I got some more chickens. They were free on craigslist, so how could I say no? They are two years old, which is middleaged for a chicken, but certainly still productive. I got them mostly because the chickens that I did have developed a propensity for suicide that would rival Shakespearean protagonists or samurai warriors. They kept running into the road in front for cars. No really. I think I had one get run over each year for the last 3 years and then this year ... I dunno if they made some sort of suicide pact or what but I had 7 get smooshed between April and June. I would find their crumpled little bodies in the ditch and just feel so bad.
I don't know why they do this. They, I shit you not, wait in the ditch until a car comes by and then run out into the road. I dunno if the cars freak them out and they run out into the road or if they are just sick and twisted little fuckers. I even had one do it to me while I was driving home one day. I didn't hurt her because I was about to turn into the driveway and was going about 3 miles an hour but I certainly bounced her off my bumper.
So, rather than try to control their impulses, I decided to just get some more.
And, knock on wood, their appearance seems to have kept the other original chickens out of the road. However, they lay eggs everywhere. Nowhere is too unusual to not be perfect place for these chickens to lay. They came from a very nice family in Montpelier who had a little yard for them and a cute little house with nest boxes, so, again, I cannot fathom the chicken psychology behind this behaviour.
They lay eggs on the floor of the chicken coop, (tame) just any old place on the ground outside the coop, under the porch (awkward to retrieve), under the chicken coop (more awkward to retrieve), under tarps, in trash cans, in boxes, and sometimes even in the nest boxes. And then, when I find one of their spots, it becomes instantly unappealing and they go on to find a better spot. But they do keep the other chickens out of the road, so I guess I can deal with having an Easter egg hunt every day.
