EDUCATIONAL INCUBATION & HATCHING CHAT THREAD, w/ Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs

Oh My!!! What should have been a great day turned out terrible.
:hit:hit:hit:hit:hit
and more
:hit

We just discovered (moments after it happened) that a hawk killed DD's black silkie, Gilfie! The body was ripped apart & still warm. We're all pretty devastated. DH wasn't home yet, so I asked a neighbor to come over to help me with the burial. Out of all our chickens, why Gilfie!?!


Both kids cried a lot of course. This chicken was more like a pet dog than livestock. DD hatched & cared for this bird. It bonded to her as mama and followed DD everywhere. The chicken spent more time in the house than in the yard and was extremely fond of road trips. Gilfie went with DD to several schools, parks, special events, and was well known throughout the town. (In fact, at Easter the line to pet the famous Gilfie was longer than the Easter Bunny's line!)

I always joked about Gilfie being one of our "useless chickens" but I find myself still crying and in shock. Just an hour before she was killed, she was gently & persistently pecking on my ankle which was her way of asking to be picked up. (A bad but endearing habit of our spoiled chicken.)

RIP, sweet Gilfie.
gilfie-jpg.1205124

img_0333-jpg.1205125
img_0336-jpg.1205126
img_2923-jpg.1205127
Taken Wednesday:
(An especially sad photo because this was also the exact spot where she was killed today.)
img_5678-jpg.1205128
I am so sorry!

Hawks can be brutal and are hungry this time of year. I hope the rest of the flock will be safe!
 
We got snow here, for the first time, since like 1985, and it killed 3 of my goats. They went from 80+ degree weather, to like 30 with snow and our weaker ones died off. One of my female nubians, and both of my breeding males died off.

I'm pretty upset, as now I have no males left, and don't quite understand. All my birds, pig, and other animals did just fine - they weren't wet, they just curled up in their shelters and... died.

All the goats who were not in shelters, (wet or not from the snow) lived.

I've had goats in -20 degree weather before, but those goats had significantly thicker fur then the ones we have in Texas :(

We aren't the only ones who lost animals, we've had people around here lose horses, goats, cows, and many other animals from the snow. It just got cold for like 2 days, and none of the animals with weak constitutions survived, I guess?
Ok everyone! Do not let any more Goats Die!

:hugs
 
If you did, you must've been wearing full camo that made you invisible AND super quiet, 'cause I was in the blind earlier & never heard the door open (it squeaks), and my jacket was laying in the chair.
Yep. I was testing it for the walruses that make up the VWN gov't. I'm amazed it worked. :yesss:
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom