Hello everyone. I first got Midge, my bantam feral hen, because in less than 2 days New Orleans was going to be hit with, what was thought to be a cat 5 hurricane. It came to my attention that a bantam feral hen and her 1 chick was in someone's garden and no one seemed to know who this little hen belonged to. She and her chick where in danger of death in less than 48 hrs. Without giving it much thought and not even notifing my husband, I grabbed a box and picked both chickens up and brought them home.
My hurricane set up is a cage that can be assembled with a few screws in my 2nd floor laundry room, allowing my chickens safety from wind, rain and flood. The cage was assembled, and the regular flock placed inside. The new Mom and chick stayed in the box.
Once the storm passed the mom and chick were placed in a see, no touch broody box and the regular flock went back into their regular routine.
Time went on, the chick grew into a bantam cockerel and then cockbird. He took command of the flock of full size hens, caring for them and doing all the things a good Cockbird does for his flock. He seemed pretty proud of himself with his little mom by his side. Then one day Midge went missing. We looked all over for her and just couldn't find her. I thought I had lost her for good. T-Boy, the master of the flock didn't seem be very concerned, which made me think she was gone for good all the more.
Weeks went by and 2 days ago my husband told me he had seen Midge waiting outside the fence when he went out to let the flock out of the coop and feed and water them. But then she disappeared again, and we couldn't find her.
Last night around 11pm, I thought I heard Midge cluck and then some peeps. I grabbed a flashlight and put a baseball cap on my head and in my nightgown, out into the back yard I went.
There were some branches and such in one area of the yard and I thought I heard chicken "talking" coming from that area. Carefully placing the flashlight so that I could see, I began to remove branches, slowly, one by one. Hot, tired, hurting, I got to the bottom of the pile and found nothing. It had taken at least an hour and I sat down to rest, ready to give up again.
On the way out the yard I shinned the beam of the flashlight under the house and low and behold, next to the pirogue Midge stuck her head up to see what that light was all about. She looked at me and clucked in a rather irritated fashion. I don't think she was happy that I had found her. Then the peeps began, she had been there 3 weeks sitting on a nest under my house and had hatched chicks. I took off the baseball cap and began putting chicks into it and it began to fill up, with more chicks hiding under mom and peeping. Running inside I woke my husband up stating I need help NOW.
So he in his Pj's and me in my nightgown, with flashlights, in the middle of the night, in the backyard began grabbing chicks and placing them in the see, no touch broody box.
I think she has hatched 15 chicks, 10 chipmunk looking chicks, 3 black chicks and 2 chocolate colored chicks.
As soon as daylight comes I will go out and see what I need to do to care for them.
I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am that not only did I find Midge, but she managed to hatch and protect 15 new additions to my flock.
My hurricane set up is a cage that can be assembled with a few screws in my 2nd floor laundry room, allowing my chickens safety from wind, rain and flood. The cage was assembled, and the regular flock placed inside. The new Mom and chick stayed in the box.
Once the storm passed the mom and chick were placed in a see, no touch broody box and the regular flock went back into their regular routine.
Time went on, the chick grew into a bantam cockerel and then cockbird. He took command of the flock of full size hens, caring for them and doing all the things a good Cockbird does for his flock. He seemed pretty proud of himself with his little mom by his side. Then one day Midge went missing. We looked all over for her and just couldn't find her. I thought I had lost her for good. T-Boy, the master of the flock didn't seem be very concerned, which made me think she was gone for good all the more.
Weeks went by and 2 days ago my husband told me he had seen Midge waiting outside the fence when he went out to let the flock out of the coop and feed and water them. But then she disappeared again, and we couldn't find her.
Last night around 11pm, I thought I heard Midge cluck and then some peeps. I grabbed a flashlight and put a baseball cap on my head and in my nightgown, out into the back yard I went.
There were some branches and such in one area of the yard and I thought I heard chicken "talking" coming from that area. Carefully placing the flashlight so that I could see, I began to remove branches, slowly, one by one. Hot, tired, hurting, I got to the bottom of the pile and found nothing. It had taken at least an hour and I sat down to rest, ready to give up again.
On the way out the yard I shinned the beam of the flashlight under the house and low and behold, next to the pirogue Midge stuck her head up to see what that light was all about. She looked at me and clucked in a rather irritated fashion. I don't think she was happy that I had found her. Then the peeps began, she had been there 3 weeks sitting on a nest under my house and had hatched chicks. I took off the baseball cap and began putting chicks into it and it began to fill up, with more chicks hiding under mom and peeping. Running inside I woke my husband up stating I need help NOW.
So he in his Pj's and me in my nightgown, with flashlights, in the middle of the night, in the backyard began grabbing chicks and placing them in the see, no touch broody box.
I think she has hatched 15 chicks, 10 chipmunk looking chicks, 3 black chicks and 2 chocolate colored chicks.
As soon as daylight comes I will go out and see what I need to do to care for them.
I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am that not only did I find Midge, but she managed to hatch and protect 15 new additions to my flock.
