Rescued chick from cat (*Update* Coop page 26!)

[fezlet]

All because a cat wanted a chick dinner! The coop was made with all recycled material. Not a piece purchased besides the paint, fencing, and locks.



The "new girl" in pic two came wandering into my field and had been just living there by herself for awhile until I caught her. She was beat up, her back covered in sores, fur missing from her back/neck, and super skinny. Neighbor who lives 150 yds away has like 6 roosters that I've seen (where Floyd came from I think), no hens, so that's probably why she looked so terrible. I hope it's not mean that I took her. I mean, she WAS living in my field eating the horse's feed. I'm not giving her back to that guy because he has no care for his chickens. He doesn't feed them, give them a place to sleep, or collect eggs.

In my brooder I have an Ameraucana that I got from a sweet lady down the road. She should lay blue eggs. A California White (which was supposed to be a tetra tint), Tetra Tint, RIR, and a Light Brahma (who I think may be a boy

)

Well that looks like the end of the story! Thanks everyone who helped me through raising Floyd. You can look at him all grown up and see a piece of yourself

 

[ButchGood]

Wow, awsome story. Floyd is a beatiful bird.

 

[fezlet]

Thanks so much ButchGood. It's been an adventure for sure

 

[BA CHICK CHICK]

Very nice of you to do that and welcome to BYC

 

[LaynaDon95]

Awww!

That is the cutest story ever!
So did you chickens just because of Floyd?

 

[fezlet]

Awww!

That is the cutest story ever!
So did you chickens just because of Floyd?

Yep! I saved Floyd and then had to get his a buddy, and now I'm brooding more girls I love them all!

 

[LaynaDon95]

Yep! I saved Floyd and then had to get his a buddy, and now I'm brooding more girls I love them all!

Chickens are addicting aren't they? I <3 them. They are so much better than TV.

 

[Pharm Girl]

Gotta ask; how is old Floyd now? Settled in with all the new ladies? Floyd fans would love another update *pretty please?*

 

[fezlet]

Floyd is around 10 months old now. He's still as sweet as can be, though he's a bit rough on the girls' backs. I sewed them up some "chicken saddles" and it seems to be helping drastically.

On April 14th, a man who bought the property behind my house had a brush fire going and it got out of control and it burned down our home. Everything was lost, including my darling cat, Minpin. The lives of my family and myself were saved... I was home when it happened. I ran to the coop, broke down the door, grabbed Floyd and that was all that I had time to grab because the smoke was overwhelming. I saw Calissa in the corner of the chicken pin and it broke my heart to see her and know that I had to leave now or I may have lost my life. My family and I sat in our field and watched the fire trucks try and put out the fire, but since there was so much pine everywhere I was told that it only fueled the fire more. They ran out of water and my house continued to burn and the chicken coop had caught on fire by this time. Seeing the fire on my coop through the smoke is the worst feeling I've ever felt in my life emotionally. I just knew my girls where in there about to die if they hadn't already. It was too much to take. I hate him for doing this, but my brother grabbed a bag and ran into the smoke while everything was burning and stuffed Calissa and my chicks into and ran out. I didn't even know he ran in for that. They were fine, despite the amount of smoke they inhaled. He wasn't fine though. He suffered smoke poisoning for three days after doing that. He never should've done it, but he did. At this point there were still two chickens in the pin, the "wild twins" as we call them. As I was sitting crying in the field with my family I see the two wild twins scratching around in the field with us, looking completely unphased. All my babies made it out of the fire and survived.

My coop has yet to be rebuilt. We lived in a camper for awhile until the man who did this bought us a double-wide to "replace" what we lost. The coop is standing and sturdy, but some spots are so badly burned that there's holes in it. The girls actually seem to enjoy their new "window." Two weeks after I finished what I was so proud of was taken away in an instant.

 

[jewel1]

Oh my God! I'm so sorry you had such a horrific experience and I'm so glad that most of your family made it out ok. Poor Minpin. My heart almost broke while reading your story...

--Julie