New chicken on the block

Three different times this morning I heard loud cackling from a hen who just laid an egg. And three different times I gathered a fresh, warm egg from its nest of straw while thanking the feathered girl who created it.


Recently I was told that all store bought eggs are treated with formaldehyde. I did a quick google search and found that for sanitation purposes, a formaldehyde gas is applied to the eggs (I cannot confirm or deny the all part of the claim.) Most eggs have a little bit of poop on their shells so I understand the need for sanitation. But formaldehyde...really?

My coop has a newcomer. Friend Coe's coop is still overcrowded so I accepted one of his docile hens. (You might remember that my first foray into fostering one of Coe's chickens eventually led to the chicken's demise....) This hen has a sweet nature thus far and if she can endure the rude and haughty manner of my clique-ish girls, I think she'll fit in just fine.

The haughty ones

Due to the overcrowding in Coe's coop, the hens pecked each others tail feathers clean off. So, so at first glance Barebutt (an unfortunate moniker that seems to be sticking) looks a bit disproportionate. And her hiney is not a pretty sight. Please, please tell me that tail feathers grow back!


Barebutt's exposed anatomy has answered a longtime question of mine. Does it hurt a hen to lay an egg? The area around Barebutt's ..... er.... poop hole appears to be a cavity about the size of a quarter. It's covered with skin and feathers so we don't see it (nor would we want to.....) Thus, I postulate that hens feel no pain when laying eggs!

See ya!