Healing at the Farm

Loretta Jackson has brought both some of the youth from the Safe house where she works and some of her chickens who had been injured by attacks from hawks and from rowdy roosters.

The youths play with the llamas, groom them, feed them, take them for walks.

One youth, at first very shy and fearful has become a leader for others, teaching them how to work with the llamas. She has also procured a steady job at the farm, cleaning the stalls and helping with the horses.

Loretta had a young hen named Blinky, who had her eye pierced by a hawk and was suffering such brain damage she could not walk or hold her head up straight. Her balance had been destroyed. Loretta brought the little chicken everywhere with her in a basket and gave her a wide variety of stimulation. She tossed her in the air to get the hen to use her wings again. She massaged her. She adjusted her head again and again and again and again. And she had the horses breathe on the bird, warm her, give her energy, and the hen rode on their strong backs.

The rhythm of a horse has been proven to be very healing and comforting to autistic children. And, we discovered, for brain damaged chickens named Blinky.

Today Blinky walks on her own and has happily returned to her flock.