Protecting His Flock

My brother shot his first gun at the ripe old age of four.  He had been taught how to load, aim, and fire though since he could hold a cap gun.  His favorite movies starred John Wayne and to this day he has never truly liked a movie that has any less than 2 explosions.  He has grown up surrounded by guns.

The other night, I was startled awake when I heard my brother pounding up the stairs hollering “Get my gun!” Now naturally, this made me wake up pretty quickly. Jumping out of bed and throwing open the door I frantically asked him what was wrong as he rushed past me and into his own room.  In my head I’m thinking: robber? Murderer? Good gosh, we’re going down.  

“There’s a ‘coon in the chicken pen!” he yelled back down the hall excitedly. I heard the rapid click click click as he dropped bullets into his .22 rifle. “He’s already killed one of them!” Raccoons were the most dangerous predator to our cooped chickens, since they are clever and can find almost any available way to enter a coop.

I was expecting him to rush back down the stairs, but instead he held his gun with two hands, and swiftly, yet purposefully and firmly walked down. I followed him, because I was already awake and besides, if he missed, I wasn’t going to let him hear the end of it. It was my duty as his sister.  I watched my dad shine a light or “spotlight” the raccoon, which almost immediately became entranced, and stared back at the light. Lakey, having gotten outside, abruptly stopped, raised his gun, and fired.  

I then watched my brother calmly walk over to the raccoon, and remove it from the chicken pen.  There was no more fuss, no more shouts, no rushing. Lakey had done his duty, protecting his helpless, penned chickens, and now all was well.

One thing I most love about the country is the sense of security that it brings. If my brother would so valiantly protect a flock of chickens- chickens- how much more would he and my dad protect our own family in a time of need? My brother had taken out a small rodent (the average weighs between 12 and 20 pounds) from across the lawn that was surrounded by his chickens. He didn’t hit any of his chickens, and in fact, hit the raccoon squarely in the head.  He could much more easily take out a bigger, more dangerous target! He got incredibly defensive over stupid animals, and I know how much more courageously he and the other guys in my family would defend us.  It sure helped me sleep easier after I got back to bed that night.

“Raccoon-Chicken Predators- How to Protect Your Chickens From Coons.” 9/12/13. http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/raccoon-chicken-predators-how-to-protect-your-chickens-from-coons

Cooper, Diana. “Interesting Raccoon Facts.” 9/12/13. http://www.brighthub.com/environment/science-environmental/articles/48196.aspx