SchwartzLakeFarmNC
Songster
Our story begins on Wednesday May 24th 2023.
Our order of 8 baby chicks shipping out from Iowa on the way to NC and our eyes were glued to the tracking updates as we watched our little girls make their way to their new forever home. This was not the first time we have ordered our babies in the mail, but this time was different somehow, the excitement or the fear of having the little ones to care for I could not determine. Our babies arrived at our local Post Office on the morning of Friday May 26th at 7am, and my wife rushed over and picked them up, all alive and cute as ever. After a few minutes of drinking water and nibbling on the food, all 9 were under the EcoGlow heater chirping away and getting warmed up. The rest of the day I was sent multiple videos and pictures while I was at work with updates as to their health and wellbeing and all seemed to be off to a really nice start.
Friday night after work I was finally able to get a good look at all 9, yes they sent us an extra chick, a totally blonde little chick with the greenest legs I've ever seen. Everyone was eating, drinking and chirping nicely, all but 1 of our little Bielefelder girls, her chirps were not the same as the others so we separated her and brought her out for further inspection. This little girl was pretty small compared to the others, but she ran around as if nothing was wrong, she drank and nibbled but nothing like the other chicks. It became very apparent that our little girl was struggling. We had a plan already if there was a health emergency, and we tried all avenues, but the next morning it was evident that this little joy was only hanging on by a thread.
This is where I learned something new or maybe God opened my eyes and heart more clearly than in the past, as we have lost chicks over the years but this time again was different. We attempted throughout the day on Sunday every tip and trick we learned from the past and every internet search I could muster, nothing was working, the little one was just not eating, picking up the crumbles and debris from the spillover but not filling her crop. The next morning, we had to make a decision, do we let her suffer and just waste away or do we put her down humanely. If you don't think grown men cry, you're wrong. As I scooped our little one up from under the heater and took her to my wife so we can make the right decision, my emotions were pouring, grief was already setting in as we knew what needed to be done. Here is where I grew. I've always heard the argument "Why does God let bad things happen", well for me personally, this tragedy happened to increase the capacity of Love I have for these little babies that are in our care. I felt an enormous amount of Love that grew for the ones that remained, not that I didn't already fall for them but the amount of Love I had to give was increased more than I could have done on my own.
Our little chick (Phebe) has now a burial spot right beside a large pecan tree within feet of our newest coop. For anyone that reads this, Yes they are just "chickens", but they were our "chickens" and the love and care we give our girls is special to us and this is what makes us thankful for places like this to express ourselves in writing, as very few things can compare to the hurt and grief of putting down a 3 day old chick, other than a loss of human life of course but they both sting the same. Life is precious no matter what form it takes, human or animal.
Better times are ahead as we care for the 8 remaining girls, life is short, don't leave this world with any regrets.
Our order of 8 baby chicks shipping out from Iowa on the way to NC and our eyes were glued to the tracking updates as we watched our little girls make their way to their new forever home. This was not the first time we have ordered our babies in the mail, but this time was different somehow, the excitement or the fear of having the little ones to care for I could not determine. Our babies arrived at our local Post Office on the morning of Friday May 26th at 7am, and my wife rushed over and picked them up, all alive and cute as ever. After a few minutes of drinking water and nibbling on the food, all 9 were under the EcoGlow heater chirping away and getting warmed up. The rest of the day I was sent multiple videos and pictures while I was at work with updates as to their health and wellbeing and all seemed to be off to a really nice start.
Friday night after work I was finally able to get a good look at all 9, yes they sent us an extra chick, a totally blonde little chick with the greenest legs I've ever seen. Everyone was eating, drinking and chirping nicely, all but 1 of our little Bielefelder girls, her chirps were not the same as the others so we separated her and brought her out for further inspection. This little girl was pretty small compared to the others, but she ran around as if nothing was wrong, she drank and nibbled but nothing like the other chicks. It became very apparent that our little girl was struggling. We had a plan already if there was a health emergency, and we tried all avenues, but the next morning it was evident that this little joy was only hanging on by a thread.
This is where I learned something new or maybe God opened my eyes and heart more clearly than in the past, as we have lost chicks over the years but this time again was different. We attempted throughout the day on Sunday every tip and trick we learned from the past and every internet search I could muster, nothing was working, the little one was just not eating, picking up the crumbles and debris from the spillover but not filling her crop. The next morning, we had to make a decision, do we let her suffer and just waste away or do we put her down humanely. If you don't think grown men cry, you're wrong. As I scooped our little one up from under the heater and took her to my wife so we can make the right decision, my emotions were pouring, grief was already setting in as we knew what needed to be done. Here is where I grew. I've always heard the argument "Why does God let bad things happen", well for me personally, this tragedy happened to increase the capacity of Love I have for these little babies that are in our care. I felt an enormous amount of Love that grew for the ones that remained, not that I didn't already fall for them but the amount of Love I had to give was increased more than I could have done on my own.
Our little chick (Phebe) has now a burial spot right beside a large pecan tree within feet of our newest coop. For anyone that reads this, Yes they are just "chickens", but they were our "chickens" and the love and care we give our girls is special to us and this is what makes us thankful for places like this to express ourselves in writing, as very few things can compare to the hurt and grief of putting down a 3 day old chick, other than a loss of human life of course but they both sting the same. Life is precious no matter what form it takes, human or animal.
Better times are ahead as we care for the 8 remaining girls, life is short, don't leave this world with any regrets.
