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| Nina Simone Chicken at two and a half weeks |
My tiny little Peepers were gone! I was away only half an hour, and upon my return the search for the two baby chicks was fruitless. About an hour later, Nina came peeping, peeping, peeping along the path next to our property. Wherever she had been, she had found her way home, alone.
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| Nina as a gawky teenager nearly ready to lay |
Perhaps she could be called Nina-Nine-Lives. At least three times in her two and three quarter years she has looked very ill and still for a hen. Garlic water brought her around in less than a day, and she had another go at pecking and scratching and laying.
But now being vigilant is part of the Things I get to do today as I keep a chicken's eye on her movements and behavior. She seems weak in the knees. Whole days will go by with Nina able to stand and walk a bit, but then she'll immediately settle to the ground to rest. Then a day later she is up on her feet, eager to hunt and peck the hen yard.
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| Nine on the right, settled to the ground instead of foraging for the usual morning treats |
These odd times seem more frequent lately. Each recovery is a bit less sure and not as strong. We will see how it all plays out in the hen world. I've told all the hens that they get to work out their own departure from this physical body. I will not be intervening, but will provide good food, warm water and cozy shelter. The rest is for them to figure out.
I'll keep you posted.
Is it possible she could be egg laden? I have a dove that is and I've been reading up on it and some of her symptoms sound possibly like it.
ReplyDeleteIf so, she is recovering all on her own instead of dying. Right now she's perfectly fine. I'm clueless.
DeleteSounds like me, but she appears to have a good life, no undue hardships and support all around. She seems to have a good home, not confined, trampled, unlike the invisible chickens in factory farms, whose only use is for profit
ReplyDeleteSome pets have better lives than people. She isn't abandoned, like so many animals are.
In a world of gardening and hen tending, a bubble of bliss and daily comfort can be found in quiet and tasks to that enhance one's being and soul.
Paying attention is the essence of care. One looks out for what one cares for. Chickens do communicate; when they are chipper and out and about and, when they are put out, badly housed and mistreated.
Your chickens are well looked out for. So fortunate to have a peaceful, protected, healthy environment, free to roam, mostly free of predators. That's a good life, for chickens.
It's a relationship that is rewarding in the giving and the receiving. People honor and respect in others, what they value and identify with.
For some, it's chicken coops, for others it's going for a walk, looking at the plants on the sill and out the window at the sky, or sunset in the evening, breathing the air and enjoying the comfort of home and memories.
You said it all. These girls are all wound around my heart. I love them. But if they want to depart, I'm OK with that, too. Guess if you were a chicken, I'd love you, too. Thanks for sharing your insights!
DeleteAfter a few years, they stop laying eggs. That's when many 'depart', and are killed and eaten.
ReplyDeleteSome chickens get to live out their lives, unfettered and free. They are fortunate. Each chicken has a story, and the story continues after the last egg.
I think it's the short days of winter that has the girls not laying right now. But stories? Oh, my, yes!!
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