Hello there, I would like to introduce you to a special little hen of mine, her name is Rey.
I received Rey as a birthday present from my brother along with her 14 sisters. Rey is a Partridge Plymouth Rock. I loved all of them, and spent many hours picking them herbs, making them special water with tea that I made out of Oregano herb. I may have spoiled those babies just a bit.
When Rey was 2 weeks old, I moved them to a cage I had made out of chicken wire (BAD IDEA) and put them in the coop with the big guys, so they could see each other and hopefully be moved out in a few weeks. Well, Rey did not like it there, so she tried to crawl out. As her little tiny body went under the wire, it snagged on her. From the base of her head to 2/3rd s of way down her back, was ripped open, and then stuck into her left wing. My little sister found her there, half dead. She ran to get me, thinking Rey was dead. As I ran out there, I saw that she was barely alive. I gently pulled the wire out of her wing, thinking there was no way a 2 week old chick could survive this. Once she was out of the wire, she perked up a bit and began cheeping her little head off. We called a friend of ours that was a veterinarian, we made an emergency trip to his house where he proceeded to stick the hole in her wing where the wire had stuck down in her. (Imagine, it you will, an adult male hand stitching up 2 week old chick).
After her day, Rey was exhausted, and slept in my lap the whole way home. When we got home, I put anti infection cream on her, and covered her crate with a towel so flies would not get to her. The next day, she was still alive, and the next, and the next. I started to think there might be hope. She became quite friendly with humans, being alone so much. She would ride on my shoulder as I fed the animals.
One day, I was in a hurry, I was going on a hike with some friends of mine. Rey was a bit annoyed trying to stay on my shoulder as I raced about to feed all the animals. I got into the office, quickly deposited her into her crate and began putting on my hiking boot. Well, she wanted to be with me, she jumped on my shoulder and then my head. My mom came out to the office and gave me the ''What in the what in the world am I going to do with you'' look. I asked her if Rey could go on the hike with us. She said yes, though I could tell she had her doubts. Before she could change her mind, I jumped in the car with her on my head, paper towels, and a mason jar lid for water.
Rey loved it, she rode on my shoulder, and became quite famous among my friends, at the top, I tried to set her down so I could take some pictures. She would not have it, she raced after me and would not stay far enough away for me to take a picture. Oh well, I thought, I did not get many great ones. She was hungry because I forgot to bring food, so she ate a cherry. On the hike down she tucked her head under her wing and sat contentedly in my hands. She then slept all the way home.
A week later, Rey went out with the rest of her buddies, now in chicken tractor where she could eat all the grass she wanted. I temporarily forgot about trying to to integrate them in with the rest of the flock.
One of the few good pictures.
An airplane flew over, and she was intent on watching it.
Hey, what is that? Can I eat it?
She now loves cherries.
Part two
Rey and her sisters had a blast in the new chicken tractor. At 3 weeks old, they were already enjoying bugs, grass, and sunlight. I had to move the chicken tractor often because they ate it so fast! Rey had a slightly hard time getting along with everybody after the time she spent alone and loved it every time I came in to feed them.
One day, I was a little later feeding the animals a little later than usual. The chicks were now ten weeks old. I glanced down at the pen, and it looked like something was amiss. I walked down to the pen, figuring they were just basking in the sun. I opened the door to the pen, and could not believe my eyes; 5 Golden Laced Wyandottes lay in a pile. Rey was lying just a bit off from the others with her head oddly twisted underneath her body. The other nine chicks were just walking around acting perfectly normal.
I looked around the coop and found a slight hole dug underneath the tractor. As I looked at the chicks, they had miniscule puncture wounds on them. After some research I found that weasels make tiny pin head size holes and suck their blood, so they did not have bad wounds.
Rey was not in good shape, I did not see how she would make in, but after her first injury, I figured I might as well try and give her a chance. I picked her up, and her legs were stiff, her eyes wide open, and she did not move. I set up a crate for her with a heating pad, thinking she would not make it twenty four hours. She ate a small amount of food, and using a medicine dropper, I got a little bit of water in her. The next morning she had not improved. Mama said she was in shock from blood loss.
