A Little Hen with a Big Heart

In the scope of things, with the horrible tragedy in Boston and all the other sorrows in our world, the death of a chicken really doesn't fit in.  

But Pigeon will be missed, like any of Mother Nature's creatures, by the ones who loved her.

She was a survivor, a trooper, and one of the happiest characters I have ever met.  

Pigeon endured some hard times, just as we all do.

Those hard times ended the day we met.   
She healed, she blossomed,

She thrived. She was a treasure. A comical, half-blind, enthusiastic hen. She became the flock leader and she ruled with a warm and compassionate heart.

You can find out more about Pigeon's happy life HERE....and HERE.... and her rescue story is in my book.

Today, the day after Pigeon's passing, we have no sorrow in the coop.  While Pigeon was ill, Lucy and the gals paid their respects, treated her with kindness, and prepared for change. 

Today Lucy and Lil'White and Daisy carry a bit of Pigeon's warmth with them as they joyfully trample my young garden in search of slimy and crunchy treats.  

The sun is shining and the breeze is soft. 

And it's okay to pause and cry, because pain and loss happen.  

But still, today is a beautiful day.

Pigeon

THE RING

Nine years ago, I was cleaning out a bird house at the corner of the yard.  As I pulled out the nest material my ring flew off my finger and into a pile of leaves.

I made mental note of the exact spot where it landed, then put the bird house back together.

When I went to retrieve the ring, I couldn't find it. 
I was not heartbroken - it wasn't especially precious to me. Just a ring that I liked. 


Weeks, months, years passed. Whenever I was in that general area I kicked leaves around, looking for a glimmer of silver and red. 


I wondered if it had rolled down a chipmunk hole, or had been buried deep by hard-working worms. 


Today, I parked the chicken-tractor in that spot so the girls could do some worm-hunting in the cool shade.


Well, I'll be darned.


Pigeon didn't seem interested. 


She had more important business.



The sparkly red gem is missing, 


but I'm not going to hunt for it.

PIGEON RULES

What are some important leadership qualities ?

Hm. 

Here's Pigeon, the leader of the flock, the day I met her.


Upside down.  


Skinny, bloody...  far from healthy.  
(click here to read more about Pigeon's beginnings)

After a few weeks of tender rehab, she did seem much healthier.  
She joined the flock and slipped herself right into the lead position vacated by our dear-departed-Hatsy.

But Pigeon, our new little leader, followed Lucy around like a puppy.

As it turns out, Pigeon is extremely nearsighted.  

In fact, she's darn near blind.

This explains why she's always underfoot. 

I've nearly stepped on her several times, 

and have to be careful not to chop off her little head 

when I'm working in the garden.

  

I offer her a tomato, and she pecks to the left of it.

Even when I toss her a wiggling worm, 

she has a tough time finding it... 

she's pecking to the left again.

...but that's okay.  

There's still Bravery and Smarts, right?

O.K.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

At the beginning, Pigeon was afraid of everything. 

She was afraid of worms. 

She was afraid of the sky.

She's still scared of Marky, but  tries not to show it.

So.  Maybe health and bravery aren't that important after all.

As for. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  

Well, she's not the brightest bulb in the coop.
She's got a pretty average little pea-brain beneath that comb.  
I'd rank Daisy and Lucy as the smartest gals...


But hey, we've known leaders who have made it to the top despite even catastrophic stupidity.

So what is Pigeon's strength?

Compassion?

In a chicken?

Yep.

She shows it in so many ways.

She is very considerate of Lucy's challenges.

Lucy's an older lady who's had some really tough times.  And this year Lucy chose to molt in January....not the best time to be half-naked in New England.

So Pigeon stands beside her and keeps her warm while they nap.

And from her very first encounter with little Fern and Daisy, Pigeon has shown only kindness.

Here she stands near them and preens -- which, in chicken-talk, means "hi there- I'm not going to kill you"... of course, the chicks don't understand that yet. They're cowering in the corner, awaiting a painful death. 

But there's one particular moment of sensitivity that really struck me.....
It was last Fall.
I was offering a piece of clover to Pigeon and the little ones.

Pigeon looked up and saw Lil'White running toward the babies in order to murder them.  
While Pigeon had nothing to fear, she knew that the babies did.
She warned them of impending doom, and little Fern and Daisy fled to the forsythia in the nick of time.


It was a simple gesture.
But a true gesture of compassion.
  
I haven't seen sensitivity like that among dogs, or cats.... 
or in hundreds of hours of nature shows.     
But here it is -- in Pigeon.

Pigeon, honey, you rock.


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Now, I don't know whether it's compassion or curiosity or trust --
but Pigeon tends to be the favorite of all the kids who come to visit.

And that's a story for the next post!

.....Next post:     Chicken Socks

THE GREAT ESCAPE

...continued from the previous post: PIGEON: a complex and mysterious chicken

 

A gift from Pigeon -- the first egg she's laid in her new home.

So she finally did begin laying eggs---after two months of recuperation from her previous life at the bottom of the pecking order in a dusty old attic.

Pigeon now proudly holds position at the top of the pecking order, and continues to consider herself Lucy's very very very best friend.

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

  

This morning.... 

when I woke up and looked out the window at the chicken coop, it was empty.

Needless to say, I was alarmed.

I came downstairs to find three fluffy chicken-butts clustered at the base of the bird feeder near the kitchen window.

 

I went right outside and fussed at the escapees, but

they showed no remorse.

I knew who the culprits were.

Lil'White has discovered that if she hurls her body repeatedly against the coop door, she can jar it open,

and Pigeon has learned to climb fences...

Together they are escape-masters extraordinaire.

Of course, my forgetting to latch the door might have been a contributing factor.

 Crabapple blossoms sprinkled down upon the garden as the girls flocked lovingly at my feet.

... or,  well... as the girls greedily demanded the chicken-scratch in my hand...


...a lovely morning no matter how you look at it.

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

And now, some new faces:

the Rhode Island Red that will join my flock in a few weeks...

--she's entering her gangly teenage stage, but she's still beautiful in a pterodactyl sort of way...

And one of these little characters will be moving in, too. 

They're Ameraucanas.

Because change is a good thing,
and there's always time for more fun!

They're going to need good names --- Any ideas?


.  .  .  .  next blog entry:  SILENT MORNING

PIGEON: a complex and mysterious chicken

. . . . . continued from the previous post:  VACATION!

Pigeon MANIACALLY ADORES Lucy.

She spends most of her time

totally invading

Lucy's space.

But occasionally,

Pigeon runs off in search of her own adventure.

She loves to run.

She finds mystery and intrigue just about everywhere.

Stepping over the garden hose is always a thrill.

And one day she met a rabbit who tolerated her for a few minutes.

She also has this habit...

...of stalking...

 ...the lady...

...in blue jeans.

Does she adore me the same way she does Lucy?

or am I just 

the chicken-feed lady?

...good question...

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   

Another question for Pigeon:

-------Will she ever lay an egg?------

After two months of good food, new flock, tons of fun, Pigeon has had more than enough time to get her egg-laying apparatus moving.  

What's up with that?

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Next blog entry: THE GREAT ESCAPE