JenellYB Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 It all started the week before Thanksgiving when Sheila (my daughter) told me she had taken a badly wounded chicken away from her dogs out in her yard, and had it in a small plastic dog crate. Said her neighbor had been raising some chickens in a flimsy pen, but without a yard fence, both his own and neighorhood dogs kept getting in an killing them....when his female dog came into heat, he gave up on the few chickens left and turned them loose so he could lock his female dog up in the pen. Now why he thought the pen would hold her or keep the males dogs out and away from her, the same pen they had been tearing into to get at the chickens, I don't know. Didn't sound too bright to me. So on Thanksgiving, Sheila has this wounded little chicken in a dark cage in a corner where its quiet, she gets it out and holds it up for me to see the wound on its body up under its wing...big nasty tear, poor thing's skin ripped open, hip/thigh all laid bare...no way, I thought, this poor chicken is going to make it. Each time I went over, Sheila would get it out, hold it turned up with wing raised so I could see the wound, and amazingly, it was trying to heal. Bear in mind, the dark cage in a corner and Sheila just holding it up for me to look at the wound on the side of its body under the wing each time, I never actually took a good look at this chicken, like just sitting or walking around in the cage. Going by its size, body feathered out but tail feathers just coming in, little comb suggested female, so I guessed it to be a little red pullet a couple months old. Having a friend that keeps a flock of laying hens, told her about the little hen, asked if she'd want it if it got well, she said yes. Last Tuesday night, after babysitting Sheila's kids, we put the cage in my van, i brough it home, set the cage on the porch for the night. Opened the door of the crate just enough to stuff a wad if hay in, cause it was cold. Next morning I get my first good look at this chicken in good light, walking around its cage. Seemed happy enough, making sweet little clucking hen noises....hen noises? Wait a minute! I watched this chicken in disbelief, not only making HEN noises, NOT CHICK noises, and...OMG! This is a FULL GROWN CHICKEN! About the size of a plump QUAIL! I'd seen other people that had Bantams, but never even seen a Bantam this little! Apparantly the tail feathers "just starting to grow in" are because the dogs that had her must have pulled all her grown ones out and they are having to regrow to match her already big stong, long fully developed wing feathers. VERY big, strong, long, fully developed wing feathers...... Obviously this fricken chicken isn't going to be a bit of use to my friend with her laying flock! I was embarressed to have to tell her what a mistake I'd made! Me, who has raised chickens! My only excuse, I never had any minitature chickens before! Never even say a miniature chicken before! Left her a message on her cell...now what am i going to do with this fricken chicken??? Second morning, noticed some white twine from a horse feed bag, must have been mixed into that hay I gave her, was all wound and wrapped around the fricken chicken's legs and feet...knowing she would bite, Sheila had warned me, I grabbed an old sheet and reached in to get ahold of it and remove the string...that fricken chicken EXPLODED! Fast as lightening, flying up, back and sideways all at the same time, i swear! Managed to get past me, putting a nasty scratch in my upper lip just below my nose with one of her talons as she went by, skawking and screeching. Obviously miniature chickens aren't hampered by the same weight dynamics as the normal size chickens I've had! Several futile attempts to trap her against a fence and grab her fail, she takes flight to only god knows where....Meanwhile Spirit is inside the house going freakin' insane wanting to get that fricken chicken! No sign of hide nor feather of this fricken chicken for a day, but afraid to let Spirit loose out front like I usually do for fear if its still around she'll find it, either kill it or chase if into the next county, or the highway traffic. She is HOT for this fricken chicken's blood! She has to take her potty breaks in the little fenced back yard. Went out mid day to feed the horse, Spirit's having a feaking fit wanting to get put there and find that chicken! Jumping up against the door to look out the door window, and against the front living room window. I get done, go back in and sit down..odd, why are the traffic noises so loud? Like the front door is open? But the front door isn't open....then I see it......in her freakin fit Spirit hit the front window so hard she broke the glass out! Broken glass all over the pet bed and floor!!!! I remove the window from the frame to take to the glass place next week, tack sheet plasitc over the outside of the window, and a scrap of linoleum to the inisde, until I can get the glass back in the window. Darned fricken chicken, who could have guess it would cause this much trouble. That evening, lo and