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Officer Chicken is still guarding the roost. With no training at all, she learned to wing it and continues to scratch out a living in Cheval.
By STEVE SIMON
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 28, 2001
LUTZ -- In May we introduced you to one of Cheval's smallest and most beloved residents, Officer Chicken.
The black-and-white female Barred Plymouth Rock chicken reported for duty at the Ramblewood Gate guard shack sometime in March. While residents enjoyed watching the bird, known as Henrietta by her fellow sentries, there was no expectation that she'd be around long. It was doubtful, even, whether she'd survive the publication of our initial story. Residents thought that, if one of the area's many four-legged predators didn't get her, perhaps a two-legged one would.
There was also concern about the four-wheeled threat -- as a chicken, of course, she regularly crosses the road (though no one knows why). Either way, some sort of foul play was almost a given.
Against all odds, at the end of 2001, Henrietta was still alive and well. In fact, with the cooler weather, she was even more active and visible than she had been when the heat was so oppressive. If the summer months can be called the "dog days," perhaps these are the "chicken days."
Henrietta spends her time at "fowl play," scratching the grounds around the guard shack for bugs and strutting around confidently. No longer so interested in looking for shady spots, she spends more time looking for shady characters. Guards continue to reward her handsomely with cracked corn and clean water.
Sleep soundly, Cheval. Henrietta is still on the job.