Under the Big Sky: Life cycles on the farm

Yesterday, I was reminded that nature can be cruel. While working on the computer yesterday at my mom-in-law's, I heard the chickens making an awful racket. This isn't an uncommon occurrence; chickens love to announce when they've laid an egg, or otherwise done something spectacular in their lives as barnyard fowl. But the racket persisted, so I glanced out the window to see what the commotion was about. I didn't see much besides one of the mom-in-law's pullets wrestling with what I thought was another chicken. I also saw the rooster rushing across the yard in his fighting stance, and I immediately jumped up, because this roo is a mean son-of-a-gun, and I was afraid he might take matters into his own spurs at the expense of this pullet's life. Turns out, he was actually coming to her rescue; a bird of prey that my mom-in-law later identified as a peregrine falcon was trying to make off with her as a snack. Unfortunately, by the time the rooster, my mom-in-law, and I realized what was going on, it was too late. The falcon didn't manage to get away with her, but the damage was already done. She died right in my mom-in-law's hands. It was a sad thing for sure to see her in her last minutes suffering the way she was. Sadder still that nothing could be done for her.

On the shelf too long?

Tonight, we were again reminded of nature's cruelty. However, unlike yesterday, this story has a happier ending. My husband's cousin called while we were at dinner to tell us he needed help with a dilemma. His wife Mel had been keeping an eye on a stray mother hen who'd taken up nesting in their yard. Today, the mother hen along with one of her seven chicks disappeared. When night fell, so did the temperature, and Mel knew they wouldn't make it on this cold night without their mother. She had her husband call my mom-in-law to see if she could find a home for the remaining six chicks. And so, armed with a heat lamp and an unoccupied cat carrier, the mom-in-law and I set out to help Mel catch the orphaned chicks. When we arrived, Mel had been able to catch four, all of whom were in a cardboard box peeping their little heads off. I managed to catch another that had gotten stuck in a wood pile under the porch, but the last one had escaped and was being too quiet to locate in the dark. Suspecting that he had succumbed to the cold, we packed up the other five chicks and where on our way. Shortly after leaving, we got a call saying that the last chick had been found. Turns out, when he could no longer hear his siblings, he started crying out to them for all he was worth. Mel and her husband found him trapped deep in some brambles near their house. We came back for him, and when we got home, my mom-in-law called up a neighbor to ask if he wanted to keep the chicks. He came and got them, but not before my little one had a chance to see and pet them. I wish I could describe the happiness in my daughter's voice or the joy on her face when she first saw the chicks. I did manage to get some pictures, which I'll share with you now: