Yesterday we returned from what can be described as the best holiday we’ve ever had. We had gone camping in Dorset and attended a family wedding, and came back just before the skies dumped their rain clouds on the country.
This afternoon as we were looking out at the garden, Annette noticed an unusual shape on the ground between the caravan and the gate to the enclosure. Eagle was standing close to it watching it, and we quickly saw that it was a rat. At that point, Eagle noticed us and left the rat to come towards us, to be first in the queue for any offerings we might have for them.
Unexpectedly, the rat remained quite still – almost as though it was playing dead. It lay still for several minutes, and we were debating what to do next when one of the hens down by the compost bin spotted us through the window and made her way towards us. She walked past the rat motionless on the ground and stood by the door.
In order to generate more activity, Daniel opened the back door, and the rest of the hens came running towards him. The foot of one of the hens actually trod on the head of the rat, and she continued towards the door; however the rat made its first fatal error and twitched its head.
This movement caught the eye of one of the hens in the group expecting a treat from Daniel, and she pecked at it. Then the rat made its second fatal error and squeaked. This was enough for all four hens to attack it with a frenzy of feathers, beaks and claws, with the squeaking from the rat being enough only to indicate its participation in the kill – as prey rather than predator – and the growls and squawks from the hens to indicate theirs.
Annette was concerned that the rat might strike back and impart goodness knows what horrible disease in its bite, so Daniel went out and finished off the fight for the hens. There was a definite air of triumph among the girls, and the poultry equivalent of whooping and hollering when the rat lay dead beneath Daniel’s Dutch clog. He was almost being told off by them, as they were in control and there was no requirement from him to stop the fight, unbalanced in size and number though it might have been.
We disposed of the rat’s body, gave the hens a treat of sunflower seeds and grained corn, and delivered a new found respect and awe to our hens who had taken on a rat and won in such style and uncompromising execution.