One day early last spring, I was taking a walk in my neighborhood. When I looked down a nearby alley, I was surprised to see some chickens. I don’t remember if they were roosters or hens. I’ve never seen any chickens running free around here before. Recently, however, I have heard a rooster crowing many times, mostly in the evening.

A few days ago, I asked a neighbor for some help. While he was at my house, he looked out the window and noticed a hen walking down the driveway on the south side of my house. I’ve lived here since 1973 and this was the first time I’ve see a chicken walking through my yard.

After the neighbor left, I looked out the windows on two sides of my house, hoping to get another glimpse of the hen. I was surprised to see both a hen and a rooster in my front yard. Then, I noticed a second hen. I rushed to get my phone so I could take some photos. I was able to get shots of two of them.

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Soon, two of the chickens crossed the street in front of my house.

A few seconds later, this is what I saw!

I had one more surprise in store. When I looked out the window, I was shocked to see a rat run across my garden and into the street. It went under a car and then from underneath that car to underneath a parked pick up truck. I hope to not see that kind of surprise again.

Later, I found out that the chickens belong to someone a street away from me.