A week before Easter

Off the Skype record but a funny story. Being a former paraveterinarian nurse, I have a few animals. Also a cockerel and hen. The hen is the most intelligent of the two and often expanding her garden with that of my neighbours.

She can fly and is known to dwell within 300 metres of her own territory. Her partner is a little shy, more muscles then brains and spends most of his time on his own. These days he is not too sad about it because he loves sitting in the sun just outside my back door. He has loads of other birds around him, my garden is flocked with all sort of bird breeds and very colourful.

The weather is and has been marvellous for many days and my back door to my shed which leads to the kitchen, is always open (I still live in a village where this is possible and of course I do have a large dog).
A few days ago, I heard a strange noise on the stairs to my attic. Like someone was scratching it. I had a look and found the hen sitting half way. As soon as she saw me, she made a lot of noise. I guided her outdoors but after a while, she was back. We played this little game a few times until it was quiet.
But an hour later, I heard her coming downstairs so somehow she managed to go upstairs without making any noise..

Upstairs I found a warm white egg. She never did it again but choose another location: I found two eggs behind the door (she is laying one egg every other day). She is very sneaky as I never saw or heard her doing this.
But it gets even more silly. Two days ago, I found her on top of the cupboard, looking at me if this was the most normal place to be. While I told her that chickens do not belong on top of cupboards, she all of a sudden raised her body, stood on top of her toes, broadened her shoulders and started to make funny sighing noises. I watched her because I thought she was not feeling well. But then there was that “cloinck” that announced a fresh egg.

With a lot of noise, hen flew from the cupboard, out of the door and started foraging in my garden if she had never been indoors.

This turned out to be her favourite place and this morning she laid another egg. But now I was prepared and took a picture of her.
I also know now where to look for eggs until she starts playing Easter Bunny again…