Pages

Thursday, April 5, 2012

The return of a hen, and her re-disappearance, and a funny egg

I really need to get rid of 4 roosters - they are big and bold and taking out their hormonal angst upon my hens.  In particular, they've been targeting my two Rhode Island Red hens.  I'm not sure why they do this, but the RIR hens are losing far more feathers than the other hens and the other day, I noticed that one of them had her flanks completely torn open on both sides.  I inspected her wounds and she had really huge openings - about 1 inch or wider - on both sides, but the blood was dried and the skin was peeled away and I wasn't sure what to do.  I decided to let her try to heal on her own.  A couple of days later, she disappeared.  Just clean disappeared.  I searched high and low, but no sign of her.  I decided she'd been taken by a hawk or another predator or something similar.

It's been about a week since she disappeared, and today when I did the afternoon feeding, I did a double take when I looked at the flock running over to the feed grains.  She was back!  I went out immediately and looked her over.  Her wounds have healed a little, but not that well, and I still have my doubts as to whether she'll make it, but she was eating heartily and holding her own.  I had no idea where she had been, but she was back.

Just before dark, I went out to close up the coop.  Was she there?  No.  She'd disappeared again.  I searched yet again, but no sign of her.  Clearly, she has taken to sleeping elsewhere.  I don't know where, and I don't know why I have only seen her with the feeding group that one time today.  She must have made herself a little hiding place where she can heal without the roosters constantly hassling her.  I really must get them processed soon - it's just not fair to the hens.

Anyway, when I closed the coop and picked up the eggs, there was this funny little hiccup egg.

I've never seen one quite this shape before.  It's my first hiccup egg from my Nova Scotia hens.  Couldn't resist sharing the pictures.  I think I've got 5 or 6 hens laying now - one has just started laying these small white eggs recently - this is the third one so far.
 Such a cute little egg!
I have more to blog about, and I will write soon, but still finding it hard to find my writing muse.  Time heals all wounds.