Meet, Henrietta.
Henrietta is a "special" hen. You see, for quite some time I did not know if Henrietta was a male or female. She has this giant rooster comb on the top of her head and a larger than normal wattles.
I thought she was a freak of nature. I kept referring to her as the "he/she" or the....well, you don't want to know what I called her. Especially if there are young children around. Suffice it to say that my husband said I was mean for calling her this name. But, come on!
This is my rooster. My big, domineering, tough rooster. And her head looks identical.I was beginning to wonder if she/he would be of any use. Maybe it WAS and underdeveloped rooster. Or, maybe it was a hen that would give me lots of eggs. How was I to know??????
She was also the weird loner that always hung around the house apart from the other hens. Usually, I can pin hens down but this one? This one was tough. What? You say just look? Um. Well. No. Just can't do it. I'm not far enough in my farmer training. Sorry.
Just look at her compared to the other hens. She is the last one in the back. Even from there her comb and wattle sticks out like no ones business.
Freak.
Well, today my friends, I found out the truth. I now know what Henrietta is. I have proof.
I followed her, you see. Her hanging around the house was just a little too suspicious. She escaped under the house through a break in the trellis. She went under the porch and stayed for a while. After a few minutes, I became suspicious, so I followed her.
Yes, this claustrophobic farmer was so curious that she climbed on her hands and knees under the porch and house to find out what our precious Henrietta was up to. Well, after a few squawks, ten cobwebs wrapped around the top of the head and two squished spiders I found out what she was doing.
Laying eggs. That's what.
She made a nest under the porch and had deposited 15 eggs.
So, the mystery is solved. My freakish chicken is a hen.
I am so relieved. Not that she is a freak but that she is a hen.
I was so worried.
Don't you think that Henrietta is the perfect name for her?
I smile every time I say it.
Henrietta.
The He/She.
3 comments:
Hi, just stopping by from NaBloPoMo. I love your blog. Good for Henrietta, for being different and laying eggs! Your turtle eating dog cracks me up! How cute. Hey, a little extra protein never hurts.
It's always nice to find another "country" type of blog on here.
Thanks.
Rebecca
We had a hen, Heidi, in our farm yard. She got on to about 7 months old and still hadn't laid an egg. What is wrong with her we thought and then she started crowing. Our Heidi was a little hen looking rooster! She did finally did starting growning and getting rooster feathers at around a year of age. Now, obviously a he, he never did act like a rooster except that he crowed. We never changed his name either, he went through life as "Heidi".
Calfkeeper,
love your blog.
The Family..
I love your Heidi story. Poor chicken. I'm sure he got a lot of grief from the other roosters. lol.
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