This afternoon as I drove up the lane to my house, I saw a dove resting in the gravel in the shade. I expected her to take off, but she didn't. I drove closer, she only walked a little ways down the lane. I tried driving around her, but was worried I would run over her, so I got out to see what was the problem. Turns out she has a broken wing.
I caught her pretty easily and put her in a shopping bag in the car and drove home.
I took her into the chicken yard and gave her many sips of water.
Sunny looked on with pronounced 'bird dog' interest.
When I felt like she was as hydrated, I put her under the lilac bushes in the corner of the pen where she could hide.
It took me a while to decide to go any further.
Creatures die every day here at the edge of the woods. They just don't usually do it with my full knowledge.
I got worried that the chickens might not take kindly to an intruder, so I made a choice.
She's in the broody hen jail.
By the time I got out there to set this up, I couldn't find her. After a few minutes of searching, I found her about 15 feet away from the lilac already. So she is certainly ambulatory. At least she is safe for the time being.
There are no guarantees in this situation. I have seen deer recover literally with a completely broken leg. It took all summer, but that buck walked again. I will at least commit to getting her over her immediate trauma and see how things go.
It's a risky business meddling with the natural order of things.
I won't kid you. I am not optimistic about this whole thing.
I may have to put her into the early release program anyway because if things don't change around here it might get a bit crowded in Broody Jail.
As of this writing, I have TWO broody hens. Lydia is at it for the second time this summer. And Goldie is trying it on for size for her first time.
I should just go right on ahead and rent out my hens as incubators for other people's chicks.
So that's the situation today at Heartwood Cottage at the edge of the big woods.
We aren't having a bit of problem today following our motto:
When I felt like she was as hydrated, I put her under the lilac bushes in the corner of the pen where she could hide.
It took me a while to decide to go any further.
Creatures die every day here at the edge of the woods. They just don't usually do it with my full knowledge.
I got worried that the chickens might not take kindly to an intruder, so I made a choice.
She's in the broody hen jail.
By the time I got out there to set this up, I couldn't find her. After a few minutes of searching, I found her about 15 feet away from the lilac already. So she is certainly ambulatory. At least she is safe for the time being.
There are no guarantees in this situation. I have seen deer recover literally with a completely broken leg. It took all summer, but that buck walked again. I will at least commit to getting her over her immediate trauma and see how things go.
It's a risky business meddling with the natural order of things.
I won't kid you. I am not optimistic about this whole thing.
I may have to put her into the early release program anyway because if things don't change around here it might get a bit crowded in Broody Jail.
As of this writing, I have TWO broody hens. Lydia is at it for the second time this summer. And Goldie is trying it on for size for her first time.
I should just go right on ahead and rent out my hens as incubators for other people's chicks.
So that's the situation today at Heartwood Cottage at the edge of the big woods.
We aren't having a bit of problem today following our motto: