Sybil is one of our original hens. She came to us in a box that peeped, all the way from Iowa.
She was cute, fuzzy, well adjusted and like any one of the other hens we received that day. She grew up to lay wonderful eggs. She was even friendly enough to hold.
Unfortunately Sybil's feathers were suffering from the abuse of the roosters, and early on she was forced to endure the shame of the hen coat.
This didn't slow her down, and it also seemed to make her more attractive to the roosters. At one time or another we have had too many, and they all seem to LOVE Sybil in particular. Sybil began to hide in the next boxes in the hen house, she would jump out at you whenever you entered the house run up and peck you and run back into her hiding spot. The pecks never really hurt but it seemed as if her mental state was slightly unbalanced. That is when we started calling her Sybil, perhaps there was too much power in the name.
With the lure of warm weather Sybil left the hen house with the rest of the chickens, but unfortunately she again caught the eye of the rooster. Her chicken pheromones must run hot.
Sybil still runs up and pecks but never in anger, in fact more often she runs to get away from the roosters who love to chase her. She spends her nights sleeping in the 'people' part of the hen house. Her nightly protector, is Beetle, the dethroned rooster. She hides under his wings or behind the feed barrels. If chickens could go 'postal' it would be Sybil. You only have to look at her to see that there is such a thing as fowl mental illness. A chicken pushed over the edge because of stress.
Well today the ultimate in insults happened to Sybil. Oscar our Great Dane escaped the fenced yard and went on a chicken spree, Even Oscar seemed to know Sybil was an easy target. I walked out of the barn to see a limp Sybil dangling from the slobbery jaws of a happy looking dog. Luckily he dropped the toy and went in search of new conquest.
I rushed to where Sybil was hiding in the deep grass, amazingly she was unharmed. Oscar was still dancing around us and with each bound, Sybil shrieked at him, if she could have shook her wing at him I am sure she would.
A very angry and bedraggled but valued member of our farm.
Who knows who I will highlight next time. Stay tuned.
