A cry in the garden. A buzzard. A nameless young hen. And a vet called at 9:30 pm.
A few weeks ago, we told the story of the arrival in Baon of young Black Janzé hens with a rather unusual journey.
It had all started with fertilised eggs shipped from Brittany. After hatching in a Parisian flat, the chicks had moved to the countryside and discovered their new life in the open air.
Since then, the young hens had grown up and settled into their routines in the garden.
But in a matter of seconds, everything changed.
The heatwave affects wildlife too
For several days, the heat had been bearing down on Baon.
Residents sought shade. The hens spread their wings and panted to try to bring down their temperature. In the fields, activity slowed during the hottest hours.
Heatwaves do not only affect humans and domestic animals. They also disrupt wildlife.
Common buzzards feed primarily on small mammals such as voles and field mice. When temperatures become very high, these animals may limit their movements, stay more sheltered, and wait for cooler hours to come out.
Their prey can then become harder for raptors to spot.
Was this what led a buzzard to approach the garden that day? It is impossible to say. But it was in this heat-scorched countryside that the attack took place.
A cry of distress
That day, a young Black Janzé hen was enjoying a moment of freedom in the garden.
She had no name yet.
Suddenly, she let out a sharp and unusual cry — a genuine cry of distress that immediately made it clear something serious was happening.
When we arrived, we found a buzzard on top of her. The raptor was still pinning the young hen to the ground.
A few more seconds would probably have been enough for the story to end differently.
Startled by our arrival, the buzzard released its prey and flew away.
The young hen disappeared into the grass.
The feathers showed the way
The grass was tall, dry and yellowed by several days of heat.
The young hen had stayed on the ground, almost invisible among the parched vegetation. It was the feathers that allowed us to find her — they were everywhere.
A large quantity had been torn from under her wing and around her body. They formed a trail on the ground that led to the spot where she lay.
When she was finally spotted, she was lying in the grass. In places, her skin was exposed. A small wound at her neck was bleeding.
She was still breathing. She was conscious. She was moving her legs. But she was not getting up.
At that point, it was impossible to know whether she was simply paralysed by shock or whether the attack had caused more serious injuries.
She was immediately separated from the other hens and cockerels and placed in a quiet, sheltered spot.
First care at 9:30 pm
Even though the visible wounds seemed limited, raptor attacks can be deceptive. Beneath the feathers, their talons can cause deep perforations that are difficult to detect with the naked eye.
At 9:30 pm, Dr Bocquet, the on-call vet, was contacted. She took the time to listen to the situation and advise on the first steps to take.
The young hen was placed alone in a cat carrier, away from the other animals, so that she could rest quietly through the night.
Then we had to leave her in peace. And go to bed. Without knowing what state she would be in come morning.
The next morning, early
On waking, the first worry was simple: had she survived the night?
Yes. She was still there. Fragile, injured, but alive.
That first relief did not, however, dispel the doubts. It remained impossible to know whether she had a fracture or a deeper injury.
As soon as her practice opened, Dr Bocquet received the young hen. An X-ray was taken to check for a fracture or a more significant lesion.
Fortunately, no bones were broken. However, a wound hidden beneath the feathers required a stitch.
The young hen had been very lucky. After treatment, she was able to return to Baon.
Six days of treatment
Her return home did not mark the end of treatment.
For six days, she must receive an antibiotic injection every morning to prevent an infection developing in the wound. A painkiller injection is also administered daily to ease her injuries and help her recover.
She remains for now separated from the other hens, in a quiet, sheltered spot. Her wound, behaviour and general condition are being closely monitored during her convalescence.
She will be called Furiosa
Before the attack, this young hen had no name yet.
After escaping the talons of a buzzard, surviving the night, undergoing an X-ray, receiving a stitch and beginning several days of injections, she needed a name equal to what she had been through.
She will be called Furiosa — a reference to the heroine played by Anya Taylor-Joy in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, George Miller's film. A fighter confronted by a brutal world and determined to survive.
A well-chosen name in the end for this young hen who came close to death and is today continuing her convalescence.
There is no villain in this story
It would be easy to cast the buzzard as the villain of this story. But nature does not work that way.
The buzzard did not attack out of cruelty. It acted as a wild animal in search of food. Perhaps it also had a chick to feed. Perhaps the heat had made its usual prey harder to find.
We will never know. The young hen simply happened to be in its path.
There is therefore no guilty party in this story. Only two animals trying to survive in a nature made even harder by the heatwave.
One returned to the sky. The other is recovering today, surrounded by care.
A story that could have ended differently
Furiosa still has to complete her treatment and regain her strength before she can fully rejoin the rest of the flock. But the greatest danger is now behind her.
This story is a reminder that heatwave episodes affect all living things, even in the most discreet balances of our gardens and our countryside.
It also reminds us that in a matter of seconds, an ordinary day can turn. And that a cry heard in time can sometimes save a life.
"The day before, she had no name yet. By morning, she had survived. Today, her name is Furiosa. And her story continues."Read nextHow is Furiosa doing?