Neighborhood CSI (Chicken Scene Investigation)

Why do we care why chickens cross the road? What about their business – or potential business – concerns us? 

As regular folk, it's none of our business. As farm folk, they care. Especially if they're providing eggs for family and friends and neighbors.

We've got chickens – and cows and everything – right around the corner from us. Here's a few of them last week, not running away as I say "hello" ... until they heard the '80s music on my phone. Whatever. Birds of a different feather.

Today when I was finishing my lunchtime walk, I thought I was seeing the last of snow in a yard across the road from the farm. As I got closer, I saw it was a dead body. Why oh why did you cross the road?!

I ran across the road (no one questioned my motives) and got the farm lady. She came back with me and and the gruesome scene didn't even ruffle her feathers. She lifted up the carcass to carry home. It was almost flat like a cartoon. Weird. 

There wasn't any blood so we ruled out fowl play, er an animal attack. There were some feathers but we didn't see a sign of a struggle. Early clues lead us to believe the chicken was crossing the road – for unknown reasons – and likely got hit by a passing vehicle and was flung 6 feet into the yard. 

If that's the case, now the Neighborhood CSI (Chicken Scene Investigation team) has a hit-and-run on our hands.

Meanwhile, when I took a short walk after work, I think I smelled fried chicken at the farm. Hmm... Motive?

(Thanks for reading through to the end. We adore our neighbor and feel bad for her and her loss. And no, I did not smell fried chicken. It was raining so I didn't even go for a walk after work. And now I don't dare.)