Lumi did really well at the vet yesterday, she was far less of a handful than Agnes & Ripley ever were. She wasn't too scared being away from the other two, who apparently cried out the entire time we were gone with Lumi.
When it was just A&R, the other always came to keep the sick one company, but it just seemed ridiculous to bring three chickens to the vet when only one was sick. We thought leaving two behind would keep them calm, and that the sick chicken would be kept company by us, problem solved. Apparently not. Maybe they'll be calmer when we go next Thursday. I must say that if she had to get sick, I couldn't be gladder it was after she trusted us, I can't even imagine how horrific it would have been if it was while she still didn't like us.
The vet didn't find anything particularly worrying, but respiratory problems in birds can escalate quickly. She'll be on one week of antibiotics and a few days of anti-inflammatories to make sure nothing gets caught in her airway. If this doesn't work then they might try and put a probe down her throat to see what's going on, I really, really hope it doesn't come to that.
On a happier note, we let all the chickens out into the main yard for a supervised adventure yesterday morning. Lumi had crawled under the mesh before we'd even finished raising it. Harriet scurried under it once it was propped up, it was her first adventure outside the enclosure! She can't jump over the mesh like the other two can. Greta required seeds to bribe her under the mesh, and she didn't stop making her weird noise the entire time she was out, not sure why she was so wary, she's escaped many times before. Over half an hour they romped through the grass & clover and eventually onto the herbs, then they had to go back. Lumi spent the rest of the afternoon jumping over, and wriggling under the mesh. Greta jumped over on the last escape too. They are quite the handful.
I noticed Lumi outside (for about the fourth time) and went outside, picked her up, carried her through the shed and put her down. Though what I didn't realise what that I'd put her down right next to her escape point because within 1 second of touching the ground she was already worming her way under the fence again. I lost it, it was hilariously cute. We then pinned that section down too.
I just don't understand why they can't free range all the time. The enclosure isn't working, they have almost destroyed the grass in that area, and they annihilated the herb garden within the first two weeks. It would be much easier to fence off the special plants and vegetable garden like before. Then the chickens could do whatever they like, Robert's parents wouldn't get upset and yell at us about the chickens escaping, and we wouldn't have to run outside and "fix" the "problem". Everyone would be happy. The current situation is dumb.
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