- Sep 12, 2012
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Very odd behavior going on, so I figured I would ask for a few opinions.
I have a missing Buff Polish (large fowl). She was actually missing for about 2 weeks or so, and reappeared yesterday. I searched all known roosting spots before, with no luck. But yesterday she appeared out of the blue in the back yard. I did a double-take to make sure I was looking at two (I have one other BP). But sure enough, there she was, preening herself and eating the scratch I had just put out.
NORMALLY I would chalk this up to sitting on eggs. But first, it's a large fowl polish, which isn't known for sitting at all! And second - most important as well - she just turned 4 months old today. Wouldn't this be WAY too early to be sitting on eggs???
I tried to find her last night when I penned the others up. But I didn't come across anything again. This morning I searched very well, and still nothing. I kept an eye on the yard today but didn't see her. And once again just now I looked pretty well for her.
There are places in the crawl space under the house that she could get to, and I would never know she was there (holes in the moisture barrier, and insulation up in there would make a nice little nest). So if she's sitting, then she could still have plenty of places to be hiding from me.
But there are two other caveats. First, it has been raining steady since last night. So where ever she is, if she is dry, I don't blame her for staying hidden. Secondly..... she is sick. She has a respiratory infection that I gave her antibiotics for yesterday (injection - so I'm not worried about her missing a dose). That leads me to believe she would NOT be on eggs.
So it really boggles my mind as to why she would disappear for two weeks, reappear for a moment, and disappear again. No one else around me owns polish chickens - much less buff polish. So I know it wasn't a neighbor's chicken I saw. And I'd really like to find her to make sure she is okay, since I have lost a total of FIVE buff polish hens this year!
Do you think she is sitting on eggs somewhere? Or do you think it is something else?
I have a missing Buff Polish (large fowl). She was actually missing for about 2 weeks or so, and reappeared yesterday. I searched all known roosting spots before, with no luck. But yesterday she appeared out of the blue in the back yard. I did a double-take to make sure I was looking at two (I have one other BP). But sure enough, there she was, preening herself and eating the scratch I had just put out.
NORMALLY I would chalk this up to sitting on eggs. But first, it's a large fowl polish, which isn't known for sitting at all! And second - most important as well - she just turned 4 months old today. Wouldn't this be WAY too early to be sitting on eggs???
I tried to find her last night when I penned the others up. But I didn't come across anything again. This morning I searched very well, and still nothing. I kept an eye on the yard today but didn't see her. And once again just now I looked pretty well for her.
There are places in the crawl space under the house that she could get to, and I would never know she was there (holes in the moisture barrier, and insulation up in there would make a nice little nest). So if she's sitting, then she could still have plenty of places to be hiding from me.
But there are two other caveats. First, it has been raining steady since last night. So where ever she is, if she is dry, I don't blame her for staying hidden. Secondly..... she is sick. She has a respiratory infection that I gave her antibiotics for yesterday (injection - so I'm not worried about her missing a dose). That leads me to believe she would NOT be on eggs.
So it really boggles my mind as to why she would disappear for two weeks, reappear for a moment, and disappear again. No one else around me owns polish chickens - much less buff polish. So I know it wasn't a neighbor's chicken I saw. And I'd really like to find her to make sure she is okay, since I have lost a total of FIVE buff polish hens this year!
Do you think she is sitting on eggs somewhere? Or do you think it is something else?