As I have another week at least until I get any real ones, I was looking through old pictures of the chooks I used to have before I moved home and job two years ago. I came across some of one of my favourite girls who has since passed on and I thought I'd share a story of that sneaky little hen....
Hesta lived in a very large enclosure with 22 other hens, 1 cockerel and 2 pygmy goats. She was an ex battery hen, completely bald at rescue, but who feathered up beautifully and flourished. She was a feisty lady and had no problem sending my cockerel packing if he tried his funny business and frequently chased the goats from their shed if she thought she could steal their grain. She was a favourite of mine and a favourite of many of the children at the school, where the animals all lived and where I was a teaching assistant and mad chicken lady.
One day Hesta just disappeared!! I was horrified and completely bemused...the fence was too high for her to get over, there were no holes for her to get out of, no way for predators to get in. I searched high and low but she was simply.....gone. I was heartbroken, as were the children. The flock was so much quieter without her and I missed her dearly.
Life went on, as it does. There was a shift in the pecking order, as her place at the top was fought for, and won, by Midnight, a Black Rock of some size.
Then, one lunch time, I am sitting in the pen with a cup of tea, in the sunshine, when I heard peeping. Not birdsong. Not chook clucking. But the unmistakable sound of chick peeps. I followed them to their source and found Hesta tucked into a darkened corner, right up behind the hay rack, inside the goat shed, where I would never have seen her otherwise. As you can imagine, I was absolutely over the moon. I was also curious to see just what that was wriggling under her wing, though I had a pretty good idea!!! I gently lifted her wing and there, snuggled up, dry, fluffy, and cute as a button was a chick. And another. And another! It was pretty dark in there so I couldn't see exactly how many she'd got and I didn't want to disturb her in case there were others yet hatched so I backed out of the shed with a grin from ear to ear and tears streaming down my face.
I went back to my cup of tea, happy as a clam! I decided to give the rest of the flock some mealworms as a sort of celebratory treat so I got them out and the flock came running, squawking and flapping over for a taste of the action.
Well, two minutes later, who should decide that she was NOT going to miss out on the goodies but dear Hesta and her brood of 1, 2, 3, 4.........oh my gosh....16 little bubbas!!!!!!!!
More tears and a bigger grin from me, as Hesta strutted right through the crowd of other chickens, pecking anyone who got in her way or anywhere near her babies and showed her family just how good mealworms were on a sunny afternoon!
Turns out maybe Hesta didn't ALWAYS send Percy the Cockerel packing after all!!!!
Hesta lived in a very large enclosure with 22 other hens, 1 cockerel and 2 pygmy goats. She was an ex battery hen, completely bald at rescue, but who feathered up beautifully and flourished. She was a feisty lady and had no problem sending my cockerel packing if he tried his funny business and frequently chased the goats from their shed if she thought she could steal their grain. She was a favourite of mine and a favourite of many of the children at the school, where the animals all lived and where I was a teaching assistant and mad chicken lady.
One day Hesta just disappeared!! I was horrified and completely bemused...the fence was too high for her to get over, there were no holes for her to get out of, no way for predators to get in. I searched high and low but she was simply.....gone. I was heartbroken, as were the children. The flock was so much quieter without her and I missed her dearly.
Life went on, as it does. There was a shift in the pecking order, as her place at the top was fought for, and won, by Midnight, a Black Rock of some size.
Then, one lunch time, I am sitting in the pen with a cup of tea, in the sunshine, when I heard peeping. Not birdsong. Not chook clucking. But the unmistakable sound of chick peeps. I followed them to their source and found Hesta tucked into a darkened corner, right up behind the hay rack, inside the goat shed, where I would never have seen her otherwise. As you can imagine, I was absolutely over the moon. I was also curious to see just what that was wriggling under her wing, though I had a pretty good idea!!! I gently lifted her wing and there, snuggled up, dry, fluffy, and cute as a button was a chick. And another. And another! It was pretty dark in there so I couldn't see exactly how many she'd got and I didn't want to disturb her in case there were others yet hatched so I backed out of the shed with a grin from ear to ear and tears streaming down my face.
I went back to my cup of tea, happy as a clam! I decided to give the rest of the flock some mealworms as a sort of celebratory treat so I got them out and the flock came running, squawking and flapping over for a taste of the action.
Well, two minutes later, who should decide that she was NOT going to miss out on the goodies but dear Hesta and her brood of 1, 2, 3, 4.........oh my gosh....16 little bubbas!!!!!!!!
More tears and a bigger grin from me, as Hesta strutted right through the crowd of other chickens, pecking anyone who got in her way or anywhere near her babies and showed her family just how good mealworms were on a sunny afternoon!
Turns out maybe Hesta didn't ALWAYS send Percy the Cockerel packing after all!!!!
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