I had just vented to Dave on the phone during lunch of my hard day. I was getting lunch ready for the kids, when I looked out the window and wondered what Turkish (our turkey) had in its mouth. Something white? Oh no! It was Ned-feather-head. I scream (that's all I know how to do in emergencies) and send Ash out. She's much better with the animals than I am. After I sent her out, I decided to run after her. That's when I caught a glimpse of Turkish nipping Ash while Ash screams out a bloody murder scream. She was screaming because she saw blood on Ned's head, and I thought she was screaming out of pain. Turns out it was hardly a peck from Turkish to Ash. She was totally fine. I thought for sure Ned was dead. We have no clue why Turkish decided to pick on Ned today. Turkish has always gotten along fine with the chickens. I got Ash in the house - and had 3 screaming kids. I ran back out to find my neighbor pinning Turkish down (thank you) and to our surprise, Ned was walking around. Ned ran off into the woods to find her friends. I ran in the house to rush the kids off to school. Everyone was crying, and as we pulled out of the garage, we looked out back and saw that Turkish had found Ned AGAIN and was attacking her. I really thought that Ned was beaten so bad that she would die any minute. I drove off because I didn't know what else to do! I really didn't think Ned wanted to live after such an event. As we drove off, Ash is mad at me and says "Chickens are more important than school!" It was quite the drive to school. Sadie announced that we need to kill Turkish. Ash bursts into tears again. And then Nate is saying "Ah, Boo" (translate: Ash, Sadie) because he's worried about them crying. And I was dying that I would have to deal with it when I got home. I came home and Turkish was still at it with Ned. And Ned was still alive. Unbelievable! She wouldn't give up. Dave had to walk out on the surgery he was in the middle of 3 times to help tell me what to do at different stages. Sorry Dave. I didn't know I signed up for this sort of thing.
I had to pick up Turkish (while she was still picking at Ned) and put her in our garage. Let me tell you that I was dying the whole time. It was disgusting and scary and I just felt sick inside about poor Ned. Then Dave told me that I had to catch Ned and separate her from the flock because the flock would start picking at her because she would now be considered the weak link. I tried and tried. No success. I was saying prayers, I was moving as slow as I could while dishing out chicken scratch. Finally, I got her. I brought Ned into Dave's workroom in the basement where she could die in peace. I brought food and water in case she wanted it. And I had to spray some stuff on her wound (her whole head) to stop infection from starting. I would call myself brave today only because I actually accomplished what Dave told me to do. My feelings inside were anything but brave.
Ned is still alive and doing pretty well. Dave took a picture of her, but they were all too graphic to put on the blog.
We had to say good-bye to Turkish. Dave is in the middle of preparing her for a brine - and the crazy guy (Dave) thinks we will eat her tomorrow. Which leads me to a great quote for the quote book.
While tucking the girls in bed:
Me: Daddy wants to cook Turkish tomorrow.
Ash: I will NOT eat my pet.
Sadie: I will. I love meat. I love turkey.
While Mom and Dad were visiting us, they happened to pick these two birds (Turkish and Ned) to take a picture with them. They were friends back then.
Ash had a hard day. Sadie did too, but not nearly as sad as Ashlyn's day. Ash shed LOTS of tears, and when she went into her room to cry some more, Sadie followed her in. I came in to this scene and had to capture the cute sight of Sadie trying to cheer up her big sister.
Life on a farm is not always easy. Today I wished I was living in my SF apartment while sweeping sand in my family room from living so close to the beach.
Why can't Dave be home when these things happen?
8 comments:
Oh girls...I feel their pain. Once my horse was pregnant, and I was SO excited for springs arrival and a new filly. I came home from school one day, and there was a large truck parked in the road. I didn't recognize it, and I hopped up on the bumper to peek at what was inside, and there lay my horse- dead. She had died of kidney failure while I was at school. It was a sad sad day...That's nice of Sadie to try and cheer up ash.
The picture of that girls reminds me of how you and Shannon would have been - always there for each other to cheer each other up! You are definitely brave, I don't know if I could have handled that situation. Eating it though reminds me of when one of my friends' brothers' rabbits died when he was young and he came home from school and his mom had cooked it up for dinner! I'm not sure he's ever forgiven her!
Such is the animal kingdom!!!! It's soooo sad and heartbreaking to us, but to animals it's not an emotional thing, just is! As you can imagine i can relate too much to that situation. From lambs to geese to tiny dogs...you never know w/ luna! Good job on making it through the drama and excitement. ;) Sounds like a day on the job at the vets clinic to me! ;) Props to you and i send my condolences to Ash pash because i know how sad it is to say goodbye to your beloved pet:( I love their personality differences and how they come out so obvious in their quotes! Thanks for thinking of me w/ an underwater camera ash, that's so sweet and a perfect idea because then we could have pix of the fish we see underwater and alive.
Melissa! WHat a daY! I did get a laugh at it..thanks..you write very well! I could vision it all in my mind! So sorry to Ash, losing her pet..that is HARD! Love Sadie!@ she has such a way with words..you NEVER wonder what she is thinking...do you!
Hope today is a better day...Cudos to Dave...for being so patient!
Oh my. That was a horrendous day. I feel for you (and wet socks ruin my day too- and it seems to be a daily thing with all of this snow...)
You will have to let us know how Turkish was, if you do indeed eat him. I hope that Friday is a better day, and everyone recovers quickly...
Phew what a day! Way to be brave.
Sadie Cracks Me Up! I'm with her, meat is good. Steve's Dad used to raise Rabbits, and thank goodness he stopped before we had kids because how do you explain to them that they are eating Grandpa's rabbits? And it's like they say is some Disney Movie, or is is Barbie? "You are always braver than you think."
Wow...what a horrendous day! I had forgotten that birds can do that to one another. I guess that's where the term, "hen-pecked" comes from..? You should be proud of yourself, Meliss. I would have been as upset as the girls.
I, too, have seen some ugly stuff. A couple of years ago a girl at the ranch, where I boarded my horse, had to put her horse down. We all witnessed another horse kick her horses' leg in the pasture and break it in half. It was such a horrible thing to witness, and even worse for her.
I don't know if this will help Ashlyn, but one thing I loved about President Hinkley: He was asked if he thinks animals go to heaven and he replied, yes, he feels they do. He said they are such a wonderful part of our human experience and greatly enrich the our lives. I loved Pres. Hinkley :)
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