. Well, let me tell you, that has now changed. Within ten to fifteen minutes of being let out of the chook run she is over the fence and in the garden. I don't know how she does it because last week I got hubby to hold her while I clipped the feathers of one wing, which is suppose to stop her being able to fly up to get on the fence. She knows she is not suppose to be in the gardens and when I try to grab her she runs off and the chase is on. Usually she wins.Now if she didn't make such a mess I probably wouldn't mind, but she doesn't play by those rules. Those chooky feet of hers really go to town when she is scrounging, the roots of young, small plants have been exposed, mulch is flung out all over the place, the soft soil is dug up and flung around with her looking for worms or grubs and she has really learned the art of hide and seek, she hides I seek. This was a very timid docile chook that I could pick up at any time and handle with ease. I can still do these things, but not when she is in the house yard, she won't let me anywhere near her. I really don't know what has gotten into her. It must be quite comical to see me chasing a chook around the yard, even better value when hubby is in on the game as well, just as well we have no really close neighbours to see the spectacle. I have enquired about buying two young chooks so that she will have company, but they won't be available for a few weeks yet and just to be narky I am sure she will teach them at first opportunity to fly over the fence and sample the delights that await them.The lady who has bought our property is very happy to keep Tilly and her mates when she moves in. I don't think I will warn her of what she is letting herself in for. The above picture of Tilly was taken last week, in the house yard, yet again. Our only neighbour said she thinks Tilly's behaviour is her way to get back at me for letting her mate get killed. I wouldn't have thought a chook could think like that, but now I am not so sure. Oh well, it's time to let my one smart chook out of her run and time for me to be prepared for more fun and games. Take care...