So I have this scrappy little chicken. Her name is Red. We called her that because we didn't think this one would make it as a chick, so we didn't waste time getting creative. She basically started life totally underestimated.
She is not so bright (even for a chicken), and she never really grew out of her awkward stage. Somehow her feathers are always kind of a mess and I could swear she's a bit cross eyed. Red has a strange ability to play dead when the going gets tough. She actually goes bottoms up and it works every time, it is also hilarious. In fact it has worked so well that I have thought she was dead several times only to have her shake it off and squawk when I picked up her limp body. Which, by the way, is totally embarrassing for me since it involves plenty of squawking of my own. Oh, and speaking of squawking she never really figured out the sweet cooing cluck that our other chickens have. She just squawks ALL the time.
Despite her short comings and eccentricities, there is something about Red that I admire deeply, the girl has got a daily practice like nobodies business. Oh yeah, I'm talking about a sadhana. Every day with out fail she hops into her little nest box and tries to lay and egg. If you think all chickens are like this then you have got it wrong. They are fairly sensitive, and their egg laying can be an emotional indicator. If something is bothering them they may not lay, or they will just drop their egg willy nilly; but not Red. She does not miss a practice under any circumstances. She gets in the box and does the best she can. Then, with out attachment to the outcome (even if their is no egg), she hops out and squawks with joy and accomplishment. She really is some chicken.
