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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~*

23 comments:

amanda said...

awwww. i'll be praying for n. for sure. how sad. i do not want to imagine what that all looked like. my heart breaks that you had to witness it!! well not 'it' but the aftermath i guess. praying for that little chick too. i'm not good with names. so i'll leave that up to the creative folk.

Summer said...

I am just so very sorry, Michelle. It made me cry reading this and I can't imagine what you felt seeing it. :( I hope the little baby will be ok and the eggs too.

Mary said...

So sad...coincidental because visiting friends last weekend they spoke of a similar attack on chickens and Steve suggested it being a "fisher" attack. In this case there were LOTS of chickens...I'm sure not 100 but maybe around 50! Strange animal...I'd like to read more about this need to kill.

Name suggestions:
Noah? (survivor of the flood?)
Could just femalize it to Noa which honestly I have heard done before.
Maia means "brave warrior"

Actually here is a baby names website where you can plug in the meaning you'd like and the sex you'd like it for. www.thinkbabynames.com

Praying for sweet Nev.

~*Michelle*~ said...

thanks for the prayers, guys......we sure can use them.

@Mary, I thought of Noah too...and I really love Maia (maybe pronounce it My-ah?)

Karen M. Peterson said...

Oh my goodness, Michelle! That is so sad!

And you're right. That fisher cat thing just looks like pure evil. I'm sure there has to be some reason they exist, besides putting the farming-inclined through more trials, though a reason escapes me at the moment.

I'm sorry for your family. I can only imagine how heartbreaking this is.

Tonya said...

HOW SAD!! I clicked to see the picture of that creature.. I thought you were making a funny.. (I THOUGHT it was really just an old cat and you were calling it a devil mix).. that thing is HIDEOUS! YIKES!!!!!!

I'm SO SORRY for your loss. Isn't it beautiful that you were able to find one of your chicks ALIVE? It kind of reminds me of our faith. No matter how BAD things may be on this earth.. there is ALWAYS HOPE (in JESUS!).

As for names.. I like the name Silas. I looked up Biblical names online and this is the meaning and origin of the name....

Silas: Origin - Aramaic.
Silas was an early Christian convert from Jerusalem. He accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys.

If you want to make that name for a girl.. because it might turn out to be a girl chickie... You can call it Sila (I'm not making this up.. LOL.. found it on the same site) Sila is a form of Silas.. ☺

Name: Sila
(Gender: Female)
Meaning Wood, from the forest.

Biblical context Origin - Aramaic.
Silas was an early Christian convert from Jerusalem. He accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys.

You can look at more names here:
http://www.biblical-baby-names.com/

Oh, and before I forget... I'm SOOOOOO EXCITED that I was your winner! YAHOO!!! ☺ (Thanks SO MUCH)

Have a GREAT day, Sweet Sister!

Jessica said...

I am so, so sorry Michelle. I'm so sad for you all. Fisher cats are just terrible, I just can't imagine. I will be praying for Nev as she deals with this.

Julia said...

Michelle I am very sorry to hear the news....If you dont ave an incubator, you can bring the eggs over and pop the into mine. I have it up and running all the time and there is plenty of room for at least 20 eggs.

Julia said...

Thought I should add....Fisher cats will come back EVERY night until there are no more chickens. When we had the same issue we locked then in cages each night. If you need some trapping ideas please call. There is one that I have never tried that the old time farmers swear by.

~*Michelle*~ said...

Thanks everyone for all the prayers.....we can use them. I went out today in the barn and got very emotional...the area where the hens chose to make their nests were not the most practical, but they were stubborn and determined to be with their babies where they wanted to be.

It used to be a source of life and wonder and today is was dark and empty.

I prayed last night and told God (HA! like He needs my assurance) that although I didn't understand what happened....I will trust His plan. I did ask Him why He created that hideous creature, though. Still waiting on that answer.

Also, thanks for all the suggestions.....I really love Maia and Silas.....N is set on "Rocky" LOL (*shrugging shoulders)...that's my girl. Right now, Rocky is in her pocket as she is doing her homeschooling.

@ Julia...thanks again for the offer, I will be calling you maybe later today to chat.

Mary said...

Awww. Kids always love the sensible "y" ending names don't they? Delaney's stuffies are called "Milky" "Puppy" "Hoppy" and "Jumpy". Okay...well she named her 2 newest ones "Rose" and "flower" so I guess I can contradict myself.

That's so sweet that she puts Rocky in her pocket.

~*Michelle*~ said...

@ Mary

how cute about Delaney.....sounds like N and her would be great friends. :)

Josh is such a softie.......he just called me and told me he is on his way home and has six babies to keep Rocky company....I love that man!

Bath Artisan Soaps said...

Oh Michelle - how awful!

As you have already figured out, God has a purpose for everything. We may not see it right away but answers will come - when you least expect them and sometimes in the strangest possible ways. Hugs & prayers...

Valentine is a great name - it means strong & healthy!

Gabriel is also another. It means God's able bodied one, hero of God.
Seems sort of appropriate considering who attacked your babies...

Anonymous said...

Wow! I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of your chickens. I remember when my grandpa used to try and raise chicks, and each day he would go out, and find one or two missing until they were down to 2 so he brought them in to keep them from the predators. When they got bigger he put them outside too, and of course the raccoon got to them too. I wish I could think a good name for the one that survived it all.

Anonymous said...

Aw, I am so sorry to hear the news :( how tragic!! I was just starting to bond with your lil' chickies through the lovely pictures on your blog :(

I will keep your family in my prayers and I hope the baby chicken (and eggs) will be okay. I didn't know what a fisher cat was until I googled it, yep it looks like a brown ferret with the blood of satan in it :P

Five Moms & A Blog said...

Oh wow, that is one nasty looking animal. I'm not kidding, it looks mean! Would it hurt a human if cornered?

I'm sorry you had to deal with this. I hadn't heard of a fisher cat and would have expected it to be a cat.

How about the name Sheena. Isn't there a show or something about Sheena the Warrior Princess?

Anonymous said...

P.S. I like the name Rocky, he's a fighter ;) so why not. I even named my puppy 'Rocky' in honor of a family friend that got hit by a train :(.. wow, I'm no good at cheering you up. Never mind me!

Anonymous said...

Replying to 5 moms: It's Xena! (cracks up)

Jenn @ Beautiful Calling said...

I am sorry about your chickens. I often wonder at some of God's creations too (couldn't he have made spiders look less scary?)
In seeing this tragedy, it makes you wonder why but He does have a reason.
I hope baby and eggy babies will be OK!

Sarah Eliza @ devastateboredom said...

Eeek! Freaky and upsetting. =/ I'm so sorry...

christy rose said...

I am so sorry to hear about your chickens. That is just like the devil, to steal, kill and destroy for no other reason than just the thrill of it.
But one survivor? He or she had a destiny which did not include death.
That is just like Jesus!!

"Destiny" that would be a good name for a girl.

It Feels Like Chaos said...

So sorry for your loss, but so glad for the light of one survivor!

Hoosier Homemade said...

I'm so sorry. Thanks for stopping by my blog and checking out the survival kit!
~Liz

 

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