Chicken troubles and other events

I have lost some chickens to predators recently and so the chickens have been relegated to the coop runs. I still have the younger hens separated from the older girls and roos waiting for the move to the remodeled “old” coop. I also need to get some fencing done to keep them out of the garden before I let them free range. I better get it done soon, though, because the hoppers are getting thick.
All of that is background to a couple of escapes that happened in the last couple of weeks. The younger hens are beginning to want to stretch their wings and get out of their run. One day I had the weedeater out there and it spooked them. They managed to push the gate open and some of them got out. It was late afternoon and there was nothing I could do but coax the rest into the house, open the gate and hope they figured it out.
I have figured out the perfect coaxing treat, freeze dried mealworms. They love them. I grab a small cup of them in the evening and it makes it easy to get them into the house where they are safe. Normally it has to be almost fully dark before they are ready to go in. The treats make it so I can get them earlier.
But I regress, back to the escaped hens. I went back out later and a few of them were in the run, but not all. Scotchy to the rescue. She showed me where they were and even helped me herd some of them in the door. Very soon all were present and accounted for. Actually I have one roo that could go away and I wouldn’t mind. He is a beautiful blue Andalusion rooster, but the minute I walk into the coop, he crows, very loudly, since the coop isn’t very large it is pretty ear shocking and it happens every single time.
Several days later, a hen ran out in the morning as I opened the door to go in. Sigh! Here we go again. At least this time it was only one. I pushed the inside crew outside and shut the door. Then with Scotchy’s help, we got that little hussy back in where she belonged.
Then yesterday morning when I went out, there was what looked like fresh chicken droppings on the step by the coop. I looked around kind of befuddled. I knew that I had counted and everyone was in the night before. I couldn’t figure out where the poop came from. Then all of a sudden I heard a rooster pheasant cackling just down the hill from the coop.
Aha! Mystery solved. He has hung around that area for some time and apparently is picking up scraps of scratch that gets drug out of the coop by the door. I guess I better just throw him some scratch out where he can find it.
Next project after the garden is in will be the fence and the bigger coop. And I will probably just make soup out of the rooster.
Unless anyone wants a really beautiful rooster.

Chicken Curry Salad
3 cups cooked chicken, in large pieces.
3 cups cooked rice
2 cups cooked peas
2 cups slivered celery
½ cup chutney
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¾ cup French Dressing
½-1 teaspoon curry powder
Salad greens
Combine all ingredients but the greens. Toss and chill. Serve on a bed of greens.