Such a sweet story from a hard life to a pampered one. No one can know how special a chicken can be till they have had one come into their lives and be that special one. She was a very pretty girl very sorry for your loss D.
I can certainly understand that. Tonight it started raining and remembering how Zam used to like standing in the rain made me start up again. I'm just a big mess tonight.
But it's ok, it's a good thing to not be callous about the animals in our care. Because we do care, we take good care of them. And we don't take them for granted.
She was extremely lucky to be in your care. Its very unfortunate when some of them leave us so early, but I like to think they had the best life possible with people like you.
I just saw this.
Sorry you lost her.
I too have shed tears over losing a chicken. Anything that bonds to you, and loves you, is difficult to lose.
I have this tally in the back of my mind, 'love in, love out'. Some people are more difficult to love than they should be, so I need to surround myself with animals and people that love lavishly to keep the flow going to the ones who are stingy.
Every loss, chickens, *turtles, sheep, especially dogs-because they are God's special givers- It can all be profound. It can all feel like we have have lost something important, because love is important.
*I think it just loves the food that drops from our fingers, but I'll take it.
This was a photo of Zam, when we brought her and her 6 other coop mates home in Dec. 2013. They all had a very rough start in life and shortly after getting them, we were down to just 3, one of them being Zam. Zammie was a fighter and grew up into a beautiful girl. She became the #1 chicken of our coop, never in a mean way, but just by her overpowering presence. The new girls we added in April 2014 respected her and always let her have first choice of everything. Zam's favorite thing in life was to eat. She was always first at the food bowl and the last one to leave. She wasn't ever cuddly or a lap sitter like some of our other girls so whenever she graced us with one of her rare "squatty's" we knew she was giving us a gift. Zam was a wonderful layer and gave us a big, brown egg almost every day. This is Zam at age 1: : Here's Zam on the left doing her favorite thing (eating): Zam seemed much like always up until yesterday when she didn't eat much, that concerned me. We put her in a place of her own and tempted her with her favorites (yogurt, strawberries, watermelon). She pecked at it a little, but without enthusiasm. Today she quit eating altogether and didn't want to take any liquids. This from the girl that would ordinarily eat as much as 3 red sex link chickens. I've been checking on her throughout the day but it was no good. Zam, that brave little chick that had such a rough start, our #1 girl, finally just laid down and died. We've lost a few before but Zam was special and it's heartbreaking. Thank you for letting me tell Zammie's story.
You never know which creature will pry open the door to our heart, wiggle their way in and take up lasting residence. I am sorry for your loss. I haven't lost a chicken yet... I am so very new however I have lost other creatures, I have loved and miss them to this day. Just know that you made a difference in her life too.
You never know which creature will pry open the door to our heart, wiggle their way in and take up lasting residence.
I am sorry for your loss. I haven't lost a chicken yet... I am so very new however I have lost other creatures, I have loved and miss them to this day.
Just know that you made a difference in her life too.
Thank you @BakerzDozen , you worded that just right. Odd, how such a little thing can leave such a big hole. And the other girls have noticed. That first night without Zam there to keep things in order, they were all very quiet as they settled into the coop. Since yesterday morning, they have been bickering more between themselves...I guess they are trying to work out a new pecking order with a few of them vying for top spot.
Zammie was a fighter and grew up into a beautiful girl. She became the #1 chicken of our coop, never in a mean way, but just by her overpowering presence. The new girls we added in April 2014 respected her and always let her have first choice of everything. Zam's favorite thing in life was to eat. She was always first at the food bowl and the last one to leave. She wasn't ever cuddly or a lap sitter like some of our other girls so whenever she graced us with one of her rare "squatty's" we knew she was giving us a gift. Zam was a wonderful layer and gave us a big, brown egg almost every day. This is Zam at age 1: :
