09/02/2026
This speckled black and white hen is the oldest of our flock of 18 girls, she is 8 1/2 years old. She is one of our original flock of 12 hens from Spring 2018 when we started with 6 Buff Orpingtons and 6 Plymouth Barred Rock hens. Whenever I see this old girl, I make sure that she gets her own piece of fruit or whatever treat I am giving them. She manages fine, she doesn’t get picked on but since she and I are oldest girls around here, I look out for her.
Do you remember our hen Houdini? She was also a Plymouth Barred Rock from that same original group and she was the one who always managed to mysteriously get out of the chicken coop after I took a headcount and closed them in for the night. Sure enough by the next morning Houdini would have escaped the coop and would be walking around outside enjoying her freedom.
Here’s the backstory, in April-ish of ‘24, I separated our dear elderly goat Tudley-Prince of All Goats from the other three goats who had begun bullying him, they wouldn’t let him eat. I moved him to a cozy stall with his own little sunny fenced in area where he would be safe, albeit lonely I feared. Well lo and behold, Houdini began staying overnight in Tudley’s stall with him and they became friends. It was the dearest thing ever! She’d hang out in his outside area during the days with him, eating the grain he dropped. Sometimes during the day she would fly over the fence and join her flock for a little while but she always went back to him. When Tudley died around a year later, Houdini immediately returned to the flock and would sleep with them in the coop at night - mind you still escaping regularly.
Some time during this past Spring she disappeared. I felt sad to head toward the coop to give them breakfast and not see her outside, and I decided to not share with you that she was missing.
Now, before you start to feel bad, I will let you know that she showed up at closing time when I was feeding and tucking in Tilly and Dilly who have been sleeping in Tudley’s quarters since they arrived last November. This is what happened…read on in the comments…
