Once upon a time a neat story happened back when we had Oscar and Cara [Jr. wasn't born yet, but Cara was secretly pregnant] and a buncha chickens. It started with Happy and me in the house, all of a sudden he leapt up and started barking at the kitchen door wanting desperately to get out. i opened the door and he raced out immediately and saw the llamas racing around out behind the garden, Oscar was doing his warning cry and Happy tore out toward them like a rocket. i followed as fast as i could and saw something [probably a coyote] disappear into the woods. as i got closer i saw Happy, now circling with the llamas, out behind the barn. When i got there i found one of the chickens lying down, breathing hard and missing most of its rear end feathers. It was alive, not bleeding but in obvious trouble. i picked it up and carried it back to the chicken shed and put it in the laying nest with a small bowl of water and a little pile of feed. i totally figured i'd find it dead in the morning. after checking all the fences and closing all the other chickens into their run i went back to the house leaving Happy outside to keep watch.A while later i went back to see how the chicken was doing. Before i got there i noticed somehing very strange. Cara was lying right beside the chicken coop direcly beside and as close as she could get to where the injured chicken was. Weird because i never saw her lying anywhere near the coop before but i shook my head and checked on the chicken who was still lying exactly where i'd put her but was now breathing normally. i went back, Cara hadn't moved.
The next morning i went out to feed them all and Cara was still there and apparenly hadn't moved an inch. The chicken too was unmoved. As i went towards the llama shed to do the daily feeding ritual Cara got up, came over and ate her grain, then immediately returned to her vigil beside the chicken. this went on for 2 days, Cara never moved except to eat in the am. Each day the chicken got a bit stronger and started to eat a bitta her feed and water. On the morning of the 3rd day out into the field wobbled the injured chicken. i happened to be there and as soon as the chicken came out Cara got up and began walking behind it. not normal walking, instead she lowered her head beside and behind the chicken and kept it propped upright as it tried to follow the other chickens and rooster around the field. i watched in amazement as the 7 foot tall llama kept right behind the bird moving her head from side to side to keep the chicken upright. i kept watching on and off all day and Cara never wavered in her attention. When i closed the chickens in that night cara went and laid down in her vigil spot. By the next day the chicken was walking around with her buddies normally and Cara returned to grazing almost as usual, from that day on Cara and her friend were always grazing/scrathing in the same general vacinity. No matter how far away the rooster and the rest of his harem went the once injured chicken stayed near Cara, she'd go into the coop at night and sleep with the other birds but come morning she'd scamper off to find her big best friend. It was amazing to watch and taught me a lesson in how much i didn't know about animals [and undoubtedly a lotta other things].
