Let's begin with the fact that all we have remaining of our flock are these three hens. If you have been a friend of this blog for a time, then you will know we have had some unfortunate happenings that I won't relive right now but have something to do with....Eagles..and other wildlife inviting themselves over for a meal or two. After the demise of the rooster we decided to take a break for awhile and regroup before adding more back to the flock.
These two are a little over 5 years old and still laying..not as much as before but still we are getting eggs on a regular basis from all three.
Here is how the conversation went.
Me: How are Frederick (the cat) and the chickens?
Mister: Frederick is fine..he is on my lap right now and the chickens are all put away (that means that the coop is locked up and all the beaks have been counted).
Me: That's good.
Mister: One of the chickens is a Rooster.
Me: Pardon me?!
Mister: One of the chickens is a Rooster!
Me: It is not! There are three hens.
Mister: (Getting annoyed) One of the hens is a rooster....It has spurs!!!!
Me: What, are you sure?
Mister: Yes, when I went to count beaks, they were on the roost and there were the spurs, right there on one of the hens.
Me: I don't understand....That can't be, they all three lay eggs and have always been hens.
The conversation went on for awhile and I told him I would check in to this odd thing and we said goodnight.
I decided to call my sister as she has something like, 16 chickens and a rooster..Anyway,. she said she has two older chickens that have grown spurs and was equally shocked when she discovered it. After some web searching we found other reports of the same occurrence.
So, we left it at that and just said it would be added to one of those things about nature that is odd to say the least.
Until.......the other morning...We both woke up to the strange sound of crowing...like a little rooster when it is just learning to crow. Well, it was the chicken..yes, the chicken with the spurs, crowing like a rooster. Three times this week we have had the same alarm and she/he? is getting better all of the time.
So there you go, the strange chicken story has been told..I know the spurs are not unheard of but how about the crowing...Have you ever heard of such a thing?
Much love to you all. xo
