bye bye betty bigbottom?

it seems that betty bigbottom has gone on an adventure. she's not been seen in her coop for over a day now. it's even possible she's been gone since friday (it's monday as i write) - on Saturday I was out all day, and when i went to hang with the chooks on sunday, betty was not there. just alice palace, looking very lonely, but not particularly aware that anything was going on, you know, just pecking around like a chicken. last night, though, she looked so lonely, perched on her bed all alone. betty and alice usually cuddle up together. i suspect alice was chilly without her hotty.

over the last month or so, betty had been getting onto the roof of their coop. i wasn't sure how she got up there - there was a chair in the coop, and i thought maybe she used that, so i removed it. i also clipped their wings (well looked up my chook book and cut feathers according to what it said). and i fenced all the vegie areas of the garden so that i could let them out more often (hoping that would curb her needing-to-get-out-and-about tendencies). but all to no avail. she still kept adventuring. what about alice? well she followed betty.

so, when i discovered that betty was missing (sunday morning), i checked over the fence in the neighbours' yards (no luck), and called to her, and listened. i could hear a chook in the distance, and alice was definitely communicating with a chook. but alas, i discovered that the people who have just moved in two doors down have four chooks and i'm sure that's what i could hear.

a chook has got loose before (i think it was betty that time too!) and jan and i went door knocking to all our neighbours, so i'm assuming that if any of them had found a chook (or an extra chook), they would've said something.

i dreamt last night that betty came home. i'm still hoping. that's what happened last time - one morning (ok, well the very next morning), she was there, she was just back.

she's a plucky one, betty. she has a big bottom, a big fluffy, white bottom. she doesn't like being held and she doesn't communicate much, she just wants to peck on the ground and explore new things. but if you see her, send her home. alice and i miss her.