Saturday 10 April 2010

Chicken Rescue


I think I've mentioned before that we live next door to a free range chicken farm & these chickens certainly range freely as they constantly escape from their huge field & come through the hedge to visit our garden which is obviously much more exciting.

We have two ponds & they think it's a great place for a quick drink, except some of the slightly more stupid ones fall in & I'm regularly fishing them out - sadly some are already dead, having drowned before I see them.

I fished one out yesterday who had only just fallen in & then this morning when I went to feed my chickens they were making lots of noise & I noticed a hen in the pond - she was just floating with her head out of the water. I immediately fished her out & she was soaking wet & very, very cold.


I put her down on the grass & she just flopped over & didn't even try to get up.



So I grabbed a towel & wrapped her up & rubbed some of the water off & cuddled her a bit.



She was still very cold & shivery with her eyes closed & head flopped back.


This is where an Aga comes in handy - it's not just for cooking! I popped her in a box & put it close to the Aga. I wasn't sure if she'd survive the shock & cold.


I left her there for a few hours, checking her regularly & eventually she started to sit up & opened her eyes as she warmed up & dried off.


A few more hours & I took her outside & put her in a sunny spot where she sat for a while, clucking to herself until she strolled off with a friend, none the worse for wear!

Hopefully she has learned her lesson & she won't dive in again.


So, that was my good deed for the day! In case you are wondering, it was Mr C taking the photos - he can't resist any photo opportunity!


I thought you'd also like this photo of Purdy playing "leaping panther" off the table after watching the chicken proceedings with interest.


25 comments:

  1. Ah the poor thing! Glad it is OK now.

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  2. Oh the poor little lady! Good job you were there to save the day.
    Brill photo of the cat, I love it! x

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  3. Jayne,
    You are so kind to do this! I love all animals. I am the one that picks up a bug on a kleenex and puts it outside :), instead of stepping on it Thanks for you heartwarming story.
    xo,
    Robin

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  4. Aw how lovely you are...and how cute is that hen!
    So glad she is ok!
    ;-)

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  5. Awh! Sweet story! Glad she was ok in the end! X

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  6. Poor chicken, I'm glad she made it. I think the free range chicken farm make sure it's boundaries are more secure!

    Do the fugitive chickens end up staying with you Jayne, or return whence they came?

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  7. poor little chilly chicken - glad you helped her.
    Mad dog !

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  8. Oh, the poor little thing. I am so pleased you persevered with her, and that she is ok now, bless her.
    That is a great photo of Purdy. :) xxx

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  9. Chickens are so dim! Bet she didn't even know she was in an Aga or she may have died of fright!

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  10. Yay for Jayne, Chicken Hero! And love the picture of Purdy, ha!

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  11. I would love an aga. You are lucky and so was that hen.

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  12. Well done Jayne, do you have a big net or do you have to leap in after them? Its amazing what a bit of warmth can do for a chicken in distress. Great shot of Purdy. Jane xx

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  13. Hi Jayne
    You have also obviously done your " cold water sea survival" course, as thats the way to deal with hypothermia!
    Well done!
    Tracey

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  14. Aah how sweet !
    ps. I love your blue textured dotty blog background. I will have to do some research as I dont like mine much !
    Sue x

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  15. Oh the poor hen!I don't know why, but I imagined that they may be able to swim out! How silly of me!
    Love the photo of Leaping Purdy!
    Have a great week!
    Rachel x

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  16. Aaaaah! Now I can't quite imagine giving a chicken a hug but it certainly needed some TLC.

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  17. You are a chicken saver; I currently have 38 hens, all Isa Browns, the same as those next door to you. And your Aga is the same as mine!

    CJ xx

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  18. Well done you!

    I quickly wanted to pop on and say hello and thank you for your very special comments on my post it meant alot to me, and thank you for leaving me your lovely, caring words. special hugs for your premmie, and glad he is a fine nearly young man now :0) X

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  19. Hooray!
    I love a happy ending :-)
    Lucky chicken.

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  20. Hi Jayne

    So glad that there was a happy ending for this chicken, poor thing!

    She was very lucky that you spotted her just in time!

    Love the cat photo!

    Have a lovely weekend
    Warm wishes
    Isabelle x

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  21. Glad to see everything turn out well.

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  22. I found that quite stressful to read Jayne. Thank goodness it ended ok. You need to do some hen training so they don't do it again.

    Thanks for your kind words about the loss of our cat Molly by the way.

    Lisa x

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  23. This is wonderful; my heart just melted! I'm a big animal lover- my mum lived on a farm when she was young so I get it from her. So pleased that you were there to save the little chicken! xxx

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