It was a freezing cold, dreary day, even though the calendar said it was almost Spring. The white hen (the one that was always hiding from the twelve roosters mentioned in the story “Bunny Eggs”) had laid some eggs under the large rhododendron bush in the front yard near the brick wall of the house.
It was so cold and windy, that the outside hose hookup froze and the pipe burst, showering the white hen with freezing cold water.
She never moved and inch. She didn’t shake the water off her. She just sat on her eggs! We tried to move her. She wouldn’t budge. Frozen ground, and water all around her, we wondered if her eggs were frozen, too.
We brought her food and water. If she took any it wasn’t noticeable. We brought her blankets, and tried to set up an area where she could be out of the wind. She never moved!
We couldn’t believe how dedicated she was to her un-hatched chicks. For days we watched her, and tried to help in some way.
After wrapping heavy duty plastic around some bushes and small trees, we noticed that she did move a little. Then she took some food. We could pet her, but she wouldn’t let us lift her. We really thought that one day we would just find her frozen to death. But, miraculously she lived.
The weather started to get warmer, and one day we heard little peeps!
This little mother knew some of her chicks would survive and she didn’t move from her spot till she had her babies. Of course, not all survived the harsh weather. But she felt it was worth every frozen moment she spent waiting for the chicks that did!
© Carole Devecka, God Given Daisies CaroleDevecka@comcast.net