My Sister's New Family Pet...."Chick-On"....

 If you don't know my Sister, Holly, you are missing out on knowing one of the craziest people around.  Her humor and laughter are infectious and she looks at life from a different "angle" than most of us.  She has a husband that tolerates that humor with a shake of his head and a smile.

Recently one of Holly's chickens was being picked on by the rest of them in the coup.  It ended up bleeding and Holly rescued her and took her inside to see if she could fix her up.  She started out in a dog kennel in the garage and eventually ended up being a member of the family (they have a sign on their front yard that says "dump all strays here").  She was suppose to be "reintroduced" to the coup again but that didn't work out so well.  She ended up breaking her leg which meant even MORE care.  Holly said to her husband "if she stops laying eggs we know she isn't going to make it".  But, she kept on laying!

Well, now it ends up that she got a "name".  If you have ever had kids drag something injured, lost, stray home you know that once they are "named" they are yours for life!  So, this poor "hen pecked", broken legged chicken was named "Chick-On".  And "Chick-On" is with the French pronunciation "Shick-on", much like the French pronunciation of "Target" or "Tar-je".

Miss Chick-On gets a daily bath because with the broken leg she gets a bit "messy" back there!  Holly remarked "have you ever tried giving a bath to an animal that is really NOT suppose to be bathed?".  It's not an easy job but Miss Chick-On loves being wrapped up in her towel and getting a little nap in afterwards on someone's lap!

Easter came and by this time Miss Chick-On was a full-fledged family member which entitled her to her own Easter stuffie.  And what would you guess that stuffie would be?  Well of course, it was a little chicken that looked exactly like her!  You can see by the picture that it was love at first sight for them both.

Miss Chick-On also enjoys movie night with the family.  She has her own blanket that she lays down on by the kids and she LOVES popcorn!  And her favorite movies?  Well they are "chick flicks" of course!

Miss Chick-On has since healed up nicely from the pecking by her peers and her broken leg.  Sadly the other chickens will not let her back into the flock, they are the ultimate "mean girls".  So, Miss Chick-On lives in the house now, sleeping in the kennel each night in the boxes that laundry detergent comes in from Sam's Club that my Mom takes her each week.  They have the perfect U cut out in them that mimic the nests in the coup.  Holly says she won't potty in her kennel and "holds" it until morning when she goes outside!  She continues to lay her egg each day for her room and board.

Yesterday Holly's husband brought home a nest full of wild turkey eggs.  They were on an excavation site he was working on and would of just been destroyed (he would never of taken them if they hadn't been in danger of being run over).  They are hoping to hatch them out.  All but 3 are in an incubator at this time.  But, to pump up her "giving back" attitude Miss Chick-On has 3 that she is sitting on.  Holly said she is just the best Mama, sitting carefully on the eggs, turning them over with her beak and tucking them further under her belly and wings.  Miss Chick-On is "paying it forward" in her own way!