Hen Hilarity

Okay, this is hilarious to me. You say this is cheap amusement.? Yes, it is. It costs nothing. I admit for the first fifteen seconds I was startled.

This morning, I put the hens' cage outside the side door and opened the cage. After we talked a bit, I left them to their own devices. Like every morning, I muddled about, trying to get myself awake. All of a sudden, after about thirty minutes outdoors, I heard a squawk. Someone was alarmed. Then, I could hear a hen running and making noise, going from this side of the house, around the back, and to the other side of the house where the pen is. She squawked a bit more, then--silence. Hmmm....? I followed the noise and looked at the pen. Nothing.

The squawk? It was not the quick, continual, high-pitched," buk, buk, buk, buk" translated "I see a predator. Watch out everyone." It was not the raucous squawk, "It's got me and I need help" kind of squawk. It was more the startled reaction that is brought by a hickory nut falling nearby or the sight of me with the snake-like hose, hissing as I drag it. If you have chickens, you learn "chickenese."

I went back across the house and looked out. There were the other two hens jumping onto the carport wall, ready to jump into the side yard. They were looking around for the third hen, Thelma. Finally, after seeming to listen as they looked, they jumped down and started pecking around.

Now three minutes from the time Thelma went squawking around the house, I heard her hen song. She spent three minutes on the nest. I can only assume that she waited until she was about to drop the egg and went scurrying off for the nest. I went out, and sure enough, there was a warm, HUGE egg.  All three hens thought more food was coming as they followed me into the pen. We four are creatures of habit.

You know how little kids run funny when they must go pee? Well, I can see this hen waiting until the last minute, running to lay her egg, and I can see her in my mind's eye, running with her knees together. Okay, maybe this is not amusing.

Your turn
LOL, do I sound desperate for amusement? Have I spent too much time learning hens? Do you have hens that amuse you with their antics that are better fun than an amusement park?