- Jun 5, 2012
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On December 17th, my chicken went missing. She is a happy, free-range 10 month old Easter Egger. I noticed she was missing around 4:30 in the afternoon, just before it started to get dark here in Northeast Ohio. I looked around a little bit at 4:30, started a bigger search by 5:00, and by 11:00 at night I was in full panic mode, searching with a spotlight, calling her name. (Which is Chick-Chick. Not very original.) I pulled out treats, shook bags of food, waved around string cheese. Nothing. I sat by the coop until almost 3 in the morning, hoping she would appear, and keeping the other two chickens safe while I left the door open.
Finally, I closed the coop door, allowed myself to consider a fox-fated encounter, and went sadly inside.
Snow came. Temperatures have dropped into the single digits night after night. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day. All passed.
Today, standing in the kitchen, something caught my eye by the window. I was on the phone with my best friend, and all I could say was Oh My Gosh, Oh My Gosh. She thought I was having a stroke. There, outside the window, was my chicken! I grabbed a towel, ran out and picked her up out of the 16" of snow, and brought her inside. She is fine!! Maybe a little frosty, but after a good long snuggle, she ate, drank, and snuggled some more! She is back out in the coop now, under the heat lamp.
I've called all my friends that would understand, and even a few that wouldn't. Eighteen days in the snow, lost somewhere on our fox, raccoon, weasel, skunk filled 70 acres, she came back. I told my best friend, that perhaps God has upgraded from sending Doves to sending Chickens!
Finally, I closed the coop door, allowed myself to consider a fox-fated encounter, and went sadly inside.
Snow came. Temperatures have dropped into the single digits night after night. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day. All passed.
Today, standing in the kitchen, something caught my eye by the window. I was on the phone with my best friend, and all I could say was Oh My Gosh, Oh My Gosh. She thought I was having a stroke. There, outside the window, was my chicken! I grabbed a towel, ran out and picked her up out of the 16" of snow, and brought her inside. She is fine!! Maybe a little frosty, but after a good long snuggle, she ate, drank, and snuggled some more! She is back out in the coop now, under the heat lamp.
I've called all my friends that would understand, and even a few that wouldn't. Eighteen days in the snow, lost somewhere on our fox, raccoon, weasel, skunk filled 70 acres, she came back. I told my best friend, that perhaps God has upgraded from sending Doves to sending Chickens!
