Sad Day

Well, today is a sad day, a little ironic because this isn't the kind of "memory" you want for Memorial Day.....we woke up to find that our two mama hens and their babies were victims of a fisher cat attack. :(

Not sure if you know what a fisher cat is......but I'll give you my Wikipedia version.

fisher cat: a ruthless predator that resembles a weasel mixed with Satan. Click here to see what pure evil looks like. They slither and sneak like the enemy. Fisher cats kill for the thrill leaving the majority of their victims behind.

I am sure God has a purpose for this creature.....and I sure as heck would like to know so that I can justify what I witnessed this morning. I woke up this morning around 6:15 and went out to the barn to check on some new chickens we adopted over the weekend. We found them out in the rain last night, as they were not familiar with their new home. So I wanted to make sure they were adjusting OK. Also two of our "teenager" chicks decided to spend the night out in the woods(they were found this morning) We went to bed praying for their safety......little did we know.

I won't get into the gory details, but trust me when I tell you that it was a glimpse of death in our barn. I started to hyperventilate when I saw Princess lying on the ground. (again, I'll spare you).....I ran over to Penny's box and she was in the same condition, and just feathers everywhere. All her babies were gone too. I felt like I was in a nightmare.

I ran up and woke up Josh....of course I was hysterical, so he jumped out of bed. We went back out and I could see the emotion come over Josh as well. It was just a senseless act. We started looking around to see where it could have gotten in and noticed a space in the roof line area. That's all it took.

Just then, we heard a peep. It was coming from under a rack in the corner. I have never been so thrilled to dive through containers and tools and grab the one sole survivor. I snuggled her so tight and told her that she was going to be OK. I cannot imagine how traumatized she must have been. We want to name her something to do with being a survivor or warrior......so if you have any suggestions....please let us know. (it can be boy or girl name.....we still aren't sure if it is a she or he at this point)

Anyway......I'd love to say that this is part of living on a farm with the "circle of life".....I guess in some warped way it is. I would have much rather have woken up to them just gone. I could have envisioned a mama fox feeding her young at least.

We are hoping that we can incubate Princess's ten eggs and bring some life back into this sad situation.....not sure if they are going to make it, but we can pray that they do.

It just proves to me, once again......on how precious life is and how quickly things can change. It doesn't matter that they were "just chickens"......these were God's creatures that we loved and cared for very much.

.....and they will be missed.

*one last request......please keep N in your thoughts and prayers......right now, she is more focused on being a mommy to our little survivor.....but I know there will be waves of emotions as she processes this tragic event.

Rest in peace sweet Princess, Penny and babies.....we are so sorry this happened.

Peace~

*~Michelle~*