Editor’s note: No bad “why did the chicken cross the road” puns were made during the writing of this article.
Midway Hills Primary School’s trio of chickens — Cracker, Crumb and Percy — had a really rough morning on March 12, as an EF0 tornado barrelled through the school property.
It was organized chaos inside the building, where students were rushed to the designated “safe zones” and crouched down for cover.
Outside, meanwhile, Cracker, Crumb and Percy went into survival mode. Although chickens may not be the brightest creatures on God’s green earth, they do have elite survival instincts, capable of sensing changes in air pressure and low vibrations from a coming storm.
These instincts kicked in during the tornado, and all three chickens ultimately survived. Cracker had the least eventful morning, and she was back to pecking bugs and acting like nothing ever happened by lunchtime. Crumb, unfortunately, sustained a broken leg and currently is rehabbing at a farm out in the country. Crumb is expected to return to school in the coming weeks. Percy, meanwhile, went AWOL, and nobody knew where she went for much of the school day.
Once the storm passed, Linda Kadian ventured outside and assessed the situation. Kadian, who leads the agriculture/ biotechnology program at the school, quickly noticed that the chicken coop was completely destroyed, and pieces of metal fencing had been blown up against the side of the school building.
With Cracker and Crumb accounted for, Kadian’s attention turned to Percy. Where was Percy? That answer wouldn’t come until later in the day, when she was spotted walking around the Baldwin High School parking lot, more than a half-mile away. A group of BHS employees attempted to catch her, but Percy was really shifty. Eventually, however, the group formed a circle around Percy, and she was safely captured.
Chickens, by nature, aren’t wanderers, and their instincts are to sleep in the same spot every night, even if that spot has been compromised. Why Percy would wander such a great distance and abandon her home remains a mystery. Percy isn’t saying, which means that all anyone can do at this point is speculate.
Meanwhile, a much smaller and temporary coop was built following the storm, while a larger, more permanent structure is in the works. Kadian is looking forward to the construction of the new chicken coop and getting back to normal.
“The children love the chickens so much,” she said. “I’m just so glad they are all okay.”