Chloe Returns to the Chicken House

Chloe on the run

Chloe, my only Araucana chicken, had been missing on and off for a month.  She wasn't in the chicken house when I went to lock up one evening and I figured some coyote or Red Tail hawk had stolen her away.

Shortly after that, I was late letting the flock out of the house one morning and found Chloe waiting for me on the chicken house stoop.  That night, again she was not in the house at bed time, but the next morning when I arrived to feed the flock  she popped out from under the chicken house.  I decided she must have a nest under there.

Living under the chicken house, sitting on a nest of eggs is a very dangerous thing to do.   About three weeks ago I noticed green eggs - Chloe lays green eggs- spilling out from under the chicken house. Then last Friday morning I noticed green egg shells scattered on the ground in front of the chicken house.  I hadn't seen Chloe for at least two weeks and decided that she was probably dead by raccoon attack. Raccoons love chicken and eggs both and it looked like someone had had a feast.

But Monday evening when I went to close up the chicken house, Chloe was back on her roost.  She has rejoined the flock and seems to have given up on her nest. She's a very lucky little hen. Something obviously got her eggs, but luckily she escaped.

Araucanas are one of my favorite breeds of chickens.  They come from Peru originally and look a bit more like a hawk than a chicken.  They are very gentle, sweet natured birds and lay pastel blue, green and pink eggs which are said to be higher in Omega 3's and lower in cholesterol than other eggs.  If I decide to purchase chicks next spring as apposed to hatching some of the flock's eggs,  I'll probably order Araucanas.