State Bird -- Chicken?

‘Morgan, they want you at the guard’s desk….’

This rendered a puzzled look on my part and a ‘why?’

‘Just come, they found a chicken and want to know if you will take it home’

Now, I give the WTH look to them and go downstairs to the gaggle that had formed around the chicken.

The chicken is in a box.  When I open it, I find a frightened 5-6 week old Rhode Island Red.  She’s so calm and sweet.  How could someone just leave her in a parking lot downtown?

I said I would take her.  Highway Patrol agreed to keep her in their office until the end of the day. And they wanted eggs from my chickens at home.

Now, here comes the twist, the cook in the cafeteria comes running out of the kitchen exclaiming, ‘Really, you all found a chicken?’ I told her yes.  She’s like ‘is it a little brown hen?” Again, yes. She then states ‘I thought I ran her over this morning. I call my son to come get her.’  I said okay and went on my merry way upstairs.  I told my co-workers what went down.  Then, the questioning started; #1 the cook rides the bus #2 How did her chicken manage to get downtown? #3 was she going to try to serve it in the cafeteria?  Disturbing…..

A few hours later, the guard came up and told me she doesn’t want the chicken anymore.  Her excuse, “The cat chases it.”

So, I took the chicken home.  Besides being hungry and dehydrated, she is healthy.  I gave her time to eat and drink and hang out, and then I introduced her to the other younger chickens.  Now they are all hanging out happily in their brooder.