When all but one hen from my 2nd flock passed away from old age, we knew that we had to get her some companions. We found a farm animal sanctuary who assured us that their adoption standards were quite rigorous & that we'd have to be prepared for an inspection visit pre-chicken adoption.
After submitting pics of our property & the girls' rather spacious accommodations, I explained MY rules for visiting, including my strict, non-negotiable bio-security protocols.
After a 4og explanation of us & our philosophy, experience & description of how we care(d) for our chickens, the must have been satisfied, as we never did get inspected, lol. My girls are still happy & healthy, for which I'm grateful every day.
The very first hen that we met at the sanctuary was found abandoned in or having escaped to a public park. It took them a full month to catch her, she was so wiley! (Kinda made me proud of her from the get go, I admit. Her escapades even made their newsletter, which I proudly read to her.)
We were told that her name was Veronica & as we went into her yard, she just waltzed up to us, friendly as you please. I fell in love with her instantly. My husband saw the bald spots, broken feathers & overall tattered appearance & actually said twice "This one? You want THIS one?". "I can fix the feathers, but I can't give her that kind of personality if she doesn't already have it or lean in that direction. So yes, THAT ONE."
Andy so our little V came to live with us. She was always at the top of the pecking order, was very vocal, liked to be held & cuddled. On day 1, when we put her in the chicken yard & went inside the house to get something, she started screaming bloody murder & continued any time she lost sight of us until bed time. I thought that I was going to need to burn a vacation day to help her over her separation anxiety! And she wouldn't eat regular food, I had to buy canned cat food & mix it with chicken pellets. And she'd only eat a wee bit out of your hand & then no more. We had to put a small blob on her back & she'd eat that way. It took her a good while to put on healthy weight & moult new feathers, but she got there! Oh what that poor thing must've gone through.
Anyway, after a weekend of working with her & the other 6 beauties, they were better & V stopped her panic shrieking. Weaning her off of cat food took longer but she got there & blossomed into a real stunner! And oh those beautiful dark, chocolate eyes...
She passed unexpectedly a couple of years ago & I still miss her. I'd been nursing her & thought she'd rebound. I rushed home to make her some baby bird formula, as she'd stopped eating. I petted her, said that I was glad to see her & was going to get her some food. I had my husband go to check on her while I changed & by the time he got to her, she was gone. Sad does not come close to covering it, yet I was so grateful that she waited for me to say goodbye. *sigh*. RIP, dear Veronica.
Your Maggie is a beauty and she looks so much better! I'm sorry for your losses along the way, but it sounds like you have worked so far to give these little ladies a chance. I appreciate that a lot.
