My weird little buddy, an Ameracauna hen, got slammed by a hawk. From the time she hatched, I saw she was different. She had a short neck, long legs, poor hygiene, and only grew to about 2/3 size of her hatchmates. She didn't chirp, coo or cluck; she honked like a goose or made grunting croaks. I never saw her groom or preen and she always looked like she'd just crawled out of a dumpster. She really liked to be picked up and carried in the crook of my arm like a football, and lived for being scratched.
In spite of all that, she ate well and didn't have any trouble in the pecking order. As a matter of fact, she seemed to be outside the pecking order, kind of invisible to the boss hens.
Being the weird bird, she never appeared to respond to the rooster's warnings or food calls. Ever. When all the other hens scurried for cover at the rooster's "sky threat" warning, she continued to hunt bugs and, consequently, had a hawk drop out of the clouds on her like a cinder block.
I saw it happen, and interrupted the attack but the damage was done- she was flopping around with no motor control and had bright foamy blood coming out of her mouth. I put her down.
She was odd but probably the friendliest chicken I've ever had.
In spite of all that, she ate well and didn't have any trouble in the pecking order. As a matter of fact, she seemed to be outside the pecking order, kind of invisible to the boss hens.
Being the weird bird, she never appeared to respond to the rooster's warnings or food calls. Ever. When all the other hens scurried for cover at the rooster's "sky threat" warning, she continued to hunt bugs and, consequently, had a hawk drop out of the clouds on her like a cinder block.
I saw it happen, and interrupted the attack but the damage was done- she was flopping around with no motor control and had bright foamy blood coming out of her mouth. I put her down.
She was odd but probably the friendliest chicken I've ever had.
