Momma said there’d be days like this… well no actually, she didn’t. There is no way in my Momma or Grandmomma’s wildest imaginations they could have envisioned a day where I’d have a chicken soaking in a warm bathtub rubbing Vaseline on her egg production *facilities*. I told friends earlier that as long as she doesn’t request a glass of wine, bubble bath and candles I’ll deal with it.

I think she is egg bound, but I can feel no egg. That doesn’t necessarily mean she isn’t egg bound apparently, it just means the egg that may be stuck didn’t get stuck far enough along her plumbing to get hard. I know this is more than I ever wanted to know about chickens so I’m going to assume it’s more than you wanted to know and move along. Suffice to say, she has had two tub soaks, oatmeal laced with calcium and has been well lubricated with Vaseline. I did not want to go there. Now I wait and keep the house quiet so she will hopefully get this out of her system.

In the meantime all I can do today is read the posts from the other folks setting up their flowers, fruit bowls or fresh greenery, shuffling piles of stuff around, vacuuming, mopping and shuffling the piles of stuff back. All things I need to be doing. All things I was looking forward to. But no. I’ve been babysitting a down in the mouth chicken and twice had my finger where my finger should have never had to go. Thus, my New Years Resolution has become “Never get more chickens. Ever.” This will be my resolution for probably 8 years because chickens can live that long. However, if the other 5 freeloaders begin to lay, I can probably get 20.00 each for them and lemme tell you how tempting that is after today.

So, tomorrow, I have to get out and get hay which means I will be relatively close to a grocery, which means I will be able to pick up a small bouquet. If the hen hasn’t delivered by the time I get home, I’m cranking up the vacuum anyway. For the floors! Not as an aid to egg production!

Chicken having a nice warm soak. No bubbles, but she did get

a snack of oatmeal laced with calcium.