behold, just before dark, I hear a noise on the porch, look out the door window, chicken is on the porch looking for a roost for the night! Ah, now just the see where she roosts, slip out and scoop her up after dark. Sounded so easy. Hah! Three tries, and i swear that fricken chicken has eyes in the back of its head and it is watching everything even when suppsedly asleep...three times, THREE TIMES that night, I creep up, get close, make my move to grap....chicken EXPLODES! Did I mention that unhamped by the weight of a normal chicken, a miniature chicken can fly backwards, sideways, and up all at once, and at the speed of a flushing quail? I can't beleive i can't catch a chicken at roost! Third time, chicken chooses some other roosting spot, can't find her. Next day, no sign of chicken;;;at least until Spirit escapes back yard and next i know the fricken chicken is skawking and exploding and flapping all over the yard and Spirit is giving hot pursuit around and under the house until i finally grab her with a flying tackle as she races past me.... Tonight, again watch chicken go to roost on the front porch, in a VERY hard place to sneak up on, especially knowing now that she has eyes in the back of her head and watches everything even asleep....wan't very optimistic when I slipped out to make my first try of the evening.... Well, I guess I had got the hang of the explode. fly backwards, sideways, and up all at once maneuver that seems to be her specialty, and managed to actually grab her on the first try. I toss the swawking flapping fricken chicken back into the dog crate. Spirt is going insane in the house, of course, but she can't see through the linoleum on the front window and I make it back in before she breaks the glass out of the door window too. I slipped back out with the camera, and took the photo here, as she glared at me from within the crate for spoiling her free lifestyle. And no kidding, though she looks like a 'normal' chicken in this photo, she is only about the size of a quail! What the heck am i going to do with this fricken chicken? That if she lays eggs, will probably be about the size of a Whopper malted milk ball? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yvonne Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 I must confess - several thoughts went through my head: 1. That's really cute, as far as chickens go 2. I love animals, though I'm not a vegetarian, but that little thing wouldn't even make a good sized meal for my huge cat 3. I didn't know they made mini chickens! what a cute story Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glintofpewter Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 Hilarious account - well except for the cut on the lip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenellYB Posted December 11, 2011 Author Share Posted December 11, 2011 Yvonne...pretty much my own thoughts...I've raised many kinds of chickens over the years, for many years was really into the 'homestead life', "Mother Earth News, whole bit, but they are always 'useful' types...eggs. meat, or dual-purpose. I've seen the common Bantams, or "Banties" as most people commonly call them, though never had any myself....their eggs are small, 1/3 to 1/2 the size of regular chicken eggs, not big enough to mess with for meat, but people keep them because they are so alert and agile they are better suited to free ranging where predators are a problem. But I've never seen one anywhere near this small, and I didn't know there were any this small either....I've now browse the intenet and found there are a whole class of breeds of these miniatures, which are generally considered "ornamental." They are generally classed as "natural Bantams", whereas the common Bantams I'd seen are bred-down from crosses between 'normal' chicken breeds with such natural bantams to produce somewhat useful varieties. I don't know what to with this poor thing, now that I have her. Neither is my daughter prepared to deal with her. I don't know what anyone could do with her except keep her as an ornamental cage bird? Maybe baby ones could be raised as pets, but this bird is definitely NOT a pet, lol. Clearly she was part of a breeding flock, unnaccustomed to much human handling. Jenell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenellYB Posted December 11, 2011 Author Share Posted December 11, 2011 But just think of what an interesting breakfast plate it would be served up with bite-sized sunny-side up fried eggs! And what cute 'little kids sized' Easter eggs they would be! Actually, Dutch, the cut on the lip won't be near so annoying and troublesome to "fix" as the window glass my dog broke out! Jenell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterkatamari Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 Aww, she's cute. I guess you're right though, that the only thing you could really do would be to have it as an ornamental type bird. Her behavior might adjust over time so that maybe she can be let out a bit too, though I know nothing about chickens. lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Jenell, I have found the perfect use for her: Roast Chicken on a Keyring Roast Chicken is great anytime of the year & only a little strange to have hanging from your keys. In Japan these keychains are used to attach to your mobile phone. Sometimes it seems the more of these you have attached to your Keitai Denwa (Mobile Phone) then the higher your status. Without one you feel quite naked. Westerners visiting Japan often have a chuckle when they see how everyone has at least 3 keychains attached to their phone. Guaranteed by the time they fly home, they have at least 2 themselves. You can attach this to anything really: your car keys, school bag, ruck sac, usb drive - even your phone if you dare. A great novelty item that's hugely popular in Japan. