The term "bird brain" comes from somewhere, but in reference to a couple of hens on our property, it is not entirely fitting.
Three years ago the Easter Bunny brought fifteen chicks to Frederick. We slowly lost over half in the following two-and-a-half years. In late October, a predator took out an additional four.
The hens are locked up in a hen house at night and the house has an attached, fully enclosed yard. But on occasion the house has not been locked or an animal has gotten into the yard otherwise.
We noticed on the mornings after the predator attacks that one of the Araucana hens had found her way to the roof of our main house, about 100 yards from the hen house. That's pretty smart - get far away from the others and fly to a high spot.
The morning of the last attack, we though she was the sole survivor but much later in the day found "Henny Penny." Henny Penny is the family favorite -- more so because of her small, fragile stature rather than any sort of intelligent behavior. She behaves rather like a stereotypical chicken "ditz," except that she is still alive after three years.
Currently, these two hens have an entire hen house to themselves and yet they actually choose to sleep outside at night. For a few weeks now, the two hens have roosted in a tree near their house rather than in the roosts inside their house behind a locked door.
On one hand, their days are numbered. Hens in a tree don't stand much of a chance in the wilderness.
On the other hand, these two hens have long out-lived their life expectancy.
In the last weeks (or months perhaps) of their lives, they will wake up, fly down from their roosts, and scratch around the property. They do not have to wait for me to finish breakfast and remember to open their house up. They are often up and out before I even get out of bed.
We have made no effort to train them to return to the hen house. They have lived long lives and probably know well the dangers and the opportunities of their new roosting place. Every morning I see them scratching around, I smile and am grateful that they have lived to scratch one more day.
Comments (3)
Harriet, the Araucana, made it about six weeks in the tree. Ironically, it appears that a predator got her during the daytime. We found her feathers quite far from her perch and in an area where the hens scratch during the day. Henny Penny is still around, just a bit lonely.
Posted by Amanda Rose | June 24, 2007 1:42 PM
Posted on June 24, 2007 13:42
What a touching story. Hope the Easter Bunny brings her a cage mate :)
Posted by Leah | July 5, 2007 5:14 PM
Posted on July 5, 2007 17:14
Leah,
We lost Henny almost two weeks ago -- she was also taken in the daytime by a bobcat. They lived well.
Amanda
Posted by Amanda Rose | July 5, 2007 8:02 PM
Posted on July 5, 2007 20:02