PEEPERS POPS IN
Hen’s disappearance may be related to nesting behaviour, says owner Kim Gallant
Hen’s disappearance may be related to nesting behaviour, says owner Kim Gallant
If chickens could talk, Peepers would have quite the tale to tell, says Kim Gallant, of her pet who disappeared from her home in Rustico last week and returned Saturday morning.
“I’m starting (her) English lessons on Monday,” Gallant joked on her Facebook wall, minutes after her pet’s homecoming.
Gallant had just returned from coffee when she spied her oneyear-old hand-raised pet pecking and scratching outside the patio door.
“So, I let her in. I was amazed — so glad to see her back and relieved to know that no pranks or foul play were involved.”
But Peepers’ return was shortlived.
The fine feathered friend visited just long enough to devour a plate containing dog food, scrambled eggs and chicken feed. Then, scratching at the door to be let out, the hen disappeared into the green fields of Rustico once again.
“I felt perplexed,” says Gallant, who has been researching hen behaviour and believes her disappearance is due to Peepers being in the “nesting mode.”
“One of my neighbours recently had a German shepherd visiting, and I think that may have added to Peepers’ insecurity.”
And, although she doesn’t “have a clue” where her pet is now, she thinks her outdoor cat does because of how she settled down after Peepers came out of hiding on Saturday.
“I think she’s somewhere where nothing can get at her or her eggs ... But, little does she know her eggs aren’t fertile.”
To give her the real experience, Gallant has asked a breeder for some fertile eggs.
“So, when Peepers comes out of hiding she will have some eggs to sit on and she’ll be able to hatch them.”
Gallant appreciates the hundreds of people who called with their concern for Peepers.
“Some of them said they would pray to Saint Anthony to bring the chicken back.”