Published: July 31, 2008 11:33 pm      

State police investigating purloined poultry

FORT HILL — Which came first: The chicken, the egg or the poultry thief?

More importantly, which way did they go?

Retired farmer Roy Butler left home for just a couple of hours Wednesday evening, but someone managed to sneak off with his 10 chickens in the meantime.

“It was a good thing I was stocked up on eggs,” he said.

Butler had raised 10 hens – eight black birds and two white ones – since the fall, when they were little more than chicks.

He does not suspect any hungry animals were to blame. He sensed foul play when he noticed that the poultry feeder had been moved.

“I thought maybe it was one of my friends who had stopped by while I was gone,” he said.

Then he discovered that the chickens were gone. He had fed them nothing but corn, so they produced delicious fresh eggs, enough for him to share with nearby family members.

Butler said he doesn’t know why someone would take his hens, but he was charitable just the same.

“If they need them that badly, they can have them,” he said.

Butler said he also owns a mule, but only does light farm work for exercise since he retired.

State police are investigating the theft along Pumpkin Center Road in Addison Township. The barnyard birds are worth about $50.