Herbert...
- Thread starter gcvmom
- Start date
F
flutterbee
Guest
I'm so glad you and your family were able to give Herbert a loving home, free of the stuff she was enduring before.
I know you are going to miss her. So am I and quite a few other board members.
(((hugs)))
I know you are going to miss her. So am I and quite a few other board members.
(((hugs)))
Star*
call 911........call 911
Herbert -
WAS A FANTASTIC soul. Even though we only had her for a too short of a time, what a CHICK! She touched so many of us here - and really in my office (posted her picture of devilled eggs) and I know such a sweet feathery creature will be cherished for a long time.
I am so sorry -
Hugs
WAS A FANTASTIC soul. Even though we only had her for a too short of a time, what a CHICK! She touched so many of us here - and really in my office (posted her picture of devilled eggs) and I know such a sweet feathery creature will be cherished for a long time.
I am so sorry -
Hugs
muttmeister
Well-Known Member
So sorry for your loss. Our animal babies, whether they have feathers or fur or scales, are so much a part of our families. But loving and being loved by another creature, no matter for how short a time, can only make the world a better place.
DammitJanet
Well-Known Member
Oh no....gvc....my family is so sorry. I had just showed your pictures to Tony the other night of Herbert. He thought they were so cute. You may or may not know we raise chickens so they have a special place in his heart. He is really sad for you. Just the other day a dog came through and wiped out 3/4 of his stock. It really does hit you were it hurts.
Shari
IsItFridayYet?
GVC, I am SO sorry.
I've so enjoyed your tales of Herbert and how you've (surprisingly) come to love a chicken.
Goes to show you just never know what path your life might take and where you might find joy.
And you and your family TRULY DID enjoy that chicken.
Enjoy her memories. She was a special one.
Hugs to you all.
I've so enjoyed your tales of Herbert and how you've (surprisingly) come to love a chicken.
Goes to show you just never know what path your life might take and where you might find joy.
And you and your family TRULY DID enjoy that chicken.
Enjoy her memories. She was a special one.
Hugs to you all.
gcvmom
Here we go again!
Thank you EVERYONE for the hugs and well wishes. It was a really rough night for everyone in our family. That little featherhead managed to claim a really big spot in our hearts. We all keep looking out the back window expecting to see her...
I guess I was surprised at the strength of my own emotions with all this. I've suspected for a while that my medications needed adjusting because I've been in a serious funk you might say for the past three weeks and lately it seemed to be worsening. My emotional fragility really hit home last night. After adding a 1/2 tablet of my antidepressant, I feel like a new person today. I'm still sad about losing Herbert, but I'm functioning much better than I have in a long time.
easy child did not want to go to school today and neither did difficult child 1, but I felt it would be in everyone's best interest to soldier on in our normal routine. easy child wants to get another chicken right away, and although I'm hesitant, the other kids want this too and it may help them get over this quicker. Our local feed store sells chicks in three's, so I'll call today to see if they even have any. I reminded the kids that if any of them turn out to be males we'll have to find another home for them.
Something that concerned me about difficult child 1's reaction -- he took off on his bike for about two hours, and came back just as it was dark. I had driven off after an hour to look for him, but no luck. I found out he rode down to our shopping center and went to get a burger, and then he went to the Big 5 sporting goods and looked at guns. He was that mad about the hawk. He told me about the gun shopping on the way to school this morning, and I told him that his strong feelings are understandable, but that we cannot ever, EVER act on impulses like that because it would only make things worse... more worse than he could possibly imagine. I worry about him when he does things like this...
difficult child 2 took a 1/2 hour nap and then tried to just carry on last night and got his homework done. When husband and I started talking about Herbert again, difficult child 2 asked if we could not talk about it because he was finally feeling good and trying to think of her in a better place now, and our talking was ruining that. Interesting response, I think.
easy child hates all hawks now and said none of us is ever allowed to eat chicken again (of course, what was in the oven cooking when all this happened: Chicken Parmesan). She is full of so much venom -- it's going to take some time to help her work through this. Hopefully the new chick(s) will help with that.
Thanks again so much for the outpouring of support for our little bird friend. It means so much!
