This morning I discovered that little Blue, our dark Silkie hen, is missing from her pen in our barn. I was turning deep litter in the big hens' neighboring pen when I realized I hadn't seen Blue scratching around with her other four Silkie sisters. I hunted all around the pen, in and behind their nesting box, all around the edges of the pen, thinking that if she had been frightened, she'd have tried to tuck herself into the smallest place. No Blue. No sign of feathers, blood, struggle. The other four seem settled and normal. Just no Blue. My son put them in from their afternoon play in the outdoor run yesterday about 4 oclock, said that he thought that one white Silkie had stayed broody in the nest box, but that the other four, including Blue, returned to their indoor pen together. No video to replay that to double check, so we hunted all around the outdoor run (20 x 20), under the coop shelter and anywhere we could imagine she might have taken shelter if left out. No Blue. No feathers or sign of struggle. I'm flummoxed. Any ideas? A sad day at the Chicken Rescue Ranch... ~G
Our small dark Silkie came up missing yesterday morning, not found after searching the indoor pen, barn, outdoor run. Snow began later in the day, I'd gone out to gather eggs and look for Blue one more time. Within a small space between a wind baffle straw bale and a plywood sheet set up as snow baffle against the outdoor coop, I saw a movement, and thought it was one of our red sexlinks out for some air, but when I moved the plywood, there huddled Blue. Always timid and afraid of handling, she ran to me! I think she was happy to find someone to care for her. She was damp, but not shivering, and has weathered the whole ordeal quite well. Just sharing our good news...~G
