After this last couple of years, it has been difficult to really focus on anything outside of the present. Recently things have been getting back to a more normal routine and I have noticing things again more. With all of the animals we have the house is a full-time job that has been being neglected. Three dogs, eight ducks and 38 chickens are a lot to handle. This summer though it seemed as if every hen wanted to have babies to care for! Not wanting to raise any chicks in a brooder this year I figured what's the harm in maybe letting one or two mommas have babies. One momma took it upon herself to make that decision though and that is where this story begins.
One morning I went out to feed my birds and let them out of their coop and one of my most beautiful hens was sitting outside waiting for me. She was beautiful with a bark blue grey head with a fluffy beard and lighter lilac blue feathers on her body. I was surprised went on letting the birds out and went on inside to go to work, came home that night and shut the door on the coop with all the birds put in. The next morning was the same thing she was out sitting waiting for me. I realized she had a nest somewhere in our yard! I searched and searched for her and the nest the next few days. About 20 days passed and I couldn't find the nest. Finally, my youngest daughter found the nest way back in my horseradish plant, hard to get to and hard to see. With just a couple days left before the eggs would hatch, I didn't want to move her and the eggs and risk breaking any. I let her stay. My biggest mistake! The next day feathers strewn everywhere momma was gone and all but one of the eggs were gone. We saved that little last egg, and we had one other hen wanting to be momma. We placed the egg under her hoping it would still hatch. The next day we went out to the coop and little chirps were coming from the coop! There was a beautiful silver little chick! That adoptive momma was so proud of her little baby and clucked it around the feed and water teaching that little chick how to be a chicken. While out feeding and watering the birds I wanted to check on that little baby, so I picked it up so carefully. As I'm inspecting it momma is jumping up pecking at me biting my pants and wanting a fight, after checking on the baby I set it back down by mom. She clucks and inspects the baby making sure every little feather is still ok on her baby. I watched that momma and when the dogs would come near, she would puff up her chest and chase them pecking them on the but as they ran away. That hen, Miss Silly Sally, was going to protect that baby with all that was in her!
A little while later we had another hen that decided it was her time to have a baby. With her sitting on eggs I wanted to make sure I marked the eggs so they wouldn't be collected to be eaten. If you have every tried to move a broody hen you know they can be vicious! Momma pecked me and bit and clucked her warnings to me to leave her eggs alone. In watching her she began to look a little sickly and pale, so I kept my eye on her. Finally, a couple days before the eggs hatched, I notice little bugs crawling on her! It broke my heart I hadn't noticed the nasty little bugs sooner! I hurried and treated her to get rid of the bugs you could tell she was feeling relief but was still very weak. Then the two little ones hatched! Momma still pretty weak but recovering strutted those little babies around the yard biting and pecking at me as I check on the babies and her. I watched those mommas and realized how brave hens really are!
They will take on a dog with sharp teeth that can kill them in one quick bite. They will take on a person that even at only 5' 2" still towers over them just to protect their most valuable thing to them, their baby. We say chicken like it's a bad thing but watching the courage of a mother hen, they are warriors!
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| Silly Sally and Adopted baby Lucky |