I guess I was surprised at the strength of my own emotions with all this. I've suspected for a while that my medications needed adjusting because I've been in a serious funk you might say for the past three weeks and lately it seemed to be worsening. My emotional fragility really hit home last night. After adding a 1/2 tablet of my antidepressant, I feel like a new person today. I'm still sad about losing Herbert, but I'm functioning much better than I have in a long time.
easy child did not want to go to school today and neither did difficult child 1, but I felt it would be in everyone's best interest to soldier on in our normal routine. easy child wants to get another chicken right away, and although I'm hesitant, the other kids want this too and it may help them get over this quicker. Our local feed store sells chicks in three's, so I'll call today to see if they even have any. I reminded the kids that if any of them turn out to be males we'll have to find another home for them.
Something that concerned me about difficult child 1's reaction -- he took off on his bike for about two hours, and came back just as it was dark. I had driven off after an hour to look for him, but no luck. I found out he rode down to our shopping center and went to get a burger, and then he went to the Big 5 sporting goods and looked at guns. He was that mad about the hawk. He told me about the gun shopping on the way to school this morning, and I told him that his strong feelings are understandable, but that we cannot ever, EVER act on impulses like that because it would only make things worse... more worse than he could possibly imagine. I worry about him when he does things like this...
difficult child 2 took a 1/2 hour nap and then tried to just carry on last night and got his homework done. When husband and I started talking about Herbert again, difficult child 2 asked if we could not talk about it because he was finally feeling good and trying to think of her in a better place now, and our talking was ruining that. Interesting response, I think.
easy child hates all hawks now and said none of us is ever allowed to eat chicken again (of course, what was in the oven cooking when all this happened: Chicken Parmesan). She is full of so much venom -- it's going to take some time to help her work through this. Hopefully the new chick(s) will help with that.
Thanks again so much for the outpouring of support for our little bird friend. It means so much!
Marguerite
Active Member
I strongly recommend you make a large run that is netted in on the top as well, for safety from hawks. It needn't be too complex or expensive.
As for the hawk, it was just doing what hawks do. It didn't know that this hen was special. If anything happens to that hawk, another one will just move in to take over its patch. You can't kill them all.
I remember when the foxes wiped out our flock - I was furious, I tracked the trail of feathers out to the clifftop and rang the rangers - while the feathers were there, a den of foxes was trackable. In our area, those foxes do not belong. But even so, the rangers never did anything. They were just too short-staffed.
So I built a fox-proof henhouse and put strategies in place to keep the chooks safe from dogs as well - gates, fences etc. Then I got more chooks. Apart from losing one to a snake, and another that flew over the fence to be met by a hungry and playful pit bull, we have not lost a hen since.
You gave Herbert a lovely second life. You can do that again - an alternative to chicks, is buying hens from a battery farm, hens about to be killed because they're at the end of their productive life. Such hens are never more than 2 years old, often younger, and will still lay eggs for years more, especially if you give them a happy life. They will probably have had their beaks trimmed and not have a clue about grass or worms, but they can learn.
Just a thought. Now is a good time for you to do this - the cull is usually in autumn when the days get shorter.
Marg
As for the hawk, it was just doing what hawks do. It didn't know that this hen was special. If anything happens to that hawk, another one will just move in to take over its patch. You can't kill them all.
I remember when the foxes wiped out our flock - I was furious, I tracked the trail of feathers out to the clifftop and rang the rangers - while the feathers were there, a den of foxes was trackable. In our area, those foxes do not belong. But even so, the rangers never did anything. They were just too short-staffed.
So I built a fox-proof henhouse and put strategies in place to keep the chooks safe from dogs as well - gates, fences etc. Then I got more chooks. Apart from losing one to a snake, and another that flew over the fence to be met by a hungry and playful pit bull, we have not lost a hen since.
You gave Herbert a lovely second life. You can do that again - an alternative to chicks, is buying hens from a battery farm, hens about to be killed because they're at the end of their productive life. Such hens are never more than 2 years old, often younger, and will still lay eggs for years more, especially if you give them a happy life. They will probably have had their beaks trimmed and not have a clue about grass or worms, but they can learn.
Just a thought. Now is a good time for you to do this - the cull is usually in autumn when the days get shorter.
Marg
amazeofgrace
A maze of Grace - that about sums it up
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
trinityroyal
Well-Known Member
I'm so sorry for your loss.
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