Supper's New Disappearing Act

[BayBay Peepers]

I have a hen that has always been a little "off". As a chick she would be pecking around with the group, they would move without her noticing, and she would freak out. Bawwking and bawwking until she found them.

At about four months she layed her first eggs next to the neighbors garage. We have a privacy fence so you can't really see through. She disappeared for two days and nights on me and I was panicked. My neighbors dog discovered the angry pullet and her 13 eggs. She actually scared off a chocolate lab...impressive.

Fast forward a year.

A few weeks ago I saw her casing out our trails. Our whole front yard is mowed, but out back we leave it except for two trails on each side. Yesterday the girl tried to give me a hear attack. I could not find her anywhere. I walked the trails, around the house, in the barns, through the woods, etc, etc. Not a sign. I even recruited my dear, patient boyfriend. Still no sign. Not even the dogs could sniff her out. We decided to give it a rest and try again later. About two hours later...she appeared...under my bird feeder. The bird feeder is in the middle of the yard so there is no way I missed her there. I even pulled out the bag of worms to get the flock around me to do my frantic counting.

I am so stumped. Supper is turning out to be a Houdini I think. I guess she's much more clever than I thought.

 

[julesisthehen]

I have a chicken that enjoys laying her eggs in hidden nests too! It is a problem, but sometimes you just have to follow them around the whole day from a distance and you will find out where her nest is. It's a bit ridiculous, but once I find the nest, I take out all the eggs and then a few more eggs in the next few days until she understands she is not supposed to lay there. You can put golf balls in the nest box so she realizes that is a safe place to lay continually. If all else fails I suppose you can strap her to a GoPro!

 

[BayBay Peepers]

I'll give her some credit here. She does lay in the box now. That was the only incident where eggs were misplaced.

Her new game is hiding her entire body on me haha

What is this GoPro you speak of? I may consider it

 

[BayBay Peepers]

Well, she must know she's busted because she was around when I got home from work yesterday. Something tells me she timed it better haha sassy girl!

 

[BayBay Peepers]

Supper is busted! We were stacking wood for winter and about now is the time the flock starts to c alll it a night. They start hanging around the coop and go in one by one. Well she went to the wrong side of the yard. She looked very suspicious so I crept in behind her.

I wasn't lying when I said she's still laying in the coop but I made a mistake. I thought my duck was done laying for a molt or the season...wrong. She made a nest in the weeds and a big rhubarb leaf was perfectly blocking it. Supper though she was going to hatch ducklings!

Im dieing of laughter. She knew I busted her she gave me a sassy look and marched her butt back to the coop.

Mystery solved hahaha