Every night, as soon as it starts getting dark, the chickens know they need to get back to their coop to roost. I have no idea how they know this. It's just they way God made them. Even if they have been free-ranging all day long, they still come back to their yard. If a chicken escapes the pen and doesn't get put back in before dark, she will roost under the coop-as close to the door as possible. This is when I have to get a long stick and prod her out to where I can reach her. She is always very sleepy and confused when I shove her in the door. Once we accidentally locked them all out of the coop and I had to shove 30 sleepy confused chickens in their door. I think they slept piled on top of each other all night.
Tonight, D and I went out together to close the chickens without a flashlight or a dog. It was very spooky. D was uncertain because it was dark, so I talked to him as we walked. I couldn't see where I was going and I had to just trust my instincts... just like the chickens do. I had to find my way to the coop and back by remembering where the compost container, fences, fruit trees, old tree stumps, and random toys and tools where. I chatted with D that he had no idea where I was going, but he could trust me to get him back to the house safely. And then I had my profound thought (or was it God speaking directly to me?). I just have to trust God will guide me on my path, and even though I have no idea where I'm going, He does and He will get me to where I need to be, even though I'm sometimes spooked (uncertain?) along the way.
And that was when the domestic cat jumped out of the shadows and scared me!
