Tuesday, October 13, 2009

chicken report {no. 4}

Yesterday was a sad day on the farm. We had to say goodbye to one of our hens. The day before, a few of them had escaped from the run via a hole they had made in the fencing. We didn't know they escaped until my neighbor's dog starting going nuts. Pure mayhem ensued. Before anyone knew what was really happening, the dog took hold of one of the bards. My neighbor was able to scare the dog and get the hen free, but there were feathers everywhere. It looked like an old-fashioned pillow fight had just gone down. When everything settled down, we realized four more hens were missing. We searched for a while and finally found them hidden deep in some brush. The injured hen was in rough shape, but she managed her way to the roost. My husband and I hoped she would be fine, while my more experienced neighbors said we should make dinner out of her. We both knew we weren't quite ready for that, so we decided to wait and hope for the best. In the morning she was gone, lying still on the floor in the corner. Our hearts broke. We buried her as the other chickens looked on. My daughter put flowers and a pumpkin by her grave. Rest in peace my little chicken.