I lost my nekid nekid a couple of days ago. I've been stomping around, angry and weepy, not able to talk about the little guy. He caught and tried to eat a big grasshopper, and the hopper blocked his windpipe. I buried my featherless boy by the barn and put a flat stone on top. I didn't want the coyotes digging him up. He was such a friendly little guy, and he loved the weather we've had recently. He'd caught and eaten grasshoppers before, and I'd marveled at how quick he was in grabbing them, so it was a shock to discover what caused his death. He was becoming quite rugged, in spite of his lack of plumage.
The hoppers at our place have become monstrous in size. One landed on my ball cap with a thunderous "Clomp!" It walked from the crown of my hat to the outer edge of the bill, tipping my hat forward and down over my eyes. I took my hat off and shook it to remove the grasshopper. He stayed, stuck tight, until I slapped the hat against the side of a tree.
So sorry!
I lost my old Mille Fleur Cochin hen the day I left for Michigan. She was one of my very first birds and was 8 years old.
Looking at her pic makes me wish I still had Mille Fleurs.
