![\"Giselle](\"http:\/\/www.charmedlife.co.nz\/cowboybootsandbrokenfingers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Giselle1-2015-09-16-92.jpg\")
<\/a>Giselle surveys her domain<\/p><\/div>\n
You will recall (if you’ve been following along, which\u00a0I do hope\u00a0you have) that we\u00a0inherited Giselle<\/a> from\u00a0the property’s previous owners. They had been running\u00a0a small flock\u00a0of guinea fowl, and\u00a0on the day we took possession they were catching, wing clipping, and popping them into cages to transport to their new property. Somehow Giselle made her escape and went on the lam<\/a>.<\/p>\n After a short chase the departing fowl fancier said we had better keep her, and was happy\u00a0to hear that\u00a0she would have our\u00a0chicken flock for company.<\/p>\n Our chooks duly arrived and were\u00a0secured in the chicken run.\u00a0At this stage Giselle was outside their\u00a0enclosure,\u00a0spending a lot of time scooting\u00a0around in frantic circles trying to get in, but too scared of humans\u00a0to make it through the gate when\u00a0we held it open. Eventually she would charge\u00a0through in full panic mode, only to then run in frantic circles wanting to get out.\u00a0As Judge Judy<\/a> would say “mark that one down as NS – Not Smart”.<\/p>\n Giselle\u00a0became an escape artist. We had no idea how she got in and out of the run until one day the Forbearing Husband saw her fly up onto the gate, which is\u00a0a bit over a metre high. Guinea fowl look about as likely to fly as bumble bees, but clearly we had underestimated the dear Giselle. She would turn up in the coop at feeding time, and leave on a whim.<\/p>\n Then she fell in love. The object of her affections is our rooster Ghost Dog, and I must say he is a worthy beau. No hen goes hungry or gets caught in the rain on Ghost Dog’s watch. He eats last, and calls the ladies under cover during showers.<\/p>\n Ghost Dog: the gentleman rooster<\/p><\/div>\n Giselle,\u00a0bless her, follows right behind him in the manner of an adoring handmaiden,\u00a0and rarely\u00a0strays from the chicken run while he is there. She draws the line at sleeping with him though and roosts alone in\u00a0the\u00a0macrocarpa\u00a0shelter belt adjoining the chicken yard. Even a besotted guinea hen has her moral standards to uphold y’know!<\/p>\n To be continued soon in Giselle,\u00a0Chapter Two:\u00a0Peril and Rescue<\/em> …<\/p>\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A few weeks ago\u00a0one of the\u00a0loyal readership (I think there are roughly 5 of you!) was chatting to me in the corridor at work and\u00a0asked very politely whether I could please write a post about Giselle the\u00a0guinea fowl. Since then… Continue Reading <\/a>