David Versus Goliath - A Chicken Story - How a 1 pound chicken put my 280 pound husband in the hospital

The victim: my 280 lb, 6 ft tall husband

The perpetrator: Señor El Blanco de pollo - a one pound bantam white D’uccle rooster

The storm came suddenly, with winds gusting and loud cracks of lightening. My group of banties were all out running through the yard, and in fearing for their safety we started scooping them up and putting the inside their house. Within minutes all were up except little Señor El Blanco, the D’uccle (dew-clay) bantam, who cunningly zipped out of our grasps.

Branches were falling from trees, and by this time I was crying, just sure Blanco was going to meet his doom. That is when hubby and nephew brought out the things the chickens dread the most - the nets. They meant business, but so did my little pet chicken! With the stealth of a football player, Blanco dodged left and right, under lawn chairs, through flower beds, the whole time lightening and thunder shook the ground.

The first person to go down was my nephew, sliding across the glassy marble walkway of the flower bed. Now it was down to two - man and chicken! Through the yard, over the porch, and finally, behind the chicken coop, which was out of my view. All of a sudden I heard a horrific scream of a man in severe pain. Hubby had slipped and fallen across the wedged net!

I had to help my better half into the house and into a chair where he continue to groan in agony. Meanwhile, I stood by the window tearfully calling out to my tiny bantam, who was ignoring me and happily trooping through the yard in the rain. Soon the storm was over, Blanco was rejoined by the other banties, and I’m sure he told them about his great adventure, and how he escaped “the net”.

My husband, on the other hand, had a lot of swelling in his leg, along with a cut. He ignored the pain and swelling for more than a week, until the swelling moved all the way down to his ankle, and blood pooled in his foot. We had to make a trip to the emergency room, where doctors diagnosed him with cellulitis. He then had to stay in the hospital for 4 days.

Upon his return home all of the banties, along with the geese, came up to see him. Blanco brought up the rear, but looked up at him, as if to ask, “Where have you been?”