2winds
In the Brooder
- Jun 18, 2017
- 8
- 3
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My husband has kept chickens in our back yard for about 6 years, but I was pretty much hands off except for collecting eggs & occasionally helping clip wings. Last winter his flock of ten birds was reduced to one, due to relentless critter raids, & exaustion. I casually looked for his last hen each day when I went out back, & rarely did I find her. She never slept in the coop any more. After a couple weeks, I saw her feathers under one of the redwood trees, & there she was, 2 stories up in the tree! That was when I began to like her personally, & took an interest. I decided to get her back in the hen house. While we were working on that, she got into the neighbors yard & was attacked by their dog. I rescued her that day, & that's when I promised her she could count on me. I fortified her house, & started trapping the critters who hunted her. She has survived a lot of trauma & isn't regarded by most, as an attractive bird, but her scars make her beautiful to me. About four months later, I heard about a rooster who was also the sole survivor of his flock, & needed a home. I went to meet him & brought him home that day. They bonded immediately & are inseparable (even with hens having been added since then). Since they are both sole survivors I named them Amber & Boston Rob. It was because of the bond that formed as I nursed Amber back to health after the dog attack, that I discovered chickens as invividuals. Before, I viewed my husbands flock as one. Not noticing they're individual personalities! Anyway, now I'm hooked. I enjoy the challenge of keeping them safe, & look forward to hatching some chicks next spring.
Thankyou for your time.
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