A Puppy Adopts a Brood of Chickens

1896

Rather a pathetic story comes from a small town on the outskirts of Philadelphia, the truthfulness of which is vouched for by a prominent citizen of the place.

This P. C. is an extensive chicken raiser, and some time since set a favorite hen upon a nest of eggs, expecting them to hatch in the usual period of three weeks. Three, four and five weeks passed and no chickens, and it was not until the end of the sixth week that the new poultry appeared, but with them came the demise of the old hen, presumably as a result of her unusually long continued sedentary occupation.

The chicks, not knowing, of course, that their mother was dead, attempted to crawl under her wings and keep warm. Their owner, seeing the trouble they were in, pressed a small Newfoundland pup into service, and, placing it in a closed coop, put the chicks in after. The soft fur of the pup made a pleasant retreat for the little ones, and now pup and poultry are inseparable. — Philadelphia Call.