Hen Pecked

Hi Puzzlers,

Check out our newest puzzle Hen Pecked by artist Rollie Brandt. I just love it! It reminds me of my trips to Cape Cod. “Cape Cod and chickens?” I know, it sounds strange, but when we go to the Cape the first thing we do is go to my sister-in-law’s and pick up a dozen of what we call rainbow eggs. Sheri raises the chickens in her back yard, with the help of the family dogs, Ruby and Riley. These eggs are delicious and the different colors are just fun. Once we have the eggs picked everyone claims his or her eggs by color. I like the green ones; it’s like the Dr. Seuss book Green Eggs and Ham. Yes, its fun not to have to completely grow-up!

Sheri says the eggs are different colors due to the breed of the hen. She likes the rainbow effect and therefore raises several different types of hens. She also claims that free-range eggs taste better than any egg you’ll buy at the store. And I would have to agree. It did take me a while to get past the strange new colors of the shell. Growing up I had only seen white or brown eggs in the grocery stores. Also, the egg itself looked different. The yolk was a deep golden color and the white was not even a little runny. But, oh my yummy-ness they taste GREAT!!!

“The chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Jungle fowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird. Humans keep chickens primarily as a source of food, consuming both their meat and their eggs.” Recent evidence indicates chickens have been domesticated for over 10,000 years.

Chickens are omnivores and may live for five to ten years depending on the breed. Hens of special laying breeds can produce as many as 300 eggs per year. The world’s oldest chicken died at 16 of heart failure. Domestic chickens aren’t able to fly long distances, though; they can fly short distances to explore their surroundings or to roost on a tree or fence.

Chickens live happily in flocks. They establish pecking orders as new hens are added or as roosters are removed. This disruption can lead to violence and injury but once the order is established the flock returns to a harmonious state. The more dominant hens will have priority on food and nesting areas. Hens like to lay eggs in nests that already have eggs in them. Some hens have been known to move eggs from another hens’ nest to their own. An old trick used by farmers is to put fake eggs or golf balls in a nest to encourage the hen to lay eggs in a particular nest.

Now on to the Easter Bunny’s best kept secret. The Araucana and Ameraucana, also known as “Easter Egg Chickens”, are the two breeds of chickens that are known for laying colored eggs. Sorry Sheri, AKA Bunny, your secret is out!

Happy Puzzling!