Mourning Ms. Clara, one of the new girls.

Ms. Clara – July 2020

I had just finished writing my blog about chickens’ sleeping habits yesterday when I went to let the girls out of the coop and found Ms. Clara toes up just behind the roost.  I’ve heard about chickens that fall off the roost and break their necks, but Ms. Clara was intact — no broken anything and not a mark on her.  She was only three years old — about 30 in human years — and joined our flock last June along with her sister Ms. Ida-Mae.

 I read recently in an online article about the whys of chicken deaths. Some chickens die in accidents;  Chickens die from respiratory ailments. They mysteriously die around the age of three. They die from egg-laying screw-ups, like internal laying and prolapse. But, sometime, they skirt the dangers and make it into old age.  So I guess Ms. Clara falls into the “mysteriously” category.

Sisters

Here’s the thing though:  I found her at the north end of the coop, her position indicating that she had been at that end of the roost, facing west.  Her right eye was open and her left eye was shut.  (If you read yesterday’s blog, you will know that chickens at either end of the roost sleep with their “outside eye” open, watching for predators and their “inside eye” closed so half their brain is getting needed sleep.   Clearly, Ms. Clara had been on sentry duty at the time of her death.  She deserves full honors for dying in the line of duty.

Ms. Ida-Mae and Slutvana Yesterday

I know that life is full of coincidences — some more noticeable than others.  I think the fact that I had written about how and why chickens sleep as they do just in time to make a determination about what Ms. Clara was doing when she died is definitely a big coincidence.  I don’t know if has any deeper synchronistic meaning as some of my Jungian friends might believe.  If anything, it’s a  coincidence that prompts me to learn more about chickens.

And I do think I should have a chat with our friend Dick whose photography business is called “one eye open.”  I wonder if he knows about what that means in the world of chickens.

2 Responses to “Mourning Ms. Clara, one of the new girls.”

  1. DEBORAH WELLS says:

    Sorry to hear about Ms. Clara and hope the other chickens are faring well! Merry Christmas!

  2. sydney says:

    Thank, Deborah! Hope your holidays are filled with joy, peace,and contentment!
    Sydney

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