Post by 4hkidandmom on Apr 15, 2008 4:04:23 GMT
Ok, this is long, but I just have to share this. I know its not about pigs, but I have to tell someone about my interesting day. First let me start by telling you about a very special chicken we have. Her name is Naomi and she's nothin special to look at. Just your ordinary run of the mill 'mutt' chicken that we hatched here ourselves 2 years ago. A lovely mix of silky and frizzle, she was a tiny little poof ball of a chicken and we adored her from the start.
Naomi never liked us taking her eggs. Soon as she started laying, she tried and tried to hide her eggs from us. I realized after a time that I might as well let her sit a few to get it out of her system. She obviously wanted to be a mom.
So, she laid, and I didn't take them. Once she'd laid 6 eggs, she sat right tight and didn't move. 'What a wonderful broody hen' I thought. Three weeks later, I awaited the chirping of new chicks, but nothing came. Still she sat. A few more days went by and she began looking at me like, 'whats wrong?" She finally gave up and left her nest after 4 weeks had gone by without a hatch.
She was obviously upset. She went off her feed, and stopped drinking. I had to bring her inside and tube feed her to keep her alive. Finally, in dispear and fear of loosing her, I took several eggs from my known breeders and made Naomi a new nest. I brought her out and set her near it and she gave me this look like "OMG! For me???" and hopped right on them!
She sat and sat like the trooper she is, and sure enough 3 weeks later, she had a lovely family of 4 new chicks! She was sooo proud! I couldn't wait to let her out when it warmed up so she could teach the chicks to scratch and peck. She was such a good mama.
Well, I'm not sure what season it is where you all are, but here in the states, its spring. My chickens have been cooped up all winter and are just itchin to get out! Today finally warmed up enough to let them roam. We free range our chickens, so being cooped up for the winter (and Wisconsin winters are HARD. We had a record amount of snow this year.
) is really hard on them.
Well, anyway....I let them out and went on about my other chores. The goats needed milking, the new kids needed tending, had some hooves to trim, and then I headed over to brush the 'pacas fiber, as its nearing time to sheer and I need to get any debris out. Naomi strutted around with her new chicks so proudly! I couldn't help but smile.
Well, on my way over to the paca barn, I heard my favorite rooster make a real weird noise. Made me stop dead in my tracks...as did every chicken in the yard. Next thing I know, all my hens and chicks book tail for the coop and dash inside. All the roosters (and I have 6 right now) stood tall, and still with eyes on the sky. My 'head' roo dashed over to the coop and stood blocking the door. Then, no one moved or made a single noise.
I of course looked up, and saw nothing. 'Weird', I thought, and continued along towards the pacas. I stopped when I noticed that my ducks and geese had taken cover under a brush. They never do that. Now I was wondering what was going on. So I looked up again.
This time, I see the concern. A trio of large hawks circles above our yard. Then a movement catches my eye, and I see Naomi in the yard. She's looking up too, and then all of a sudden makes a mad dash across the yard. 'Oh no! Why would she do that?' Then I see why. Her chicks are still out playing as Naomi dashes towards them and calls them to her covering them with her body. Then like lightning, one hawk bolts down and heads right for her. I gasped and closed my eyes.
All I heard was a shreak from the hawk and then rustling and then nothing. I wince and open my eyes just as my head roo breaks from the rest and heads towards the hawk who is standing on the hen. The rooster rips into the hawk full boar and after a time, the hawk flies off. Everything in the yard slowly returns to normal, and I stand across the yard looking at the pile of feathers on the ground. Oh no....
I head towards the pile of motionless feathers and fight tears. We don't try to get attached to the chickens because so much can happen. Things like this. Well, Naomi was special and as I walked towards her still body I fought back the tears that were burning in my eyes as a lump began to build in my throat.
I stood over the mess of what once was a beautiful 'mutt' chicken and began to cry. With no sign of the babies, I feared them lost as well. I fell to my knees and gently plucked up a pretty feather to add to my daughters scrap book (we save a feather from each chicken we've ever raised here.)
Wiping tears from my eyes I stood up and started back to the house to get a shovel so I could bury her, when I heard a small noise. I t urned back to look and saw a chick pop out from beneath her, followed by another, and then the other 2. I was bittersweet.. 'She died protecting the family she'd wanted so badly...' I thought as I knelt down to scoop up the chicks, and just then Naomi popped up! She wasn't dead after all! Only playing!
