Has anyone ever felt regret for something they did?

[sequoiacyclist]

Ok...I have to get this one off of my chest.

When I was a child my grandfather built me a large beautiful hen house with attached enclosed run. At the time I was fanatic about doves so I filled it with white doves. Then as time passed I managed to get a hold of 2 mutt hens 1 mutt roo and 1 white silkie hen. The first three were mean and didn't want to have anything to do with me, but the little silkie hen and I became good friends.

I always felt sorry for her though because she would go broody and lay eggs but they were never fertile because the roo didn't want to have a thing to do with her. Are silkie hens ugly to normal roos?

Anyways, after a while the chickens began to attack and eat the doves and one evening upon entering the pen I was shocked to see a bunch of dove feathers scattered everywhere and chickens running around with evidence on their beaks!

(It was quite a terrible sight for a 9 year old to see!) Immediately I got angry with the chickens and booted every single one of them out the door. Then, after sulking over the deceased doves I heard a loud ruckus outside only to see that my grandmother's old dogs murdering all of my chickens...even my beloved silkie.

To this day I still feel very guilty about it and decided to order some silkies in her honor. Does anyone else have a similar experience?

 

[Cetawin]

Yes and I divorced it, that I have NO regrets about.

 

[Dar]

Quote:

 

[Doodle_Doo]

long time i go i had an incident with this little labrador puppy sacring my chickens..
i had a hen hatching and was about 9 days from the birth day..
she ran in the enclosure and scared every hen there and the roo..
during all the ruckus i guess one of the hens stepped on an egg or the puppy did and
broke an egg with an embryo in it.. but i didnt notice it till like 30 min later once i took the dog out
and calmed the birds down..i went in to check the eggs and saw the little one alredy covered in flies and ants

and what was worse it was still moving but like suffucating guess he was not yet completely formed and of course not ready
i ran to tell my uncle and he told me that it was only suffering and had to be put down..
i felt sooo bad for it and to know every chick i see being born reminds me of that little one..

i feel guilty because i just couldnt do anything to help it and because i couldnt catch the dog fast ebough..
it keeps going in circles in my mind..it died before being born

 

[sequoiacyclist]

Awww Doodle.... I know how you feel.

They are so little and helpless. Those memories stay with you forever!

 

[Chickengal505]

I recently had a black jersy giant who was put in with the oldert ones to soon and altho she had 9 sisters she was peacked at her temples and was still breathing and moving when we saw she had wedged her-self under a cender block that the waterer sits on and had smashed her eye socket and was she was suffering...

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! Yes! While we're getting things of that nature 'off-our-chests'... I was mean to my grandmas hens after g'ma killed a momma barncat and her newborn babies with a shovel. They were all wild and just ridden with fleas and would have probably perished anyway, but DANG. I brought them to her to 'fix', not squash.
I thought it was the ugliest, meanest, nastiest, and uncalled for (I was 7-ish) things I'd ever seen, and never could 'like' that woman again. After that, when I found one of her hens with a hidden nest, I'd toss the eggs in the woods just for meanness. Come to think of it, I found a nest of field rat babies after the combine had run over a field and brought them up to 'rescue' and she squashed them too. She was a mean-tempered old lady. I wonder how my Grandfather could stand to be around her.
My Grandfather would bring us 'coon babies, 'posssum babies, squirrell babies, runt piglets, unthrifty calves to 'bottle-raise' --- he was a man with a sense of compassion that his wife was seriously lacking.
Lisa

 

[saddina]

Quote:
twice. I have no idea how my 3rd husband has lasted so long.

 

[sequoiacyclist]

Oh my Lisa. How terrible! I was lucky to have a family who loves animals, but I do have a couple of uncles who wouldn't think twice about squashing little kittens. Personally I don't know how they can do it. I always get squeemish when it comes to ending a little life. I just can't do it!

(Unless it is a mouse of course!)

 

[Cetawin]

Lisa that is horrible...I am so so sorry. Thank goodness I had grandmothers and grandfathers that were completely opposite. They helped me fix hurt frogs, birds, kittens etc etc. Very compassionate and caring...when they did put an animal down there was a good reason for it. You poor dear.