I just thought I'd contribute to the thread..
Okay. So, last Easter, I decided I wanted chickens again. I went to the local TSC and purchased several. (I forget the exact number, around 24..) While I was there, I noticed a tiny black chick, looking very sickly under the heat lamp. I felt bad for the little dude, so I took her home with me. (Flash forward several weeks and I'm moving them to their outside home.) I noticed that the tiny black chick was still the tiny black chick. She was much smaller than all of her adoptive brothers and sisters, even the banties. I didn't know what she was, so I consulted BYC but no one could give me a definitive answer. After extensive research with no real results, I gave up trying to figure out what she was.
A couple months ago, she disappeared for a few weeks. I thought that one of my dogs got her and left her body under the house. One afternoon, I went out to feed the chickens and, lo and behold, there's Crowley. My tiny black chick with 7 of her very own even tinier black chicks. I was so excited to see her, I dropped what I was doing immediately and ran inside to grab some treats(and my camera to document the marvelous sight.) I threw out the treats and grabbed some quick photos of mama bird and her offspring. I will now insert a photo of them. Enjoy
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(I still have absolutely no idea what she is. Can someone help me out with that?)
Anyways; one by one, the chicks disappeared due to frequent dog attacks. When I left for my annual trip to Arkansas, she had 5. When I returned, she had 2. She then retreated back under the house to prevent further murders. A couple days after my arrival, she disappeared again. I hoped she was raising the chicks out of sight, but it seemed far-fetched. Today, while searching for eggs under the house, I made a gruesome discovery. I found my poor tiny black chick in a dark corner, stiff as a board..
I promptly hosted a funeral for her, which my dogs and cats attended. And by "attended" I mean "sniffed around while I was digging the hole, then left."
Sorry if the imagery was a bit, um, colourful. I enjoy writing..