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeW Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Paul, When I clicked on the link you provided, my antivirus software sounded alarms and said "Trojan Horse Detected." George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Thanks George. Although I had no such problems with the link, better to be safe than sorry. I have tried to delete the link from the post but it seems I don't have the permissions to edit my post. Perhaps a modertaor reading this could assist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 I had no problem with the links either but I removed them as requested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Thanks, Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenellYB Posted December 12, 2011 Author Share Posted December 12, 2011 Paul, thanks for the laugh attack...my sides are aching! Roast chicken on a keyring, ROFLMBO! Yes, she is cute, and with effort to handle her, could probably be tamed down at least some what. However, I don't really have that deisre or interest, she will always be a problem with the dog I have, who is obviously not chicken safe. And she's one more thing I have to remember to take care of, feed and clean up after, and make some arrangments for care on occasions when I'm away from home a few days. For now, I've dragged an old cockatiel cage out of the barn, fixing it up to put her in, it'll be better than the plastic dog crate. It has a slide out metal floor pan, and I can hang it on hooks on the front proch, high enough the dog can't get her. Plan to move her into it tomorrow. Considering putting word out, maybe some bulletin board notices, or even Craigslist 'pets'...ask a small 'rehoming fee', maybe $5-$10, to help assure anyone taking her is serious about taking decent care of her. Like my friend with the laying flock, who kindly often provides me with yummy fresh yard eggs, none of my "country" neighbors would have ANY use for this little bird...not only is she pretty useless, she wouldn't be able to survive living with normal size chickens, they are very pecking-order driven in their little flocks, and would kill her in nothing flat. I know she's 'just a chicken', and in past years, raised and 'processed' many chickens for meat, but....I'm just not in that "mode" anymore, and on top of that, she is just so little and cute! And has gone through such an ordeal, healing from a really terrible wounding from those dogs I never imagined she could survive. Such pluckiness just seems to deserve a chance at a decent life, lol. Jenell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenellYB Posted December 12, 2011 Author Share Posted December 12, 2011 ...reference to 'such pluckiness' just reminded me of a chicken story video I first saw a few years ago, and fell in love with it! Guess since its about a bantam, too. and a plucky one, this is a good place to share... Enjoy Jenell http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg4FXWsdDEI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 That's just not fair, Jenell. How am I ever to enjoy KFC again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenellYB Posted December 12, 2011 Author Share Posted December 12, 2011 Know what you mean. If I were to keep chickens again, it would only be for laying hens, eggs. There's a mindset, a "mode", people that are farmers and such, that raise animals for meat, have to be in...like I said, I'm just not there anymore. I've known more than one person convert to vegetarianism out of the experiences of actually getting to know, personally, animals tradtionally raised for meat, discovering their unique personalities, admirable natures and qualities....maybe that kind of like the way we can be toward other people, people we don't think of as the same as us, that we dehumanize, disregard, even hate. Its hard to do that when you actually get to known them as persons. Jenell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Too true, Jenell. I have found there's not a single person I've met and gotten to know that I would then prefer to eat! But seriously, I know what you mean. I'm not there yet as a vegetarian (I just love the taste of meat!) and I'll admit that I conveniently ignore any thoughts of abatoirs and slaughterhouses when eating my meat. But as I've gotten older and a little milder, I have put