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Thursday, September 3, 2015

Thank You! and a chicken tale


Thank you dear friends for the kind encouraging words and get well wishes.  I appreciate you all so much. Thank you.

It's a good thing I didn't know ahead of time and could not see all that had to be done during the two hours I sat in that dentist chair. Thankfully and hopefully, it's over with.

Do you remember the little red hen who showed up in our driveway a few years ago, 2008 I believe it was



she was hungry and looking for a place to stay...a stray hen, of all things! I fed her and she has been under my feet fussing and following me around ever since. I used to joke that Mama sent this little hen to look after me...that's why I named her Jewel, after Mama.

She was peculiar...not wanting to stay in the lot with the chickens or sleep on their roost, unless she could have the roost all to herself. Occasionally, she would fly in the goat lot and sleeps in the box with the rooster


 

Jewel was the little scoundrel who broke the antique green bowl that sat in the old cupboard. Why, to her it looked like the perfect place to lay an egg. What a mess that was. I heard a terrible crash then flapping and cackling...all kinds of stuff flashed through my mind as I tore out to the front porch. There she was, walking back and forth, fussing and carrying on like it was my fault for not gluing the bowl to the cupboard.



Jewel has raised baby chicks three different times since we took her in. All her babies quickly outgrow her, taking after their papa... 



Once she sets her mind to something, she gets it done. I think she would take on the devil if she had to.



This past May, Jewel hatched another baby



Here they are, "the three (chicken) musketeers", always together.

It was right at the edge of dark a little more than a week ago that I noticed little Jewel was missing. The rooster was in his box, the hens had all gone inside the coop, and there was Jewel's half grown baby in a panic running from place to place, not knowing where to go. It broke my heart. Jewell always got first choice at where she and her baby would sleep...the other hens simply moved out of her way. 

It took some time that evening but I finally caught the baby and carried her inside the now dark chicken coop and sat her on the roost between two old hens. Well, of all the squawking and carrying on, you'd think I had put a snake between them, but the chick hunkered down so I slipped out and closed the door and stood there listening until everything was quiet.

More than a week passed with no sign of little Jewel. I figured it was probably a hawk or maybe even a fox that got her. 

Yesterday, thinking I should probably wash the blankets from Weetie's little doghouse that sits on the front porch before cold weather gets here, I reached in and to my surprise...


there she was, minding her own business! No telling how many eggs she is sitting on?  I won't be washing that little fuzzy blanket any time soon. 


Love,
Henny







19 comments:

  1. She's a sweet little mama-hen, and looks quite at home in her dog kennel...lol
    I was afraid you would tell us she was no more...but happily sitting away on her eggs :)
    Sweet girl.
    ~Jo

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  2. Aww that is so sweet! I just love your stories. Been meaning to call you but have not got around to it yet. Love you to the moon and back

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  3. Definitely a jewel in your crown, a girl who knows her own mind and walks her own path. Perhaps she learned from you.

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  4. Aww that's so sweet, you kept me gripped right until the end xx

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  5. Oh my goodness, isn't she a character. I know I like her already. Hope she won't abandon her baby again.

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  6. I don't know what I was thinking, I was captivated until the end. Here's hoping she will be a mama soon...

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  7. I was so afraid that was the end of Jewell. So glad you had a happy ending. And, have you ever thought that Jewell might be something of a trollop? Hiding out in the box with the rooster doesn't speak well of her virtues!

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  8. Is it crazy that we get attached to chickens? I have one hen left and I can't stand the thought of giving her away. She only has one wing but she is a fighter. I'm so glad your little Jewel is safe and sound, getting ready to be a mama again.

    Grace & Peace.

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  9. Good to know that Jewel is okay----not lost or dead---just sitting there takin' care of business. We'll all be waiting to find out how many babies she hatches out. I feel sorry for her earlier baby being left all alone to fend for him/her self but I guess they have to fly the coop at some time and with new babies on the way I suppose the time was NOW.

    About your dentist appointment. They always say that the patient should be fully informed about any surgery but sometimes it's better to not know what's coming---it saves having to deal with all that worrying anticipation.

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  10. That's a wonderful story wth such a happy ending. I was not wanting to read to the end because I thought I knew what was coming. Bless Her little chicken heart!

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  11. You had me teary eyed over a chicken, glad she's ok.

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  12. That is just so cool about Jewel.. I had not yet discovered your blog apparently back when she showed up!!! I am so glad you found her!!! She must certainly lead a charmed life to be out of a protected coop at night and be able to make it!!! :O)

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  13. OMG! What a story! With such a happy ending! Was Jewel in the dog house the whole time she was missing? Sitting on her eggs? And will any of them hatch into a chick? You are so lucky to have chickens. I've always wanted to have chickens. For the delicious fresh eggs. But also to love as pets. They all seem to have such unique different personalities. Lots of people think chicken are not very smart. And not affectionate. But I think your tales about your chickens and others I've read about would prove that belief is wrong! I'm so happy you have gotten your dental issues taken care of and are on the mend! Take care.
    Hugs from Darlene

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  14. Whew! So glad your Jewel is still around. And so glad your teeth are feeling better. Hope you're all done with that too! Thanks for the always great, always interesting blog! :o)

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  15. I was afraid that something had happened to her after reading your sweet story so I am glad she is safe and carrying on as her usual self! Nancy

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  16. What a surprise and what a relief!

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  17. Be sure to let us all know when those chicks hatch out. I'm anxious to know how many she will have. I'm another one who thought you were going to find her lifeless body in the doghouse. I'm glad she's fine but how old do chickens get, anyway?

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  18. I'm so glad this story has a happy ending! I feared it would not. That little hen is a Jewel, for sure.

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  19. Silly hen....I hope she has about six babies this time that will keep her busy:)

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