Our dear Twisted Sister :(

This weekend on the farm, we all were reminded of the heartache that comes with naming (and loving) your farm animals. Our very dear and very "special" chicken passed away Friday night. I found her in the coop Saturday morning and my yells and cries of anger and sadness might have woke my neighbors for miles. She was a very big part of my every day and I truly am still a bit lost out there without her.

I recently read a story in a chicken magazine that I get, about another "special" chicken, with a name. While this author was telling the story, he continued to remind you that you should never name a chicken. He said once you give a chicken a name, you will always worry more about it. You will always walk out and wonder where it is and if by chance you don't see it, you will worry until you find it. You will never eat it, and it will cause you heart ache when it does finally die. The whole time I was reading this story, all I was picturing in my head was our Twisted Sister. You see, she was just that bird.

We bought Twisted Sister about 2 years ago. When we went to pick up the 10 chickens we were getting, it was night and dark in the person's barn. Keith and Hayden ran around and caught all the chickens, while I controlled the cage door. We never really got a good look at anybody. We took them home and straight into the coop they went, to go to bed and wake up to make friends in the morning. Well when morning came, we let the chickens all out and suddenly noticed that one of them had what appeared to be a broken beak! We thought somehow we had hurt her in the catch, or the cage, or the drive!?! We were horrified! We started reading and soon found out that her beak was not broken at all, it had been growing this way all along. It is one of the defects that can happen during incubation and usually this kind of chicken would just be butchered, as it would not be an egg productive bird. I still wonder to this day, why this person sold us this chicken and did not just butcher her themselves. BUT....lucky for her, she made it to our farm, where egg or no egg, you are welcome!

Twisted Sister and The Peeps. She was always one of the nice chickens that we could trust with the babies.

We soon discovered that not only was her beak twisted, but it was so overgrown that she could barely even eat with it. So we slowly began the process of trimming it back for her, to a more manageable length. Meanwhile, we started getting to know this girl. I use plastic coffee cans as feed scoops, and she would always try to jump straight into the can, before I could dump it, and eat from there. You see her beak could not fit very well in the chicken feeders to get the food out. Sometimes she even managed get hooked on them and we would find her stuck there.  We got her a new feeder that was easier to eat out of, and a couple of bowls of her own, but she still preferred the red coffee can! So everyday, morning and night, when I go feed she would be the first to the feed bin, jumping straight into my coffee can, to be fed first and then again last. After awhile, she even learned the trick of just jumping right into the feed bin or bag, to just help herself while I fed everyone else. (The only times we have really had to wonder where she was, this is where were would find her trapped.)

Here is a picture of her and Cardigan when he was little. A little better view of her beak.

She would always be the first chicken at your feet, every time you went out, every where you would go. This is where she soon got her name. My Twisted Sister that was always by my side. :) So, for the last 2 years, we have all gotten quite used to this poor pathetic, but "special" girl. We always had a red can with extra food it it for her and everyone always tried to give her lots of treats. She never did lay and egg and we never did care. We were not going to eat her, we were only going to try to give her the best chance at a happy life that we could. And we did. She was(not that she could tell me, but I fully believe) very happy. She was quite sociable and friendly, so most visitors got a chance to check her out, or even feed her right out their hand.(another favorite of hers and most kids) Her and Hayden became such great friends, that she would just let him scoop her right up under his arm and he would carry her around the yard, taking walks, playing, and even swinging with her. She would fly up and land on my head or shoulder often, to hitch a ride to the coop or her bucket. That used to scare the you know what out me in the beginning, but I soon became fond of her sneaky landings. Again, we will really miss this girl.

So that brings me back to Saturday morning. Keith was home and we split up to feed. I went to the chickens and he went to the goats. I opened the coop and went to the feed bin.....no Twisted sister.(remember the story, this is why you don't name your chickens) I started feeding the ducks first and still.....no Twisted Sister. I then assumed that she just went out back with Keith and was in the shed, gorging herself in a bag of goat grains. So I continued on and filled the feeders on one side of the coop and then went on to the main side, to fill the rest. I stepped in and there she was! Laying on the hay, not moving! My heart sank. I tried to move her and make her get up, but she was gone. My heart broke. I yelled, I cussed, and kicked things. Then I found Keith and yes, I cried like a baby.

Keith and Cardigan saying their goodbyes.

Once the shock was over and we broke the news to the kids, we then had to find a way to put her to rest. You see, we have a pet cemetery in the back of our garden, but it is under a foot of snow and inches of ice, not to mention the ground is frozen solid. So burying her there was not really an option right now. So we gathered up some burnables and some dry wood and built her a nice fire to say our good bye. It was a rather emotional experience for us, that I will not soon forget. I have saved some of the ashes from the fire, so that this spring we can pick a very "special" spot in the garden, that is just right for her, and my Twisted Sister will again be by my side, always.

This is our first chicken with a name that we have lost and it is definitely a much harder experience. I see now just what the author what warning us of. It is like losing a house pet, or even a friend, not just dinner. We will all miss her and never forget her. So now I ask, will this stop us from naming and loving others?? Ha! I doubt it! Heartache is worth the love and joy that we have with them while they are here. Besides, we already have, Mr. Cheeks, Floppy, The Peeps, Emery, Henster, & Kohlar! I can't just take their names away now, can I? That would just be cruel! :)

Not the prettiest of girls, but that did not stop us from loving her.
RIP Twisted Sister 2010-2012

Swimming in the rain

Today is a yucky day on the farm. It has been raining and snowing off and on, with huge wind gusts. The only ones that seem to be enjoying the weather today are the ducks!

Swimming!

Oh how they miss the water.

This is what I found them out doing today. Swimming in the lake that has formed under my truck!

Taking a much over due bath!

Time to get started

Farm life can be so rough, unless you are one of the animals on our farm. :)

This is the life for me!

Everyone is treated with love here.

Ok, here we go! Give me a little time to figure this all out please. It's all new to me. There are just too many things going on out here to only be posting on Facebook. So I wanted a way to share all of our silly and sometimes sad happenings on the farm with everyone. Bare with me here as I learn how to use this and I hope you all enjoy the experience!