Susan Caldbeck stood at the edge of the chicken wire fence on her Agassiz farm, a bucket of blueberries and seed in hand. Around her were a number of donkeys sa国际传媒� rescue donkeys, prize-winning donkeys and one donkey with scoliosis in her back sa国际传媒� but Caldbeck didnsa国际传媒檛 pay attention to them. She only had eyes for the chickens.

sa国际传媒淥live. Lucky. Girlies,sa国际传媒� she said, calling out to the two chickens in a high pitched voice reserved for pets and small children. sa国际传媒淲heresa国际传媒檚 my chickens?sa国际传媒�

The long, low bawck of an unimpressed chicken rose from the coop. Then, the white and red head of a Leghorn peered out.

sa国际传媒淥h hello Lucky,sa国际传媒� Caldbeck said, smiling. She tossed some seeds into the run, and Lucky pecked them up, then looked around as if to ask sa国际传媒榃heresa国际传媒檚 my blueberries?sa国际传媒�

It seemed a pleasant life for a chicken, but it hadnsa国际传媒檛 been long ago that Lucky was not quite so lucky.

In early January, 55-year-old Caldbeck was looking through Facebook when she saw a post from woman who had found a chicken underneath her trailer.

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sa国际传媒淚t was the rainstorm right before the snowstorm,sa国际传媒� Caldbeck remembered. Normally, she said, she would have passed the post by.

sa国际传媒淏ut then shesa国际传媒檚 like, sa国际传媒楽ome catsa国际传媒檚 going to get this chicken,sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 like, really? Thatsa国际传媒檚 the end of it?sa国际传媒�

Comments on the Facebook post about putting the chicken in a pot also pushed her to do something.

sa国际传媒淭his poor chicken has survived some pretty traumatic stuff already,sa国际传媒� Caldbeck said. sa国际传媒淪he deserves a chance to live.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淪o my poor husband got home 20 minutes later, and Isa国际传媒檓 like, sa国际传媒楥ome on, letsa国际传媒檚 go, wesa国际传媒檙e going on a chicken wrangling mission.sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒�

The pair went over with a fishnet, and eventually cornered the rain-soaked chicken, scooped her up and took her home.

sa国际传媒淪he was so skinny,sa国际传媒� Caldbeck said. sa国际传媒淚 have no idea where she came from.

sa国际传媒淪omebody said maybe shesa国际传媒檚 a spent chicken,sa国际传媒� she added, sa国际传媒渟o shesa国际传媒檚 finished laying her eggs and shesa国际传媒檚 going to get slaughtered.sa国际传媒�

That didnsa国际传媒檛 deter Caldbeck though. Nor did the fact that, although she and her husband had been nominated farmers of the year when they lived in Aldergrove for their donkey breeding, she had never owned chickens before.

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sa国际传媒淚 have no clue what to do with a chicken,sa国际传媒� she said, laughing. sa国际传媒淕ive me a donkey, a horse, you know.sa国际传媒�

Caldbeck put Lucky up in a dog kennel they converted into a chicken coop and set about creating a home for the chicken.

Her husband, called sa国际传媒淧oor Davesa国际传媒� by Caldbecksa国际传媒檚 friends, built and rebuilt a roost for Lucky 12 times. Calbeck went out and bought 88 pounds of food, because she wasnsa国际传媒檛 sure which kind of chicken feed Lucky liked best. And of course, they went out and got a friend for Lucky as well.

Olive, a deep brown chicken with flecks of black and white on her feathers, came to live with Caldbeck shortly after Lucky arrived.

With Olivesa国际传媒檚 companionship and Caldbecksa国际传媒檚 love, Lucky prospered. Thanks to Caldbecksa国际传媒檚 posts in the Life in Agassiz Facebook group, she became a local internet celebrity. And along the way, she found that she wasnsa国际传媒檛 a spent chicken after all.

Since Valentinesa国际传媒檚 Day, Caldbeck has gotten more than a dozen eggs from the two chickens.

sa国际传媒淚 actually told them they didnsa国际传媒檛 have to lay eggs,sa国际传媒� Caldbeck said, laughing. sa国际传媒淭he thought of giving birth every day just seems like a really bad idea to me.sa国际传媒�

Caldbeck hasnsa国际传媒檛 eaten any of the eggs yet sa国际传媒� sa国际传媒渋tsa国际传媒檚 kind of weird,sa国际传媒� she said sa国际传媒� but has plans to increase her flock to get eggs of all different colours.

sa国际传媒淭hey have to be fancy chickens if theysa国际传媒檙e going to live here. Other than Lucky,sa国际传媒� Caldbeck added. sa国际传媒淪hesa国际传媒檚 just a boring old Leghorn, but thatsa国际传媒檚 okay.sa国际传媒�

grace.kennedy@ahobserver.com
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