My two duckies are no more.....
Kevy found them out in the back field this morning......
And then we picked up pics of the predator on his trail cam out back.
Such is the cycle of life - of predators and prey.
My Littles surely have learned a lot about death this fall - between the turkey, Daddy's deer, one of our chickies, and now my boys...
We told them about it over supper. None of the details, of course - but we felt it best to tell them the truth. Death is an unavoidable part of life and a risk we have to be willing to take if we want to let anything - or anyone, for that matter - into our hearts.
They took it okay. I can tell that Kaden, especially, is sad, and that he's still processing. And I'm sure there will still be questions. But, an order has already been placed for two new babies in the spring. We shall see.....
This brings back SO many memories of my childhood! We raised chickens to eat - not just for their eggs. We got attached, and then Dad made us pluck them! Horrors! And we raised our own turkeys and pigs to eat and sell, as well. You can't help but get attached at least a little bit. I can still remember Mom & Dad waking us up in the middle of the night to watch the piglets be born. That is one of my clearest memories as a really little girl. And I can remember crying after each one got sold, too! And the amount of dogs we went through as kids - horrible, tragic deaths....a whole lot of sadness, really.
But, I still look back at the memories of all of our animals - both our farm animals and our pets - and those are still some of the BEST memories of my childhood.
The boys and I talked tonight, and we agreed - the sadness really is worth it!
So, we shall see what the rest of the winter holds for us and our girls. And maybe we shall start afresh and anew in the spring.
And maybe we'll also have a little foxy pelt hanging on our bedroom wall before the winter is over.......
5 comments:
Aw...that's so sad! :o( My girls would have been so distraught and out on a fox hunt by now! By the way (I'm sure you're already well aware...), once a fox finds an area of prey he will revisit until the kitchen is closed. If ya know what I mean. Kevy needs to sit up in that deer stand and catch him! Glad the boys took it okay...growing up is sometimes hard to do! Poor little dears...
I'm so sorry Amy, how sad. I remember when a much-loved gerbil of mine died in a bloody fashion in front of me and how awful it was. I'm glad your boys didn't have to see any of the evidence at least. :)
Yes, I am aware of that Rachael. A little stressed about it too, I am. Kev has his cam set up right by the coop, so we'll see.... The ducks were sleeping outside last night - not in the coop. Unless it's below freezing, they would NOT come inside. So, they were really defenseless. The girls put themselves to bed as soon as it's dusky. Now, I'll close them in way sooner in the evening. It's the daytime I'm a little worried about. Hence, the foxy pelt I'm looking for. The big turd.
Hmm. I just read back my comment, and the first sentence sounded testy. Didn't mean for it to, in the LEAST, Rach! Ha! I think I just never call you by your FULL first name, so when I see it completely spelled out, it sounds like I'm reprimanding you! Sorry, Love. Not feeling snarky at ya, all at! In fact, I'm CRAVING a date with you and your gerls......
And somehow my comment got posted as anonymous.....It was Amy....weird.
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