Blood Hen: Noun. A creature of low magical significance created when a demon seeks to possess a human but accidentally possesses an adjacent chicken (the latter being mostly empty on the inside).

Despite the name, Blood Hens also include roosters. The Blood Hen (sometimes called Viking Chickens or Demon Cocks) is generally of foul (and fowl) disposition owing to the fact of its occupant’s unintended living quarters. It will chase and antogonize whomever gets remotely close employing a pecking and clawing attack strategy.

Blood Hens have no astounding powers other than the female of the species ability to lay flaming eggs that hatch into new Blood Hens and an overall cast of red with a persistant angry expression and two horns on their head. A Blood Hen nest is an excellent alternative or emergency heat source on colder winter nights. Nests tend to be composed of gathered rocks, and/or bits of scrap metal or a small untended cauldron. Straw and other inflammable material should be avoided at ALL COSTS. Blood Hens have been known to employ the devious strategy of intentionally laying eggs in barns and homes as a way of creating chaos and devestation. Tactics should be employed to avoid such evil.

It should be noted that Blood Hen eggs have become highly desired by some of the world’s most renowned chefs for the exotic and spicy omlettes that can be created with them…however few diners are brave enough to face the consequent acid reflux that inevitably follows consumption. The flesh shares similar attributes and can be found in Cajun cuisine.

The feathers of the Blood Hen have been used to create heated pillows, blankets and mattresses etc. however the heat effect gradually reduces to zero within two to three years of being plucked.

There are also Half-Blood Hens (this is where the term “half cocked” comes from) which are the product of Blood Hen and regular hen coupling. The Half-Blood Hen is the “mule” of the species having none of the reproductive abilities but all of the anger.

Postscript: The above mentioned attribute of “mostly empty on the inside” means the average chicken acts like a sort of intellect gravity well drawing in the nearest untethered intelligence, hence, keeping a chicken nearby is excellent defense against demonic possession (assuming of course that the one being defended has a higher intellect than the chicken and is willing to take on the consequences of creating and owning a demonicaly possessed bird).

The above entry is excerpted from The Annotated Encyclopaedia of Possessed, Supernatural and Otherwise Haunted Fowl by Harpy O’Doole, 1758 updated in 2024 by Peter Cantelon to whom all text and image copyright belong.