Text: Ark of the Desert
Figure: From the network
In the night when everything was silent and five fingers were missing, the peasant family who had worked hard for a day was suddenly awakened by the terrible screams of the chickens in a sweet sleep.
That's a weasel stealing a chicken! The chickens are in danger and emit "whoosh, whoosh... The scream of "clucking, clucking" is accompanied by the struggle and dragging sound of "fluttering and la-la-la".
The terrible scream was eerie, and the owner of the chicken, like a warrior, encountered an enemy, and his first reaction was to shout and quickly attack to chase after the "thief". The child heard this and was so frightened that he shrank into the bed and covered his head.
In the 1970s and 1980s, almost every farmer raised chickens, from a dozen to a few as six or seven. Because at that time, the rural people's families lacked materials, and the family raised a few chickens, and eggs were supplements for the elderly and children. You can also sell eggs for oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, needles and threads, and the hen is the family's small vault.
The rooster is the clock in the house, and the farmer knows the approximate time of the night based on the sound of the chicken. There were distinguished guests in the house, and killing a rooster to entertain them seemed very faceless. So farmers spend a lot of effort to raise chickens.
Farmers raise chickens, when the chickens are small, they put them in baskets to feed and feed water, and at night, they bring the chicken baskets into the house, cover them tightly, and then press them with stones or benches to prevent cats from stealing. During the day, I also always pay attention to care for fear of accidents.
When the chickens are almost a pound old, the owner of the chickens builds a chicken nest for the chickens against the wall in the yard. Find bricks and tiles, live mud and start working. The chicken coop doesn't need to look good, as long as it doesn't leave a gap for the weasel to drill into.
The chicken coop left a door, and at first the chickens had to be driven into the nest every evening. After a week or so of training, they know that they are automatically entering the nest. When the chickens are all in the nest, block the door with a large brick or stone.
The next morning, when the chicken coop door is opened, the lively chickens start a new life of the day with great enthusiasm. The rooster walks in a square step and cries with her head held high, and the hen takes a leisurely walk in the courtyard.
When everything is negligent, I don't know which day you are so caught up in trivial matters that you forget to block the door of the chicken coop, and you will suffer now. The weasel will take advantage of the void and pull away your hard-earned chickens.
Weasels live in the fields in the summer and occasionally sneak into the village to commit crimes. In winter, when the ground is clear and the wilderness is unobstructed, the weasels have no hiding place. Straw, corn straw piles, and wheat straw stacks in the village have become the habitat of weasels.
The distance between the weasel and the chickens is closer, and there are more opportunities to wait for the opportunity to commit crimes. Not to mention the short days and long nights in winter, because of the cold weather, people often go to bed early. The weasel either opens the door of the chicken coop to steal the chicken, or takes a roundabout approach, digging holes to steal the chicken. Its claws are sharp, and it is good at using tunnels to commit crimes, which makes people invincible.
In the summer, when you encounter a weasel stealing a chicken, you can get up and chase it. But on cold winter nights, people who are awakened often rush out without time to put on their cotton jackets.
When you rush out the door and come to the chicken nest, you will see that either the chicken nest door is wide open or there is a hole in the side of the chicken nest. Bring a lamp or take a flashlight to take a picture, and sure enough, there is one chicken missing. This shows that the weasel has already won the hand, carrying its "booty" to hide and enjoy the delicacy.
You reseal the chicken coop door and go back to bed, so upset and chagrin that you can't sleep for a long time. What's more, weasels also have the possibility of making a comeback, and it is not uncommon to encounter two weasels stealing chickens in one night. I've experienced this twice.
Now it is rare to see a weasel, and it is rare to hear rumors of a weasel stealing a chicken. First, because in previous years, people used a variety of methods such as clamps and nets to trap weasels, so that their numbers were rapidly reduced and they were on the verge of extinction. Second, there are almost no more free-range chicken farmers in rural areas, and most of them are large-scale chicken breeding. The chances of weasels stealing chickens drop to almost zero.