It is Christmas Eve and we’re still mourning the loss of Glinda, our Star Spangled Hamburg. She was killed by a Hawk a few days ago. The chickens are terrified and they run screaming for cover whenever any bird flies overhead. They were really spooked. The picture on the right is Elanor, Millie, and the black one is Bev.

I came home with the Christmas Turkey that Justine bought us about 4PM and the chickens were hysterical, yelling and running from bush to bush trying to hide. I stood around with them hoping that seeing me would calm them, but I could only count 13 hens when there should have been 14.

Around 5PM it gets dark and all of the chickens usually march into the hen house and get ready for bed. Some take longer than others, but by 5:15 they are usually all on their roost. There were only 13 chickens in the coop.

Bev was missing.

I spent a while looking under bushes and all the places that she hangs out. I was looking for a sign that the Hawk had come back – usually just a bunch of black feathers. There was no sign.

My brother called and told me that a package I had ordered for Erica’s Christmas present had arrived. I took the truck over to pick it up. When I got back, Erica asked me to take the flashlight for one more look.

I started at the chicken coop, calling her. I wandered all over the yard, around the house, and back along the fence on each side. I even checked out in the road for flat chickens.

I shone the flashlight under the deck where chickens like to go and under the barn where they sometimes go, and there was no sign.

I walked all the way to the back of the property and came back around the huge pine tree that went down in hurricane Sandy. I walked all around the bee hives and behind the barn.

Several times I heard something move, but it was always McGruff the Cat who was following me everywhere.

I shone the light on my lumber pile and under the old wood chipper, and I saw a glint to golden eye. Then I saw Bev’s Red comb, and I figured that I found he body, but she winked at me.

I very carefully crawled into the little cave formed by the leaning lumber and the wood chipper, and Bev let me pick her up. She seem fine, but she was shivering with fear or cold.

I brought her inside and surprised Erica. Erica checked Bev as best she could and there seemed to be no damage. I set her on the floor for an instance. She walked just fine and seemed interested in wandering around the house, but we can’t allow that as you can’t house train a chicken as far as I know.

I put Bev back in the shed with the other chickens and she gobbled up some food and seemed happy. I went out later and she was on the roost with her friends and seemed fine.

God bless us, everyone!