I was shocked, but unbelievablly happy! ;D I am happy to report that Naomi and all 4 chicks are just fine, and sleeping comfortably tonight after such an exhausting day. I am just thrilled.
Oh, and I never did get all my chores done today...
Naomi never liked us taking her eggs. Soon as she started laying, she tried and tried to hide her eggs from us. I realized after a time that I might as well let her sit a few to get it out of her system. She obviously wanted to be a mom.
So, she laid, and I didn't take them. Once she'd laid 6 eggs, she sat right tight and didn't move. 'What a wonderful broody hen' I thought. Three weeks later, I awaited the chirping of new chicks, but nothing came. Still she sat. A few more days went by and she began looking at me like, 'whats wrong?" She finally gave up and left her nest after 4 weeks had gone by without a hatch.
She was obviously upset. She went off her feed, and stopped drinking. I had to bring her inside and tube feed her to keep her alive. Finally, in dispear and fear of loosing her, I took several eggs from my known breeders and made Naomi a new nest. I brought her out and set her near it and she gave me this look like "OMG! For me???" and hopped right on them!
She sat and sat like the trooper she is, and sure enough 3 weeks later, she had a lovely family of 4 new chicks! She was sooo proud! I couldn't wait to let her out when it warmed up so she could teach the chicks to scratch and peck. She was such a good mama.
Well, I'm not sure what season it is where you all are, but here in the states, its spring. My chickens have been cooped up all winter and are just itchin to get out! Today finally warmed up enough to let them roam. We free range our chickens, so being cooped up for the winter (and Wisconsin winters are HARD. We had a record amount of snow this year.
) is really hard on them.Well, anyway....I let them out and went on about my other chores. The goats needed milking, the new kids needed tending, had some hooves to trim, and then I headed over to brush the 'pacas fiber, as its nearing time to sheer and I need to get any debris out. Naomi strutted around with her new chicks so proudly! I couldn't help but smile.
Well, on my way over to the paca barn, I heard my favorite rooster make a real weird noise. Made me stop dead in my tracks...as did every chicken in the yard. Next thing I know, all my hens and chicks book tail for the coop and dash inside. All the roosters (and I have 6 right now) stood tall, and still with eyes on the sky. My 'head' roo dashed over to the coop and stood blocking the door. Then, no one moved or made a single noise.
I of course looked up, and saw nothing. 'Weird', I thought, and continued along towards the pacas. I stopped when I noticed that my ducks and geese had taken cover under a brush. They never do that. Now I was wondering what was going on. So I looked up again.
This time, I see the concern. A trio of large hawks circles above our yard. Then a movement catches my eye, and I see Naomi in the yard. She's looking up too, and then all of a sudden makes a mad dash across the yard. 'Oh no! Why would she do that?' Then I see why. Her chicks are still out playing as Naomi dashes towards them and calls them to her covering them with her body. Then like lightning, one hawk bolts down and heads right for her. I gasped and closed my eyes.
All I heard was a shreak from the hawk and then rustling and then nothing. I wince and open my eyes just as my head roo breaks from the rest and heads towards the hawk who is standing on the hen. The rooster rips into the hawk full boar and after a time, the hawk flies off. Everything in the yard slowly returns to normal, and I stand across the yard looking at the pile of feathers on the ground. Oh no....
I head towards the pile of motionless feathers and fight tears. We don't try to get attached to the chickens because so much can happen. Things like this. Well, Naomi was special and as I walked towards her still body I fought back the tears that were burning in my eyes as a lump began to build in my throat.
I stood over the mess of what once was a beautiful 'mutt' chicken and began to cry. With no sign of the babies, I feared them lost as well. I fell to my knees and gently plucked up a pretty feather to add to my daughters scrap book (we save a feather from each chicken we've ever raised here.)
Wiping tears from my eyes I stood up and started back to the house to get a shovel so I could bury her, when I heard a small noise. I t urned back to look and saw a chick pop out from beneath her, followed by another, and then the other 2. I was bittersweet.. 'She died protecting the family she'd wanted so badly...' I thought as I knelt down to scoop up the chicks, and just then Naomi popped up! She wasn't dead after all! Only playing!
I was shocked, but unbelievablly happy! ;D I am happy to report that Naomi and all 4 chicks are just fine, and sleeping comfortably tonight after such an exhausting day. I am just thrilled.
Oh, and I never did get all my chores done today...
