I kept getting text messages from my daughter about our Silver Sebright: Isabelle, our little bird who recently had that pox-like infection.
Isabelle was cold and lost, so I have her inside, warming her up.
Although I knew the wind was teeth jarring and very strong yesterday (I was concerned that some of our chickens might even blow away), how on earth was our chicken lost? I asked my daughter.
She was just sitting in the middle of the backyard, not moving.
Okay, I replied. Keep an eye on her.
Next she sent me a photo with this text:
Mamma-Hen Fillin: How to care for a chicken like a baby, let it sleep
Followed by: Fun Fact Chickens snore
Um, chickens do not snore, now I was starting to get worried. Something was up with Isabelle. But of course, I was far away in another town taking photos like this:
I’m gonna try to get her outside and see how she does.
Okay but keep an eye on her.
She’s back inside.
When I got home, I checked on Isabelle who was being cuddled in a towel by my daughter. She looked limp and sleepy. Quite frankly, she didn’t look strong at all – perhaps her infection was returning.
Let’s put her in a box for the night, I told my daughter. My daughter fetched a cardboard box and we placed Isabelle in the box – from which she immediately jumped out and started to walk around the house looking for food. Didn’t look like much was wrong with this bird, but I decided to keep her in the rabbit hutch (chicken ICU) for the night just in case she was coming down with something.
This morning, I checked on her and she is as right as rain. Nothing wrong with that bird that I can tell.
Clearly, we either have a chicken who might have a little brain dysfunction going on as a result of her recent infection (lost in our backyard?) or we have a genius chicken who has figured out how to spend a cold, windy day wrapped up in a warm towel being cuddled by teen girls while her flock mates suffer outside in the bitter weather.
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Wendy Thomas writes about the lessons learned while raising children and chickens in New Hampshire. Contact her at [email protected]
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