4.20.2009

Smally, The Miracle Chicken

if you take your laptop outside,

The miracle of Smally is not that she can type, but that she's lived to type.

I mentioned in a previous post how adventurous and independent Smally is, just like you'd expect a typing chicken to be. Well, last month, Smally ventured where no chicken should ever go - into the mouth of a dog.

Oh what a sad day it was! We thought she was a goner. We wrapped her up, brought her inside and snuggled with her in front of the fire. Her eyes closed and her head drooped.

smally

We cooed encouragingly in her ear, but in our hearts we silently prepared to say goodbye. We decided to take Smally out with the rest of the girls, thinking she'd be better off in her normal environment, among her own kind. Aidan kept watch, coming in every few minutes to report Smally's condition. At one point he asked me to come out and check on Smally with him, and I said, "Not right this minute. I'm in the middle of cooking chicken."

Could I be any more insensitive? Cooking one chicken and nursing another back to health, all in the same day? When dinner was served, Aidan pushed his plate away and said, "Pass".

pancit

And even though dinner was delicious, I didn't make him eat. (The dish is Pancit, a Filipino dish made with chicken, vegetables and rice noodles. I've made it several times since, and Aidan loves it. Here's the recipe I loosely use; shredding the chicken in the Kitchenaid is brilliant.)

The morning after the dog attack, we were delighted to discover that Smally had made it through the night. When Aidan got home from school and George got home from work, they both asked immediately, "How's Smally?"

Smally is still just fine. She's still independent and adventurous, and she's the friendliest chicken in the flock. Perhaps she's confident that if she survived a dog, she can survive anything - from little children holding her too close and too long, to eating leftover Chinese food and being used as a photo prop.

bench monday, another outtake

Smally, you are our favorite miracle. We'd love you even if you couldn't type.

30 comments:

  1. I'd be renaming her Lucky!

    we lost two babies to a dog, - they were too small to survive being stepped on. I'm so glad you had a better outcome.

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  2. I thought the same thing as Katy! Now I wonder what Smally would write about...

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  3. What a story! We recently lost our favorite little chicken, Gladys, to a hawk. It was a sad day for the kids!

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  4. Such a great story! love it! love the pics too. my kids love to look at your chicken pics. they realllllly want us to get some, but we can't....darn the city ordinances....

    :) karen

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  5. I was just thinking about eating chicken while raising chickens. I know it's for different purpose (eggs) but think it's kind of funny!

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  6. smally on laptop = best photo EVER. I need it large size for my wall.

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  7. That's one heck of a chicken! I'm so glad she lived to tell the tale. xoxox

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  8. Oh, you all are killing ME with these chicken misshaps. Maybe I don't need cluckers after all. I don't know if I could hack it.

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  9. To own chickens is to acquire a retinue of great misfortune stories.

    You and your kids might enjoy, if you haven't already, the book "Along Came a Dog," by Meindert DeJong. Great chicken-and-dog story!

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  10. Maybe you could become vegetarian, in honor of your miracle, Smally.

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  11. Have you read Hen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance by Martin Gurdon?

    That first pic of yours could be on the front cover of Gurdon's book.

    ;)

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  12. Smally - you are one tough chicken! The dinner comment made me laugh outloud. Still laughing a little actually.

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  13. oh, they've gotten so big! dude- i can't believe you did jennifer lopez. ("molly's pretty cool." -D)
    love that last shot with the laundry. it looks great with the skirt. i keep forgetting the dates i plan. geez.

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  14. aw. that's a tough chickie. I hope she continues to be happy and healthy!

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  15. That is such a sweet story! I teared up a little reading that - yey Smally!

    Thanks for the recipe, by the way. the pic looks delicious. I think I have dinner planned for tomorrow!

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  16. Must have a "smally" to celebrate Smally! George, any on tap?
    We are so happy she has made a full recovery.

    thanks for the recipe - I can't wait to try it!

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  17. I'm so glad she made it!

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  18. Very sweet post! I love animals and people who take good care of them!

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  19. Just when you think you might have to say goodbye...
    Today is our anniversary of our "Smally's" one year home. She has come a long way from 1.8 lbs. You never know. We are having a big birthday party for her on Sunday-wish you could be there. Cheers. I think we might have our hands full.

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  20. so glad that smally is doing well! she looks great...I am excited to try that recipe as well, it looks delicious, even it is chicken :)

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  21. Hooray for Smally! The typing chicken reminds me of a typing cat. Have you ever read Pinky Pye?

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  22. oh so glad she made it through :o)

    now that is one lucky chick :o)

    ~simply~

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  23. I remember my chickens picking BBQ chicken off the grill in the back yard. Wow! Oh, how I love the animal though. Poor Smally. I'm glad she pulled through.

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  24. We have a miracle chicken as well. Little May was picked on very badly by the other chickens, her poor little head was bleeding terribly. We brought her inside for her to heal (this was this past winter). She did heal, but poor little May appears to be a bit slow and probably blind in one eye. We had to make her her own little caged in corner of the coop and we prayed that she would be ok on those long cold Vermont winter nights without the other chickens to snuggle with.
    May also lost most of her "toes" due to the fact that she didn't know enough to remove her feet from the water dish. Balls of ice kept forming on her feet. OUr children would diligently bring her in to melt off by the woodstove and again, we would find ice balls built up.
    She now has no toes but she is doing so much better. I even saw her give another chicken a little peck the other day. She is our little miracle chicken.

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  25. Well I fell in love with Smally when I saw her picture on flickr - who wouldn't love a typing chicken. Rhetorical question! So glad she made it through and I'm wondering how her on-line dating experience is going??

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  26. we told our dog from the beginning...

    chicks are friends
    not food

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  27. what an awesome photo of her on the laptop. Miracle chicken, I'd say!

    Oh and I love the idea of the mix master shredding. Going to have to try that one!

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