Breaking Out of the Pen  
 
The rooster running the compound in back of us may be tough on the roost, but he’s punctual and unwilling to surrender. Of course, warding off chaos has never been easy.

For whatever reason, whether fed up or hungry, a determined hen decided to widen the gap under the fence. Maybe she pictured eating well or breaking out of the pen, escaping the autocracy or incorrigible pecking order. When the hole was ready, she dove under and made a run for it.

It may have been political, since others who’d had her back followed quickly. Up close, these chickens weren’t in bad shape, and didn’t look afraid. Nearly as tall as young kids in the neighbourhood, they looked at us, adjusting their binoculars, a camera crew in the yard, preparing to film the documentary.

A moment later, they were off like ostriches, racing to perimeters and back, calculating measurements, before sprinting north through the next yard then across the road, whistling off in a frenzy, as if no one could see them and no one would know.
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