Houdini and the White Egg

[Charles07]

So last night, we notice a missing hen as we locked the birds up for the night.

"1,2,3...9...where's 10?!"

Checked the coop, nothing. The back 40...nothing. Locked up the 9 remaining hens while sorrowful for our missing dear, who must have been scooped up as a tasty meal by some predator.

Right before I fell asleep, I thought to myself, "Is it possible that I miscounted?" So I went outside with a light, entered the coop and shined it around from 4-5 different angles as I counted them, yet again, for the 11th time (my wife counted also). (sigh) Nine.

I locked the door, secured the run, and double checked the exterior fence.

This morning we open the coop and lo' and behold...10 hens.

I was flabbergasted.

We could never have miscounted! She either magically teleported herself into the coop from outside of 3 concentric fences (spaced about 20 yards apart), or she has mastered the art of invisibility!





Oh, and we got a white egg.

Where the heck did that come from?? We have always received tan/brown colored ones. And it was slightly oval shaped...

 

[Tala]

I have a Houdini too. She has gotten into the chicken tractor with chicks, twice. Mind you that this chicken tractor has never been broken into by anything dangerous, it's pretty solid.

She's an excape artist, and has been for her whole life, hence the name

 

[Charles07]

I have been "scratching" my head all day trying to figure out this puzzle.

 

[TurkeyMountainChickens]

Our coop is a building inside a predator-resistant run. One hen insists on sleeping up in the rafters of the run. The first night I could find her anywhere - I searched and searched. Then I heard this noise above me. I expected to look up and find the predator that had eaten my beloved hen... and there she was. Staring down from the rafters. Another of my hens has since taken so sleeping in the space on TOP of the coop. couldn't fin her the first night either.

BUT, they are safe inside hardware cloth walls with a solid wooden roof. So if they choose not to sleep in the coop, OK. So long as they make it back into the run!

Tomorrow night, if she's MIA again, try looking UP!

 

[Charles07]

At first I thought, "no way! I looked everywhere inside of the coop!".

It is indeed possible that she had roosted so far up and over (I used a combination of prepared and natural wood to create "natural" perches for them) that she might have escaped our notice.

Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Charles07]

Any thoughts on the white egg?