The Adventures of Barcode the Barred Rock

[Pyxis]

This is the completely true story of my barred rock hen, Barcode. I don't really know what her life was like before I found her, but I've made some educated guesses based on her appearance and age. I hope you like her as much as I do!



It was a dark, rainy, starless night. The hen sat with her sister in the rain, on the ground, hoping a predator would not come by because they had no protection. The hen heard a rumble and saw the approach of two bright lights. Another car was passing along the road near where she and her sister lay. The rain continued to pour and she was soaked to the bone, but the hen dared not move. She was skinny and weak, cast out and abandoned by her former owner when she and her sister had stopped laying as well as they had when they were younger. There was nowhere for them to go even if they did get up.

Another rumble and more bright lights. This time, the car slowed as it passed, and then started coming backward towards her and her sister. It stopped, and the door opened. A human came out and walked toward her. She did not move. Suddenly she was picked up and carried away. The human brought her into the car and sat clutching her. The car started. They were going to leave and her sister would be all alone! Suddenly the human holding her said, "There's another one!" She was passed to a second human who had been driving. He did not seem happy to be holding her but he went along with it.

The first human left the car and came back with her sister. She would not be left behind. The second human passed the hen back to the first human and she settled onto her lap, her sister close beside her. The car was warm and quiet, and she stayed still. Her sister had the same idea, and together they sat in silence.

Eventually the car stopped and the rumbling halted. "I'll put them in the coop I'm working on building. That way they'll be out of the rain and away from my birds. I'll come up with a better solution tomorrow," said the first human. She lifted both birds and walked in the dark to a small building that was not yet finished. It did have four walls, though, and a tarp that kept the rain off, and a roost, so when the human set the hen and her sister inside, they hopped up onto the roost. It was dry, and it was safe from predators, so the hens tucked their beaks into their feathers and slept.

 

[gryeyes]

<I><*sniff*></I>
Bless you!

And what an inspired name for a BR!

 

[Pyxis]

<I><*sniff*></I>
Bless you,

And what an inspired name for a BR!

Thanks! This isn't the end of her story yet - she's turned out to be quite a character

 

[SilkiesForEver]

Good for you! Poor things!

Subscribed!

 

[Pyxis]

The hen was woken in the morning by blue light filtering through the tarp. She could hear other chickens in the distance, and even heard a rooster crow! She had never heard that before. Her old flock had no rooster. Her sister was shifting restlessly. Suddenly she began jumping at the tarp until she loosened a corner and it fell away from the clamp holding it in place. Then she made one final jump and hopped out of the hole she had created. The hen, not wanting to be left behind, followed.

It was a warm, sunny morning. She looked around and saw woods, perfect for finding bugs and worms in. She saw apple trees in bloom, and looked forward to the fruit they would drop for her to eat. A rooster crowed again. Now that the sound was less muffled, she realized the other birds were closer than she thought. Ahead of her, her sister was heading toward the sound. She followed after.

They passed through a thin strip of woods and came out on the other side, where suddenly they saw lots of birds. They were all different colors and sizes. Where she came from, the birds had all looked like her, black with dull white stripes. Here, they were red and brown, white and black, blue and grey, spotted, laced...there was so much variety. Some even had feathers on their legs - she had never seen that before! These birds were all behind a fence, and they seemed happy that way - after all, there was plenty of room in there, and they were safe from things like dogs and foxes.

A door opened and the hen saw the human from last night walk across the grass. She went right past her and her sister and all the birds behind the fence. The birds behind the fence called after her and tried to get through the fence to her. The hen wondered why. She watched as the human walked through the thin strip of woods and saw through the trees as she opened the building they had been in last night. She realized the human was looking for her. As she watched, she also thought of how the human must see the poop she and her sister had left in the coop, and how it was nothing more than black sludge and gravel, which was all she and her sister could find to fill their crops with.

A sound nearby caught her attention, and she watched as her sister tried to fight a hen through the fence! Suddenly the human appeared and picked her sister up, taking her away from the other hen. "How did you get out?" She asked them. "You are supposed to be in quarantine! Well, too late now, I guess. I'll just put you guys in my small pen." All the while, her sister was fighting and squirming. She did not like to be picked up. The human carried her sister to a smaller pen and then came back for her. She did not fight as much, but she did run away a little at first.

The human put her down in the pen and the hen looked around. The pen had a small house for shelter, and she could watch the other birds from here. There was also a waterer! She was so thirsty, and she and her sister began to gulp at the liquid. The human walked away and came back a few seconds later with another container that looked like the waterer. When she set it down, the hen realized it had food in it! She ran to it and ate, and ate and ate, until her crop was so full and heavy that she nearly tumbled over. She realized now that this human was a Food Bringer, and that she had a new home. She would be taken care of here, and have food and water and flockmates. The sun was warm, and her crop was full, and she was very, very happy.

 

[theoldchick]

Love the name, 'Barcode'!

 

[EggresiveAli]

Brilliant lol well done

 

[HoneyDreameMom]

What a terrific story! You must include a chapter about Barcode and the guineas.

 

[jen214]

Great story,awaiting the next installment!

 

[Pyxis]

It had been a few days and the hen was starting to get settled in. There had been a few bumps along the way the first couple of days, mainly because of her sister, who, after eating that first day, had decided she was not satisfied with the small pen. Now, the hen had no idea how her sister had managed her escape, because the fence was six feet tall and staked into the ground, but she had. And not only that, but after her second great escape of the day, her sister had also broken into the run that the rest of the birds lived in, and the Food Bringer had walked out to see her sister fighting with Plum, one of the more dominant hens, in the run.

The Food Bringer had said that she gave up trying to quarantine the hen and her sister, and had picked up the hen and tossed her into the run with the other birds. Much scuffling had followed, but things soon settled down. The hen and her sister also got names - the Food Bringer named her sister Houdini, because she said that she could escape from anything, and had named the hen Barcode, because she said she looked like one, whatever a barcode was.

Still, Barcode was upset at her sister for breaking into the run, because she could tell the Food Bringer was worried that they might get her other chickens sick. Barcode saw the way the Food Bringer checked the other birds' eyes for bubbles and listened to them breathe and felt bad for all the worry she was causing her. She wished she could tell her that her and Houdini were healthy but the Food Bringer would just have to tough it out for a month and see for herself that they were.

Even though she was happy, Barcode was having some problems with the other birds. She was flighty and not used to being around so many others. Plus, in her old flock, she had been the Head Hen, and she had a big comb and wattles to rival any rooster to prove it. She also had a spur. She had made sure to squat for the Food Bringer to prove she was a hen, though. She didn't want to be kicked out and find a new home - she knew a lot of Food Bringers didn't keep roosters, although there were two here.

She was having problems with the other birds because of her appearance and masulinity. Sure, she was rising in the pecking order, but the roosters didn't like her and would chase her away from the food and let the other hens eat first. The other hens didn't seem to like her either, and even Houdini was leaving her more and more to hang out with the other birds. So even though she had food and water and shelter and new flockmates, Barcode was lonely. At least the Food Bringer brought her treats.