Tim Norris’ 16 chickens enjoy free rein in his Irving Park, Illinois, backyard when he lets them out of their coop in the morning. A few perch on chairs or the fence on his porch, others meander through the Joe-Pye weed plants and a rooster named Buffy plops himself in a hole for a dust bath.
While the group tends to stick together, a young red hen named Annie avoids the rest, preferring to snack on the green plants beside Norris. He asks in a soothing voice if he can pick her up, before plucking some of the dirt and grime out of her feathers. She has a broken wing.
Annie is the newest — and probably most action-packed — addition to Norris’ flock. A woman found her wandering on a road in Chicago’s Lincoln Square last month, picked her up to save her from traffic and found her a new home with Norris. He’s one of likely hundreds across Chicago who keep pet chickens.
“They’re fascinating little animals,” said Norris, 68. “They’re like friendly dinosaurs, each one has its own personality. They’re just fun to watch.”
‘Complete pandemonium’
While Karen Olenski was driving down Western Avenue after work on Oct. 30, she spotted Annie standing in the road, looking confused as cars drove by her. Without thinking, Olenski said she pulled into the center lane and jumped into traffic with her right hand up to stop the oncoming cars.
Olenski, having no prior experience with chickens, struggled to grab Annie, who started to run away. Olenski said she was eventually able to scoop her up with her arms, and hold her close as she flapped around, while carrying her back to the car.
“I was like, well, what do I do now? I’ve got a dog in the car, and I couldn’t just put it in the back, because it would flop around,” she said. “So I scooted into the driver’s seat, I held it really close, tucked it close to me so I could at least stare out the car and drive back to my house.”
When Olenski got home, she said it was “complete pandemonium.” The chicken, who was shaking and scared, was squawking loudly in her arms. Olenski put Annie in a bathroom, while her daughter — who was “delighted and laughing” — took lots of pictures and posted them on Facebook to see if anyone was missing a chicken. She also played Yo-Yo Ma for Annie to hopefully calm her down.
Olenski scattered food, which a neighbor gifted her, on the floor, while Annie ducked and hid behind the toilet, she said. Her husband, David Cihla, then got ahold of Chicagoland “chicken consultant” Jennifer Murtoff, who put them in touch with Norris the next day.
Tim Norris carries an injured chicken named Annie in his backyard on Nov. 15, 2024, in Chicago. Annie was rescued a couple of weeks ago. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
The couple never found Annie’s prior owners. Their best guess is based on a Facebook comment, where someone said they saw a truck …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment