What are you going to be for Halloween? We don’t “do” Halloween. But it looks as if some of our farm animals do. Especially our handicap hen Flo.
Flo is going as Elvira The Naked Chicken!
If you haven’t met Flo, she was injured as a Chick in transit. Her little neck was bent and her last encounter with a bad meany hen left her….well….a bit more scarred.
Since her last beating, she has not been able to grow feathers. She is terribly camera shy and wouldn’t cooperate for full disclosure of being Elvira The Naked Chicken…..but trust me. She is a sight to behold. Our dear Flo. Her entire breast is bare now! I’m thinkin of knittin her a little chicken sweater for this winter. She’s going to freeze her little bum off.
I only have 2 hens that actually know their names. Flo is one and Henrietta is the other. Both come running when I call them. And both are dear to my heart. My chicken heart.
When my barnyard became less organized and I had hens roosting in with the goats and cow I decided to allow all my hens to literally free range. And it was Henrietta who was the first to cross over! She found her way into the barnyard via the garden just to swap howdies!
All the other chickens hang out in roosting groups. The Roo has his little harem. Flo has her new pack of Reds. But then there’s Henrietta…she mingles with all the Coop Groups. She is impartial to chickens. She is the Social Event Planner.
Henrietta is the busy body of the barnyard. She looks intently and inspects all the eggs that are laid. When I gather them she is there stretching her chicken neck to see how many I’ve gathered and wondering if I’ve gotten enough and why I don’t leave a few for her to sit on and pretend. She is our Matron Of Hens!
I’m seriously not kidding. She will sit on eggs to pretend that she has laid them. I found her the other day in the barn sitting on another hens egg. She’s not broody, she’s just Henrietta! The other hen, appropriately called Red, was squawking and was literally throwing a hissy fit. But Henrietta just sat on Reds egg trying to convince me that after a year she finally laid an egg. Well, I’m not falling for it. She’s in Post Menopause like me. And I ain’t laying no eggs anymore and neither is she! Come on Henrietta. I wasn’t hatched out yesterday!
I got Henrietta from my sis, M. She was passed off to me as the B…BAD hen of the coop. So I ended up with her. But she has more personality than all hens on earth combined. And with a little love and affection, she’s not mean anymore…she’s reformed. Although she no longer contributes to the homestead…I suppose that could of been her 1 egg for the year….. she gets to hang around. Because when I pull in the driveway, she comes running to greet me. I’m not kiddin. She wants to know all about where I’ve been and what I’ve done. So I chat and she listens.
She follows me onto the stoop and into the Mud Room and wants to have a look into each package I’ve brought home.
You know you’re life is crazy when you start talking to chickens. Where are those chicken ears anyway???
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Henrietta, unbelievable. She was a real meanie while on our patch of green. That is hillarious she follows you in the house. Don’t let Honey the hired hand find out.
Good chatting with you today!
I love YOU Deb!!! I am breathing much better. Thanks.
I love your real life stories. This was especially good to me since I love chickens. Since you are writing cute stories, I’m hoping that’s a sign that you feel better.
Of course someone has already thought of it. I can see my Fatty McFatty in a Too-too!
Diane here’s a link of a post I did over a year ago. http://seedsofnutrition.com/?p=1566
You’ll find a link to a short video of lady who made chicken clothes.
Oh, I’ve got to find the link! In England somewhere?? A lady does make clothes for chickens. Now where is it….I come back here if I can find it.
That’s too funny Mel. I can see you DD carrying them in a basket and playing like a dolly! I know…..if we design chicken clothes…how much you wanna bet we’ll be millionaires soon! Shhhh keep it quiet or someone will steal our idea!!!
I feel the same way about chickens, Diane. They are such interesting creatures! We, too, have a hen that lays on the other hen’s eggs. It’s funny! And she’s none too happy when we nudge her off the nest to gather those eggs. ; ) But we’ve had all of our girls since day-old-chicks. Sara Lynn plays with each and every one of them, and even occasionally tries to swing one or put one down the slide. I’m amazed that they just let her do this! Warms my chicky heart. : )