bad habits underneath the patio

This summer is exactly two weeks old. We have packed in so much fun already that i feel like my job is done and i can just curl up in my hammock with a glass of wine and a good book and partake in the alcoholic summer.

Except for the kids.

I have people related to me visiting this week and my time will be taken up with familial love and joyfulness.

This morning we partook in a fabulous world cup soccer brunch complete with champagne and orange juice. I have never had that bubbly combination before (except at the morning after party at highschool graduation and i suspect that the parents switched for the non-alcoholic kind) and it was yummy.

This evening my husband switched his sissy office worker hands for rural licensed weapons to kill.

I went out to the chicken coop to check on things and collect eggs. A hen was in the coop and i noticed her breathing was laboured and she seemed listless. As i looked closer i noticed THINGS crawling all over her. Maggots.

I ran inside and told shane "we have a problem!"

He marched out and after a little discussion and pep talk he killed our poor little hen. It all sounds so gross and disgusting, well it was actually. But, i was really proud of us. Us squeamish city folk. Dealing with death, dying, suffering.

The chickens have been roosting in the trees, which is annoying in it's own right because roosters? They wake up at 4am. They wake EVERYBODY up at 4am. But roosting in trees? It's shows how dumb chickens are because they are prime bait for every predator in the neighbourhood there. I suspect an owl or something took a bit of her and it got infected and gross. Poor hen. She had no name.

Chickens owned - 67
Chickens missing or dead - 49

Chickens. Not for the weak of heart.

Posted by Jess at 11:44 PM Permalink

Comments (10)

Ada

Oh Lordy.
Maggots on your chickens. You are brave. The poor girl must have been uncomfortable. I'm thinking this one dosen't make the dinner table?

Yeah, I just grossed myself out with that question. I'll stop blabbing now.

When's blogher? Next weekend or the one after?

Posted by Ada | July 10, 2006 12:19 AM

Kim

And chickens smell bad on their best days...

Posted by Kim | July 10, 2006 01:19 AM

blackbird

ACK.

I always have romantic visions of having a couple of chickens -
fortunately I have you to stop me.

Posted by blackbird | July 10, 2006 06:03 AM

jennifer

ugh.

Posted by jennifer | July 10, 2006 07:05 AM

Joan

Maybe if you are losing so many you should get a hen house and some kind of enclosure. Thats a pretty high death rate for chickens.

Posted by Joan | July 10, 2006 08:48 AM

Chair

Well, just my two-entomological-cents here. If she was injured, some species of maggots can actually CLEAN a wound, they only eat (ok, this is gross) dead or infected tissue and will not NOT touch living, healthy tissue. SO they could have actually been helping. However, there are only certain types that do this, while others eat darn near anything so it could still very well have been a bad thing. Just don't get all Maggots Are All Bad on me cuz dude, I'd so sick some green peach aphids on your ass if you did.

:^)

But. Overall. Totally gross.

Posted by Chair | July 10, 2006 09:45 AM

mamatulip

Gross! Not for the weak of heart, indeed!

Posted by mamatulip | July 10, 2006 12:06 PM

Chantal

I am so there on the city fold toughening up! I've done things I never thought I would since I moved to this farm.

Today, I took a chipmunk out of a trap and threw it in the bush. Just like that. I didn't even flinch!

Posted by Chantal | July 10, 2006 06:23 PM

Amy

I once had a kitten who had maggots crawling out of her. Nasty :( Took her to the farmer next door who sprayed her wound full of some purple horse antibiotic and she survived. Maggots are supposed to be good for wounds but not in my pets thank you very much.

I can relate to the mercy killing sadly. Sometimes it is just better that way.. (And blessedly I married a former farmer who had the guts!)

Posted by Amy | July 10, 2006 09:02 PM

Jennifer

I read this post the other day and was so taken in by the gross chicken story that I missed the Death Cab For Cutie reference in the headline. I hope it was intentional 'cause that's my favourite song of theirs.

nerdy, I know.

Jennifer (matilda)

Posted by Jennifer | July 14, 2006 05:00 AM