some things behind me such as shooting rabbits, foxes and kangaroos (yes kangaroos are our national emblem but they're in no shortage and most farmers will bowl over a few every now and again for dogfood, or even human consumption). I found that I simply started to empathise with these critters which made it difficult to shoot them any more and feel fine about it. I guess if it was out of a distinct need for survival I could live with it, but for recreational/supplementational food purposes, I no longer feel comfortable killing. That's probably not a very good segue into how I feel towards refugees these days, but when I started to imagine myself in their situation and empathise with them, particularlly when I had children of my own, I found it very hard to feel the way many people still do (i.e. they should 'go home' or that somehow they don't deserve to be here whereas we do because we were simply lucky enough to be born here, not there). If only I could feel that way towards self-righteous, fundamental, evangelicals! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soma Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Jenell, Sounds like a great watch dog, I mean watch chicken to protect your house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenellYB Posted December 13, 2011 Author Share Posted December 13, 2011 Well, no, not really..while she's quick to defend herself when cornered in a cage, given the option to run away and hide is her definite preferred survival tactic. Note as in my account, after she got away from me here, it was several days before I even saw her again, or rather, before my dog got loose and found her, and I wasn't even sure if she was still here or if she'd left the county. Other than when cornered, she is, well, a chicken. Jenell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christiansoul Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 She's cute and your story made me laugh. Made me remember my neighbor's chickens. I just hope they won't go into our yard anymore. There are about 5 chickens total and they keep on making a mess everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenellYB Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 Christiansoul, I can relate. Having lived in the country many years, I've known both the pleasures and frustrations of chickens and other farm animals. Yes, chickens can be very messy and even destructive, though a wise farmsteader learns to utilize those same qualities to benefit. But one of the definite frustrations of living in the country is when city-folk move in around you and demonstrate their absolutely ignorance of and lack of responsiblity in keeping animals, whether farm animals or their pet dogs and cats, toward either the animals' well-being, or their neighbors. Jenell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christiansoul Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 Christiansoul, I can relate. Having lived in the country many years, I've known both the pleasures and frustrations of chickens and other farm animals. Yes, chickens can be very messy and even destructive, though a wise farmsteader learns to utilize those same qualities to benefit. But one of the definite frustrations of living in the country is when city-folk move in around you and demonstrate their absolutely ignorance of and lack of responsiblity in keeping animals, whether farm animals or their pet dogs and cats, toward either the animals' well-being, or their neighbors. Jenell Hello Jennell. Yes. I agree with you. People should also have responsibility for their pets. My neighbor recently moved to a different state and left all their 3 kittens. Now all the kittens are lurking around looking for food. Sometimes I would find them in my terrace, sleeping on my couch outside. And as much as I want to keep them, I can't. My kids both have asthma and the fur of these kittens trigger them so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenellYB Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 This Fricken Chicken has redeemed herself, and is hereby offcially and formally re-named "Chicken Little." Her ransom offering she presented to me this morning is actually about 1/2 to 3/4 the size of a store-bought large egg. Pretty impressive, given her own size. Jenell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christiansoul Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 This Fricken Chicken has redeemed herself, and is hereby offcially and formally re-named "Chicken Little." Her ransom offering she presented to me this morning is actually about 1/2 to 3/4 the size of a store-bought large egg. Pretty impressive, given her own size. Jenell Hahaha Chicken Little it is. That's cute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenellYB Posted December 24, 2011 Author Share Posted December 24, 2011 The egg! That's a store bought large egg for comparison. pretty impressive. I think, for her size, and recently recovering from a really bad injury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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