It took one week for her to come out of shock. After that week, she could eat and drink without me helping her. Rey had lost so much blood that she could not stand, she sat in front of her food and water all day long. One more week, Rey could stand but she had to stand up against the walls of her tote that she was recuperating in. It was a long and drawn out process, but after 3 weeks, Rey could stumble around without the support of anything else. So that she could get Iron and Protein, I started letting her spend her days in the Chicken Tractor where she could eat grass and bugs. She spent the nights in the tote where she was safe from weasels.
I moved Rey’s 8 remaining sisters and 1 brother into the pen with the other chickens where I could close them up in the coop at nights. I gave them special attention so that they could eat and not be bullied by the big chickens.
After 5 weeks, Rey finally had enough strength to walk around without flapping her wings to stay up, or falling over. I started to notice that Rey seemed to have something wrong with her hip. To this day, Rey’s back is very crooked, and she stands at an odd angle. A friend of mine said when the weasel was piling them up; it might have pulled her hip, or stepped on it.
Today, Rey is almost 15 weeks old, out of those 15 weeks she has been alive, seven of them have been alone healing. She still far prefers human company to her chicken buddies, but she has figured out how to get along. I can always tell Rey apart because of her chirp, she has a special chirp that she uses when I come in the pen and she comes running up to me.
A couple of weeks ago, Rey went with us to a potluck at a local winery. She was the star; she rode around on my shoulder and ate the watermelon and strawberries from the fruit salad. As the sun started to set, I put her on a barrel and took pictures of her and the sunset. The dogs there seemed very interested in her, but she was safe on my shoulder.
I am do not think Rey will ever lay eggs, especially with her hip problem, but Rey holds a very special place in my heart and I will let her live her life out as my pet.
I hope you enjoyed Rey’s story!
Rey and I went for a walk in the woods yesterday and I snapped this picture.
Eating a apple. She ate a slice and a half!
Her wing has never been the same, and it does not tuck underneath her feathers as well as it used to. But I still love her.
She realized that worms like hangin out by the compost bin....
Chicken in the woods!
Hey, wait up!
She decided it would be fun to jump up on the log.
This picture kinda shows Rey's Partridge lacing.
Just hangin out with the sunset!
Thank you for reading!!!
I received Rey as a birthday present from my brother along with her 14 sisters. Rey is a Partridge Plymouth Rock. I loved all of them, and spent many hours picking them herbs, making them special water with tea that I made out of Oregano herb. I may have spoiled those babies just a bit.
When Rey was 2 weeks old, I moved them to a cage I had made out of chicken wire (BAD IDEA) and put them in the coop with the big guys, so they could see each other and hopefully be moved out in a few weeks. Well, Rey did not like it there, so she tried to crawl out. As her little tiny body went under the wire, it snagged on her. From the base of her head to 2/3rd s of way down her back, was ripped open, and then stuck into her left wing. My little sister found her there, half dead. She ran to get me, thinking Rey was dead. As I ran out there, I saw that she was barely alive. I gently pulled the wire out of her wing, thinking there was no way a 2 week old chick could survive this. Once she was out of the wire, she perked up a bit and began cheeping her little head off. We called a friend of ours that was a veterinarian, we made an emergency trip to his house where he proceeded to stick the hole in her wing where the wire had stuck down in her. (Imagine, it you will, an adult male hand stitching up 2 week old chick).
After her day, Rey was exhausted, and slept in my lap the whole way home. When we got home, I put anti infection cream on her, and covered her crate with a towel so flies would not get to her. The next day, she was still alive, and the next, and the next. I started to think there might be hope. She became quite friendly with humans, being alone so much. She would ride on my shoulder as I fed the animals.
One day, I was in a hurry, I was going on a hike with some friends of mine. Rey was a bit annoyed trying to stay on my shoulder as I raced about to feed all the animals. I got into the office, quickly deposited her into her crate and began putting on my hiking boot. Well, she wanted to be with me, she jumped on my shoulder and then my head. My mom came out to the office and gave me the ''What in the what in the world am I going to do with you'' look. I asked her if Rey could go on the hike with us. She said yes, though I could tell she had her doubts. Before she could change her mind, I jumped in the car with her on my head, paper towels, and a mason jar lid for water.
