Hi Everyone!
Thank you so much for your replies and help. I realize now that what I should have done was immediately start feeding her bread with oil to try and flush out her crop, while the ruby was still in there. I didn't know it at the time, so I just confined her and checked her poops for a few days, unsuccessfully.
At that point I decided to set her free, and wait until it is time to butcher her to get the earring out of her gizzard. I seriously considered butchering her on the spot, but after turning it over in my mind for a few days, it just didn't seem right to me.
We grow our chickens for eggs, meat, and we do love them dearly. So I have no problem butchering our extra roosters, older girls, or non-layers. But butchering Big Momma (or should I say Ruby) for the sake of a piece of jewelery wasn't the right choice for me. If it was my engagement ring, I would have done it, but although the earring was expensive, it didn't mean as much to me as her life.
Our money economy has put people in a very weird space as far as "true value." My grandparents were dairy farmers, and used to milk 30 cows. But as time went by they weren't able to make it financially. To me, that is so crazy. Providing milk for hundreds of families isn't enough to support ONE family? Our society has gone so far away from respecting and loving the source of our nourishment, our farmers and animals. So to me, I try to live those values in my daily life. Even if Ruby wouldn't be worth $500, the eggs and chicks she will raise up in the spring have a greater GENUINE worth. Money is just a piece of paper, and somehow we have all agreed to let it run our lives.
That being said, had she been a less productive hen, she would be in the stew pot right now and I would be wearing my earring!
Love to all of you,
Jazbyre
