26/08/2026
✨Meet the flock - Emu ✨
So I thought it was about time I introduced every one to a very special chicken who lives in our free range flock. Emu is a silken Polish cross silkie which in itself is a little bit special but there is a whole lot more to her story.
Every now and then we may set an egg that is a double yolker - twins! In July of 2025 we set just such an egg. On candling I saw two sweet babies developing, it is very rare for twins to survive but we persisted to see. Around half way one of the babies passed away and I thought shortly we would lose the other, but she kept growing. I thought for sure she wouldn’t hatch but on the 24th July a sweet baby emerged from the shell with the remains of its passed away twin. She was smaller than the others and I prepared myself that we may lose her.
We didn’t! (Well obviously 🤣) and from the moment she was born she was sweet, inquisitive and so friendly. I quickly fell in love (prayed to the chicken gods for a girl) and named her Emu.
That in itself is a pretty amazing story - but her story of survivorship wasn’t done. A few months later after she had transitioned out to the coop. I came home one day to find her paralysed. Looking back I believe she had suffered some sort of stroke or seizure. I thought for sure Emu had survived being a twin to be lost now. As I prepared to make the difficult decision to euthanise she looked up at me - her eyes still bright and I couldn’t give up on her.
We moved her into a separate brooder with heat, food, and water - and waited, prayed and hoped. Emu never stopped eating, drinking and having a chat to me every time I saw her. I cleaned her little bum each day and over months and months she slowly started to get better. She started to try to stand on her right leg, her left leg still unable to bear weight. She started to try to hop around.
I was ecstatic - I knew that she may be disabled but she would survive. We started to transition her to having time outside back with her sisters and slowly each day she got stronger. She started walking - limping but walking. We started letting her free range with the flock. On occasion finding her stuck on her back (see photo 🤣) and we did consider a name change to turtle!🐢
And finally at a year old she laid her first egg. I almost cried with joy. My sweet little survivor.
Emu is still the first chicken to run to me in the yard and climb onto my lap for a cuddle. She would actually love in the house if we let her and always comes when called.
She is my sweet survivor ❤️