Rey loved it, she rode on my shoulder, and became quite famous among my friends, at the top, I tried to set her down so I could take some pictures. She would not have it, she raced after me and would not stay far enough away for me to take a picture. Oh well, I thought, I did not get many great ones. She was hungry because I forgot to bring food, so she ate a cherry. On the hike down she tucked her head under her wing and sat contentedly in my hands. She then slept all the way home.
A week later, Rey went out with the rest of her buddies, now in chicken tractor where she could eat all the grass she wanted. I temporarily forgot about trying to to integrate them in with the rest of the flock.
One of the few good pictures.
An airplane flew over, and she was intent on watching it.
Hey, what is that? Can I eat it?
She now loves cherries.
Part two
Rey and her sisters had a blast in the new chicken tractor. At 3 weeks old, they were already enjoying bugs, grass, and sunlight. I had to move the chicken tractor often because they ate it so fast! Rey had a slightly hard time getting along with everybody after the time she spent alone and loved it every time I came in to feed them.
One day, I was a little later feeding the animals a little later than usual. The chicks were now ten weeks old. I glanced down at the pen, and it looked like something was amiss. I walked down to the pen, figuring they were just basking in the sun. I opened the door to the pen, and could not believe my eyes; 5 Golden Laced Wyandottes lay in a pile. Rey was lying just a bit off from the others with her head oddly twisted underneath her body. The other nine chicks were just walking around acting perfectly normal.
I looked around the coop and found a slight hole dug underneath the tractor. As I looked at the chicks, they had miniscule puncture wounds on them. After some research I found that weasels make tiny pin head size holes and suck their blood, so they did not have bad wounds.
Rey was not in good shape, I did not see how she would make in, but after her first injury, I figured I might as well try and give her a chance. I picked her up, and her legs were stiff, her eyes wide open, and she did not move. I set up a crate for her with a heating pad, thinking she would not make it twenty four hours. She ate a small amount of food, and using a medicine dropper, I got a little bit of water in her. The next morning she had not improved. Mama said she was in shock from blood loss.
It took one week for her to come out of shock. After that week, she could eat and drink without me helping her. Rey had lost so much blood that she could not stand, she sat in front of her food and water all day long. One more week, Rey could stand but she had to stand up against the walls of her tote that she was recuperating in. It was a long and drawn out process, but after 3 weeks, Rey could stumble around without the support of anything else. So that she could get Iron and Protein, I started letting her spend her days in the Chicken Tractor where she could eat grass and bugs. She spent the nights in the tote where she was safe from weasels.
I moved Rey’s 8 remaining sisters and 1 brother into the pen with the other chickens where I could close them up in the coop at nights. I gave them special attention so that they could eat and not be bullied by the big chickens.
After 5 weeks, Rey finally had enough strength to walk around without flapping her wings to stay up, or falling over. I started to notice that Rey seemed to have something wrong with her hip. To this day, Rey’s back is very crooked, and she stands at an odd angle. A friend of mine said when the weasel was piling them up; it might have pulled her hip, or stepped on it.
Today, Rey is almost 15 weeks old, out of those 15 weeks she has been alive, seven of them have been alone healing. She still far prefers human company to her chicken buddies, but she has figured out how to get along. I can always tell Rey apart because of her chirp, she has a special chirp that she uses when I come in the pen and she comes running up to me.
A couple of weeks ago, Rey went with us to a potluck at a local winery. She was the star; she rode around on my shoulder and ate the watermelon and strawberries from the fruit salad. As the sun started to set, I put her on a barrel and took pictures of her and the sunset. The dogs there seemed very interested in her, but she was safe on my shoulder.
I am do not think Rey will ever lay eggs, especially with her hip problem, but Rey holds a very special place in my heart and I will let her live her life out as my pet.
I hope you enjoyed Rey’s story!
Rey and I went for a walk in the woods yesterday and I snapped this picture.
Eating a apple. She ate a slice and a half!
Her wing has never been the same, and it does not tuck underneath her feathers as well as it used to. But I still love her.
She realized that worms like hangin out by the compost bin....
Chicken in the woods!
Hey, wait up!
She decided it would be fun to jump up on the log.
This picture kinda shows Rey's Partridge lacing.
Just hangin out with the sunset!
Thank you for reading!!!
