- Jun 13, 2010
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We just got our first chicks early last week and started posting on here a few days ago. I have been surprised at how attached we have become to the little fuzzy butts.
This morning the unthinkable happened. Our nephew is visiting for the weekend. We had taken our girls out to the run to enjoy a little sunshine and fresh air. I was in the bathroom when my 8 yr old son ran in the house yelling for me that Lucy (my RIR) was hurt.
It seems my nephew (age 9) decided to go into the run and check out the chicks. He let my 3 yr old daughter in, as well. He claims that my daughter stepped on the chick (maybe, maybe not... the nephew doesn't have a very good track record at our house for taking responsibility when he destroys something).
Anyway, I ran out to the run and my little Lucy was laying on her side on the ramp to the coop. I picked her up and she was gasping for air and making a clicking sound. She kept lifting her head, and I was hoping that maybe she was in shock and would pull out of it. A few minutes later she started jerking around like she was having a seizure, then she tucked her head down in the palm of my hand and was gone.
When I wrapped her up to bury her, I noticed there was a little bit of blood coming out of her nostrils. I'm guessing she had internal injuries.
I grew up on a small farm where losing part of animals was just a part of life. I've lost plenty of people to whom I was close. I am absolutely shocked at how the loss of this one little chick has impacted me. I am so sad. I am sad because she was my little chick, and I am sad because my children are having trouble with the loss.
Goodbye, sweet Lucy. You will be missed.
Update:
Yesterday was such a sad day, especially for my kids. My three year old kept climbing up in my lap and holding my face in her hands and saying "I so sorry about Lucy, Momma", and then she would lay her head on my chest and just sob. My eight year old had a rough day because he felt like he should have prevented it. There was nothing I could say or do to console either of them... believe me, I tried (and I made a point of not crying or acting upset in front of them).
Last night we had dinner with friends. These friends have chicks, too, in fact we had ordered them together. When we got ready to leave for home, they handed my older daughter their little RIR- from same hatching as our Lucy- and told us that they decided we should have her. Their only request is that we name her Lucy Henrietta (Henrietta was in honor of a RIR my friend had when she was growing up). You should have seen my kids grin. The little one can't pronounce Henrietta very well, so it sounds like "Lucy Henri-Ella", and our friends laughed and said they like that even better.
Lucy Henri-Ella did great with the other chicks last night. I was up several times to check on them, and she was always snuggled in with the others. She's not a replacement for our Lucy, because you can never really replace a little one, but she sure does a good job of filling the void. I am so grateful for caring friends who made things smoother for my kids!
Lucy will always be missed, but please allow me to introduce our new baby, Lucy Henri-Ella:
This morning the unthinkable happened. Our nephew is visiting for the weekend. We had taken our girls out to the run to enjoy a little sunshine and fresh air. I was in the bathroom when my 8 yr old son ran in the house yelling for me that Lucy (my RIR) was hurt.
It seems my nephew (age 9) decided to go into the run and check out the chicks. He let my 3 yr old daughter in, as well. He claims that my daughter stepped on the chick (maybe, maybe not... the nephew doesn't have a very good track record at our house for taking responsibility when he destroys something).
Anyway, I ran out to the run and my little Lucy was laying on her side on the ramp to the coop. I picked her up and she was gasping for air and making a clicking sound. She kept lifting her head, and I was hoping that maybe she was in shock and would pull out of it. A few minutes later she started jerking around like she was having a seizure, then she tucked her head down in the palm of my hand and was gone.
When I wrapped her up to bury her, I noticed there was a little bit of blood coming out of her nostrils. I'm guessing she had internal injuries.
I grew up on a small farm where losing part of animals was just a part of life. I've lost plenty of people to whom I was close. I am absolutely shocked at how the loss of this one little chick has impacted me. I am so sad. I am sad because she was my little chick, and I am sad because my children are having trouble with the loss.
Goodbye, sweet Lucy. You will be missed.
Update:
Yesterday was such a sad day, especially for my kids. My three year old kept climbing up in my lap and holding my face in her hands and saying "I so sorry about Lucy, Momma", and then she would lay her head on my chest and just sob. My eight year old had a rough day because he felt like he should have prevented it. There was nothing I could say or do to console either of them... believe me, I tried (and I made a point of not crying or acting upset in front of them).
Last night we had dinner with friends. These friends have chicks, too, in fact we had ordered them together. When we got ready to leave for home, they handed my older daughter their little RIR- from same hatching as our Lucy- and told us that they decided we should have her. Their only request is that we name her Lucy Henrietta (Henrietta was in honor of a RIR my friend had when she was growing up). You should have seen my kids grin. The little one can't pronounce Henrietta very well, so it sounds like "Lucy Henri-Ella", and our friends laughed and said they like that even better.
Lucy Henri-Ella did great with the other chicks last night. I was up several times to check on them, and she was always snuggled in with the others. She's not a replacement for our Lucy, because you can never really replace a little one, but she sure does a good job of filling the void. I am so grateful for caring friends who made things smoother for my kids!
Lucy will always be missed, but please allow me to introduce our new baby, Lucy Henri-Ella:
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