The rescue of Owl Chicken Part One

The wall on the other side of the chicken coop, from where Owl Chicken was rescued.

An unplanned allegory to what is happening in America via Owl Chicken's unexpected tumble between walls.

So yeah, two weeks ago today my husband and I trooped to the coop to feed the chickens. Nothing was amiss, although usually I have this task alone, but he was awake and it was lovely to have company. 

Lovely and necessary because upon opening the door and finding the chickens waiting on the wall, we only counted seven. Seven is NOT eight. Seven was a quiet siren that caused my heart to race and my feet to move, scouting the area for signs of a predator while my husband inspected the coop proper for any evidence of infiltration.

For those agonizing moments, I wanted to cry; Owl is my fave chicken. Owl was named for dots over her eyes when she was a tiny chick, but don't ask me why I chose Owl, it simply landed on her like destiny. And now, weeks later, what was her destiny? To have simply disappeared without a trace?

Returning to the coop, I heard a strange rustling behind the wall that butts up to the next stall; our coop is the last of three horse stalls, which the previous owner altered into a fine chicken coop! The noise made me shiver; it sounded like a very large rodent. Then a chirp emerged, followed by another. Somehow Owl Chicken had landed between the walls of the barn!

A little backstory; the roost my husband built butts up to a low wall, which at the top was a railing of sorts, and despite the very nice roost, the chickens decided to sleep on that railing. At the time we thought nothing of that gap, perhaps three inches wide. No chicken could fall between the railing and wall.

Before Owl fell, this was how it all appeared.

But we were wrong, as Owl Chicken continued to chirp. Now it became a matter of between which studs had she fallen, so my husband could cut a hole in the correct space. And was she injured???

For this post's sake, I'll reveal that 1) Owl was in PERFECT shape upon retrieval, other than her tail feathers were a little crooked and have since straighten out. And 2) My husband immediately screwed in boards all along that railing so no other chicken could fall. After ascertaining that Owl was indeed fine and had gotten herself a drink of water, we then ate a delayed breakfast, discussing how owning chickens was full of entertainment and excitement as well as the occasional bout of angst.

After my husband cleared crap from the wall and took his circular saw to it, I retrieved Owl from this spot, maybe four inches in depth between the walls. She was quiet and calm, as I had been crooning to her what a good chicken she was, that we loved her, and were coming for her.

I've been meaning to tell this story for two weeks, but publishing a novel intruded, then a niggly shoulder. And all I was going to say was that one of our chickens fell between walls, was rescued, and is fine. But yesterday afternoon I realized a deeper meaning. All those chickens having gone to the highest possible place for safety, a normal instinct for them, had inadvertently jostled one of their own down a dark, cloistered shaft. Then promptly forgot about her, for that morning not a single one of those chickens exhibited any sign that one of their flock was missing. We won't tell Owl, but I shall tell you, dear readers, how is that any different than what is happening not only here in America, but all over the planet, when people feeling under threat dismiss the responsibility of care toward one another, and push away or ignore the needs of those less fortunate.

Owl in the run, happy to be back with her sisters!

Again for brevity's sake, I'll wrap up Part One with that statement. My chickens are merely birds who cozy up to each other when the mood strikes, then puff out their feathers and attempt to cluck at one another when another mood emerges. Not a mood of thoughtfulness but of anger. Of wanting to bully. Of nothing that resembles the lovingkindness we humans have the great capacity to show each other. More about that in the next post....