Last week I heard on the radio that there was another typhoon that would hit the country, and it made me really sad. Just to be safe, we brought all our things to the second floor because we didn't want to experience the same thing again last time. I checked the news on Facebook about the typhoon and we will be affected again.
Every single life is important, including those animals out there. Just before the storm, when I was checking the river, I heard some noise , chirping chicks, and it made me wonder where it was coming from. I found the river's exact location while searching within it.
I wonder why they are very noisy, as if they are in danger, and when I looked closer to it, I found a dog searching for the chicks. He's hunting them , oh no. I didn't hesistate to make the dog go away to save the chicks from danger. But that didn't save them from the upcoming danger of the typhoon, so again I didn't hesitate to get into the water to grab them and bring them to somewhere safe.
I was very careful in getting them since they might get drowned, but I'm surprised that they can swim. The level of the water became a challenge for me since it's measured up to my waist, but that didn't stop me from saving them. Because my life is on the line, I must perform to the best of my ability.They didn't have anything to do with the storm, so they don't deserve to suffer.
When I finally retrieved them from that spot, they were so wet and shivering from coldness. I think it's been hours since they've been hiding like that from the dog, and I can't help but to feel sad about their situation.
I immediately went home to dry and feed them. I searched for used clothes to put in them, but it's not enough to dry their feathers. I was thinking of what to do when I thought to incubate them, so I got the bulb and set it up without a second thought.
I was looking for a box where I could put them, but no luck at all. I searched and searched till I got a glimpse of a pot. Those pots are meant for my grandma's plants, so I asked her if I could use them. She said yes, and one problem solved.
I put them inside, along with the cloth.
As I watched them, I noticed that they have some chicken lice, or insects that live on their feathers. It's normal for chickens to have them, but there are certain measures to prevent them. Here in the province, we use these kinds of leaves from a plant. We've been using this since the old days and it's super effective.
We called it "Anubrang" here in Ilokano terms. I don't know its name in English, so if someone out there knows it, then it's highly appreciated if you comment on it. It has a bad odor and it seems it is the one that kills the insects. I can't see any more chicken lice in their feathers after how many hours?
Since they are just chicks, I need to feed them or else they will die. I first tried some milled rice, but I broke it down into small pieces for them to be able to eat it, but they didn't want it. I've been thinking about what to feed them and I remembered that our chickens here really like termites, so why not try it?
I looked for termites in the woods in our area because that's where they live and I was lucky enough to find some, actually a bunch of them. I collected some of it and fed it to them. As expected, they ate it without hesitation. I was ecstatic while watching them.
Now that they have already eaten those termites, my problem with feeding them was solved, but when I placed water beside them, they weren't drinking it.
That's why I used a syringe to help them drink some water. They liked it and I was doing it till yesterday, but now they know how to drink from the container I put beside them. Another problem solved, and it's such a pleasure to help these chicks live.
Since I can't always find termites as their food, I fed them coconut this morning, and I'm glad that they liked it. This evening I tried to feed them some cooked rice, and I was happy to see them get those silver grains. If this continues and nothing bad happens to them, I'm pretty sure that they will live and grow into adult chickens.
While I was taking care of them, my cat Asta was with me, and it seems he's curious about what the creatures are I'm helping. He was always beside me all the time and I thought he wanted to eat them, but I was wrong because when I let him be with them in an open space, he just stared at them and did nothing. Other cats will surely eat them once they see them like that. I transferred them to a bigger container for them to have a more comfortable space to be in.
I will continue to look after them until they can find food out there on their own. I'm just glad that I found and saved them from a dire situation. If I hadn't done it, for sure they would have been eaten by the dog or drowned in the water as it rose due to the typhoon Karding.
Be grateful for the life you have and help those in need if you see some. Whether it's a human or an animal, it matters.
Thank you for reading, friends, if you reached this part.
All photos belong to me.
