On January 14 a silkie hen was stolen. The crime occurred in the morning at the NEPC show in West Springfield, Ma. If you’ve never been to a poultry show, let me describe the scene:  there are rows and rows of airy metal coops, stacked two high, and in each is a bird that someone has bred, trained, bathed, fluffed, and has high hopes for. Poultry fanciers walk the aisles, checking out the birds. A judge in a white lab coat reaches in and takes out a bird, looks it over, and puts it back in it’s cage. People are eating chili and drinking coffee and chatting. Think dog show but with feathers.

And what are chickens like these worth on the open market? A golden retriever puppy goes for $1,500. A prize hen for $35. So why the huge reward? Because it turns out that this wasn’t the only chicken to ever be stolen at a poultry show. Those offering the reward want to put the few bad apples on notice that thievery won’t be tolerated. They want to make the poultry fancy aware that this is a problem. And they want their silkie back. Someone, recently, has bought a gorgeous full-grown silkie. If you have, please contact HatTrick Silkies and make sure that  it’s not theirs.