Hen Chronicles: The three musketeers, together again

Anyone who read my previous post a few days ago may remember that Snow, our Plymouth Rock, had a brush with death last week when she ejected part of her innards while laying an egg.

In the end, Liz and I had better luck with Snow than all the king’s horses and all the king’s men did with Humpty Dumpty, but for several hours on Tuesday, Snow's prospects did not look good. We put her back together as best we could that morning and I took her to the vet’s office that afternoon. That’s where I learned that Snow would have to be placed in isolation, with reduced exposure to daylight, for three or fours days while we applied Preparation H to her vent (aka, bum) twice daily. Yes, Preparation H.

Fortunately, Snow gradually improved as the week progressed. By Saturday morning, two things had become obvious. Snow was fed up with our focus on her nether regions. And she obviously missed coopmates Nellie and Hope, our Rhode Island Reds. She seemed to be sufficiently recovered to move back in with her buds, so Liz carried her to the coop for what proved to be a happy reunion. There was much “great to see you” clucking.

The good news is that the three musketeers have been reunited, and all of them are thrilled. Chickens are social animals, after all, and these three have been together for three years now. And the bad news? We're keeping our fingers crossed. The vet warned me that, the precedent having been set, Snow could develop a prolapsed oviduct all over again.

And to think some people claim keeping chickens couldn’t be easier.

Top to bottom: Nellie, Hope and Snow, awaiting snacks on Saturday afternoon.