Life on the farm, it seems, is not always the way that we expect it should be. Especially when it comes to life, itself.
We woke up Monday morning to find that our wonderful tame chickens, Ruby, Tuesday, and Friday, were missing. Upon further investigation, we also found that two of our half-grown Guinea keets were gone, as well as my best friend’s brooder hen – the one that has hatched and raised all the little baby Guineas.
We found a pile of buff-colored feathers (that would be Connie and Norm’s Buff Orphington, the momma hen) and a pile of Guinea feathers. But after searching hi and lo all day long, and calling periodically for the chickens, we found no ‘bodies’ to go with the feathers. It remains a mystery as to what happened to my beloved chicken-pets. Lord, how I miss them! I picked beans yesterday, all by myself. I didn’t have the hens pecking at my clothing and remarking oooh! and ahhh! over the bugs that I stirred up amongst the plants. We worked together as a team, those chickens and I. And I loved them! Who would a’ thunk it; me falling in love with those chickens?! Especially knowing that, when their time was up, they would end up in a bubbling pot, surrounded by homemade egg noodles! Yes, I am very sad about the disappearance of the chickens.
After conferring and commiserating with Connie, we have decided that the most logical explanation is that the family of fox that live just down the road from us made a midnight raid on the hen house. Though, how they got my beloved pets and not those worthless, white, non-laying Leghorns is beyond me! That would explain how all of the chickens would disappear all at once, and the bodies could not be found. If it were an owl or a hawk, there would come up missing only one at a time.
I will not buy any more chickens this year. Winter is sneaking up on us, and I should just wait until spring when I can start out with new little baby fuzzy chicks. I am leaning towards the Buff Orphingtons, but I may settle for those Gold Stars again. They are the friendliest chickens I have ever had, ever. If I get them in the spring, they can grow big over the summer (if nothing eats them, that is) and they would start laying in the fall. Meanwhile, Connie has said that I can get some of those wonderful blue and green Americauna eggs from her.
And, my thumb is slowly recovering. I will take the stitches out either tomorrow (Wednesday) or the next day. I keep getting these little ‘electric shocks’ when I accidentally bend it, so I am trying to keep holding it straight all the time. It is hard, but once you have experienced those ‘shock’ things, you just learn really fast how to do it. I believe that it may be because the nerve was severed. It should heal, over time. And I guess my heart will heal, too. But none of us will ever forget those funny, friendly chickens; our very first chickens on GOOD SHEPHERD farm. They were truly 'one of a kind.'
'Ruby' and 'Tuesday,' working hard on the farm
'Friday' looking pretty for the picture
2 comments:
We could get a combination of my chicks and buffs AND the Gold Stars. It will be a lonely winter for you, so cuddle up with your two little beasties in the house!
And Henry is doing well, right now (not happy, but healthy and safe).
A note on your thumb .. when I had my two operations on my right thumb, I would get electric shocks, as well. It felt like a mouse was running up and down inside my arm. It did go away, so hopefully, yours will go away, as well.
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