Captain, we are taking on water

My chickens called me yesterday afternoon on the cluck line.  (I told you they were spoiled!)  I heard from a frantic bird,  “Captain, Captain, mayday mayday, we are taking on water.  What are we to do??!!”  I told them I would be right out.  I pulled on my rubber boots and wool coat and headed out to the front yard.  There I quickly found myself ankle deep in water, and realized there is a hole in my boot.  “This is not good.”  I said and the chickens whole heartily agreed as they themselves were knee deep in water.  Bet you didn’t know Chickens had knees, huh?  

I was smart enough to grab the ice chopper and a square bottomed shovel to take with me to the coop.  I commenced to chipping and carving a trough for the water to flow away from the coop.  As I chopped and hammered at the ice and frozen ground the soggy crazed chickens panicked and ran to and fro inside the coop.  Chip the rooster was especially high strung and clucking and crowing feverishly.  

  

Outside I was quickly becoming a mess myself.  I failed to grab a scrunchie before leaving the house and my long hair was seriously getting in the way.  Then my nose started running with every blow I made to the frozen ground.  Soon I was snuffling with all my might to prevent snotcicles from running everywhere.  Finally my dear husband showed up on the 4 wheeler and he called our son to rush me out some tissues.  I should have had him bring a scrunchie also, but I was gratefully happy for the tissues.  

  

Dear husband started to plow the water away from the coop along the trough I had chipped out.  It was working until the water hit a high spot in the yard and started to flow back to the coop.  Husband then got the bright idea to spin the 4 wheeler’s tires with the chains on to carve the toughs better and quicker than I chip them.  He proceeded to do just that and commenced to make a mess!  He had rooster tails of mud, ice, water, and chicken poop everywhere!  It did carve the flow lines much quicker and we got most of the water diverted from the coop.  

  

Several hours later the water was diverted for the most part.  I think I soaked most of it up in my boot.  The chickens cheered for us and were happy again.  We saved the Chicken’s day and life resumed back to normal, as I hobbled back to the house with a boot full of water, and very sore back and shoulders.  Oh what I do for my chickies.