Just as we celebrated the pullets’ birthday and their safe return to their home in Dublin, Snowball began to practice a new dance move. With her neck. It was reminiscent of a snake dance, her head swiveling while her neck curved and twisted.

Of course, chickens. Another hen got an eye thing going on. Here is Barnie, our Barnvelder. A sweet girl although she is really good at dodging humans who are flinging themselves about the chicken yard, trying to catch a hen with an eye infection. Between Barnie and the Broody French Morans, I get a lot of Hairy Eyeballs (some of which are swollen) when I come out to the hen yard.

A few days ago, on a Saturday morning in the midst of a storm, I went out to tidy the chicken coop. I noted that Rosie was not well. She huddled, hardly lifted her head, and her wings were drooped.