Take a Chicken to Work Today...or tomorrow

(Proper attire for a dress up day at work...if you are a chicken)
I thought that it would be a nice gesture to take one of the hens to work. You know, let her get an idea of where Chicken Mama spends all her time and how she earns the money to keep "Baby" knee-high in feed and clean straw. Don't you agree that is a good idea? Either you will agree to that or...I need to be fitted for a straight jacket. The next thing I propose could be even more absurd...like taking my chicken to therapy with me. We might discover why she doesn't want to fraternize with the other hens.

Okay, the real story: Tyner (golden girl of the new Ameraucanas) gets pretty worked up when it is time to go to bed. She just fusses something fierce. Well, night before last she was kicking up quite the dust storm when I noticed that she was panting, a sure sign of anxiety. Not good. I stopped and took a good look at her and discovered that her beak was actually out of alignment! VERY BIZARRE. I picked her up and gently tried to ease the beak back in place, only to have her squak (possibly in pain) so I set her down.

Yesterday I watched as she carefully ate little bits of food and drank water. Of course I felt horribly responsible, wringing my hands all night until I realized that commercial chicken factories actually "de-beak" the hens to keep them from injuring one another in crowded conditions. I know that those poor hens can live without a beak, so maybe Tyner can.

Okay, now what about work. Well...I have decided to take Tyner to the vet and the only time I can really go is after work. SOooooooooooooo...I am taking her to work with me! I asked everyone at work if they would mind...and they all said...Take your chicken to work! I'll let you know what her fantastic vet, Dr. Dave Rupiper has to say. Maybe she'll have to go on a liquid diet for a little while. Lovely. I can see it now...the blender out in the morning with worms and bugs and grass and...more than I can think about right now!
PS: my thanks go to Stan Frieberg for letting me so kindly paraphrase his famous, "Take an Indian to Lunch".