She was lost.

Stranded in Brandon’s three sided hay shed, this hen had made a home. Ignored by Brandon when he fed the bulls… chickens come and go in the corral… she had made a nest behind the bales. Once he had fed almost all the hay, she came squawking and fluttering from her hidey hole. It scared him! You can relate if you’ve ever had a bird flush from beneath your feet!

I assumed I’d lost a hen to my Free Range Policy… eagle, fox, coyote, skunk, whatever. But here was her nest, 14 eggs.

The two eggs pushed out were frozen, and the rest were cold. I wasn’t sure if she was trying to raise them, which I doubted, or it was just a place to lay her eggs because she was now living in the hay shed. I let them go overnight to double check… and the next morning’s temperature confirmed my first thought. She was just stuck… although living in a three sided shed… and walking in the corral for water… she had no idea where the coop was.

With a joint operation between Eden and I, I managed to snag this wayward bird.

Shaking some feed onto the snow, I released her… and she acted like she was home… and happy. She walked into the coop, as Booger ate some grain… and now we will see if she stays home. She’s had an adventure for at least two weeks and if she wants to go broody, maybe she will do it in the coop this time, or at least wait until spring!