"Ain't nobody here but us chickens." The chicken dramm of Glory Downs.

Was it a viscous street fight that involved a fox, and two muggers?

Was it a run in with a boyfriends ex girlfriend?

Was it a roll into a bramble bush?

Is it the scary "bubbly eye disease zombiefied chicken," that google suggest it is?

Or was it a ground hornet that taught you a thing or two about playing in his dirt pile....

I believe it was the latter. Here's the story.

It was a little cloudy that day but it looked as if the sun was struggling to poke through the clouds, and in doing so, was winning.  The chickens were restless and just scratching to get out. Feeling their wild animal call I let them out of their chicken yard to run in the wide open space of our human yard.  Since the clouds were fighting back- the chickens scattered into the woods to take shelter, as well as eat things that appear inedible to our trained pallets.  You see, chickens tend to take cover when the clouds roll in as a form of protection. If they can't see a hawk shadow on the ground because of the clouds, then they can't defend themselves in an instance of a hawk dive. I walked around our yard and figured their wild animal instinct was working for them, and I let them be to do chickenlikethings.

Awhile later, feeling the need to be a wild human, I ventured outside to do some yard work.  Normally the chickens come running up to me to chatter about their adventures, but on this day none did.  Pondering this for a bit I settled in the thought that all was fine and they possibly found a gold mine.........of grubs. Just then, I heard a shriek. 

My heart sank and I froze for a minute waiting to hear the next sound of a struggle. To see feathers fly in the air, branches breaking, and to see a fox run off with a chicken in its mouth- but none of these followed. The chicken shriek was followed by silence. No other chickens ran- no chickens panicked- nothing.  

I went back into my thoughts to think this through- maybe one got startled. Maybe one pecked at another. Maybe I just heard something that wasn't there...... none of these thoughts completely settling, I continued to my yard work.

As the day grew long, the chickens grew tired. Around 5 pm I called them into their house and counted them as they walked back into their home.  There they all were- alllll 15. Phew! With one exception... One came back with a swollen cheek.  

I picked her up and she was as normal as can be. Other than a little dirt on the side of her face and a swollen cheek she was the picture of  happy chicken.  She ate with the rest, clucked away and did chickenlikethings.  I figured that she had gotten into something but tried not to think to hard about it...

Then I went on the internet.

Upon doing so I came across the fact that my chicken could possibly have "bubbly eye disease," (true stuff folks) or "zombiefied chicken disease"  (my interpreted exaggeration) and that we are going to have to (gruesome part) kill her, burn the carcass, bleach the coop, and hope for the best for the rest of the flock.

I was sick.

I made the promise to my husband when we got the chickens that if one chicken were to get sick we weren't going to go crazy trying to fix her, spending tons of money, taking her to the vet ect......but here- one chicken - could have possibly caught "the zombie," and now I had the rest of the brood to think of. What does one do? Take a chicken to the vet? Have a sacrafice to save the rest? Or do what my heart sad to do- hug her, love her, and give her a chance. Zombie or not- I was going to.

I must have picked up and put down the computer numerous times. Why couldn't a swollen cheek on a chicken be something simple? Why did it have to involve biohazard suits, burning chickens and cleaning the coop as if its the house from E.T.? So I did what any good farm girl who doesn't know much would do- I went to Tractor Supply.

We were lucky enough to talk to a chicken farmer there who said no doubt the chicken got stung by a ground hornet. Since she had dirt on the side of her it was a giveaway. Just then I remember the shriek I heard and it alll started to make sense.  Needless to say we got some chicken medicine incase "the zombie," is a reality and I need to treat the flock. But until I see signs of that I just have to quarantine the hen so she can be settled, rest, and let the venom work its way through her little chicken face.  

Lessons learned here- 

Chickens get stung.

There are such things as ground hornets.

Google "swollen chicken face," is not a beneficial thing to do when you are a first time farmer.

Tractor Supply is a better google search for a first time farmer.

Chickens have cheeks.

Hope you have an enjoyable day. If you decide to roll in the dirt please be careful of your cheeks, for they are beautiful targets for ground hornets.