I was moving the chickens from the barn into their coop when Darcy scratched me with his spur and made me bleed. This makes me like him more. I don’t really think it was on purpose, his resistance was half-hearted at best. But I appreciate that his spurs got some use. He got some use, even though I took him last, so he mostly watched as I took his ward, the ladies he’s meant to defend, and put them away one at a time. 

The thing that makes me feel worst, possibly, is that Shady’s left alone again in the barn each night. Maybe he likes the solitude, after all this time. 

Once I dig the fence my plan is to just gather them all up. They won’t be able to escape after that. Should I put shady in then, too? He clearly chooses his little handlebar hideout every single night, and has for a while. He’s safe enough up there and there’s already a mountain of poop, that damage has been done. 

I’m torn between wanting to give this very special chicken some degree of agency over his small life in my kingdom, and wanting him to be safe and kept with his friends. Him and his brother Sunny are the youngest chickens in the flock, I figure once our new crop of layers and meat birds come in later this spring, it’ll give him a chance to reintegrate into his fenced in life. 

I want to do right by this chicken, and all of them. 
I think it’s the least I can do. 
I’ve got to set a good example for Roby, after all.