Chicken or Falcon?

One of my friends raises chickens in her backyard. Recently, 3 of her chickens have started flying the coop. They fly over the 6-foot fence and then walk around right outside the fence, where they get chased by the family dog. Several times a day, my friend goes out there and walks them back in to the fenced enclosure. She says it’s just a matter of days before either the dogs get them or they end up as her family’s dinner!

Why these same three chickens keep flying out is a mystery to me. They are all the same breed, so they must do it because they are able to fly better than the others. They get into trouble because they can? I wonder if the other chickens are content to stay in the enclosure. Do they envy the flying chickens? Or do they shake their heads at these comrades who keep getting chased by dogs outside the coop? How come these chickens only fly out, but can’t seem to figure out how to fly back in?
 
I can identify with the non-flying chickens. I’m content to stay in my home and stick to my familiar routine. I avoid trying new things that feel risky.

Yet, deep inside, I have this nagging feeling that I am not really a chicken, but a falcon. I’ve always admired these petite, intelligent birds for their ability to change directions quickly, while flying at high speeds. These birds are highly trainable, and their extraordinary vision has made them useful to humans as hunting companions. Falcons can be tamed, but they are never domesticated to the extent that chickens are. Falcons always retain a sense that they are meant to soar in the highest heavens, unlike chickens who are content to merely scratch the surface of the earth.
 
If I’m meant to soar, I’d rather be a falcon than an eagle. Eagles may be big, strong, independent, and courageous. However, they are untamable, un-trainable, and rarely submit to others. I don’t want to be a flying chicken that gets eaten. I don’t want to be a wild, fiercely independent eagle. I want to be a like a falcon--trainable, tamable, useful, sharp-sighted, intelligent, able to maneuver turns efficiently, comfortable in the high places, yet able to dive down to earth effortlessly.