Sunday, August 31, 2008

the sad passing of ruth


well, i write this post with saddness. we lost our BIG MAMA partridge rock hen ruth the other day. this is the first time we've lost a hen to something other than a dog attack. the truth is -i'm not totally sure why she died. my best deduction i can come up with-which i'm ashamed to say is heat exhaustion. we have had triple digit days and my girls have not had the opportunity to free range as much as before-since "blue" came into our lives. as he must be closely monitored if he is outside with the hens and we don't always have the time to do that. their fenced in yarn gets real hot later in the day. i had checked their water earlier in day but failed to do so later. by the time i noticed their water had been emptied-it was too late. i found her in the coop. it was extremely hot. i feel just terrible(like a bad chicken mom) for not checking the water sooner and keeping a better eye on the situation. i've been letting the girls free range during the heat of the day now where they can find better shade.

ruth was our largest bossiest gurl. we will miss her. i'm so sorry ruth!liam honored ruth with one of his glass insulators.

7 comments:

Jen-Jenny-Jennifer said...

Oh, I'm so sorry D. I bet she's tugging at your heart something fierce. Just hang in there. You ARE a good mom. (I'll start praying for that crazy heat to pass.)

Anonymous said...

So sorry about Ruth. I felt like I knew her from your stories.

Jen-Jenny-Jennifer said...

Thank you so much, Daisy! I'm totally going to get that book you suggested! This one by Kidd is blowing my mind! So much of what you shared speaks to what this author went through! I think I'm starting to believe Kidd when she says many women find themselves in the midst of their own personal spiritual awakening!

Whoa!

Granny Annie said...

I am so sorry and know how you feel. We lost our four-year-old Chicken Annie to heat exhaustion this year and I feel so very guilty as well as sad for the loss of such a good ole girl.

R.I.P. dear Ruth.

I did go to google afterward for research and learned how to recognize and treat heat exhaustion the next time I see it coming.

Sharon said...

I'm sorry Steph - it sucks. Unlike you, summer is *not* my time. In hot yucky East San Diego County, my mother finally put up a garden sprinkler on top of her guys and was reasonably successful. That included her rabbits.

Jen-Jenny-Jennifer said...

Borrow away on the 'shit list.'

By the way, I've got a new post brewing: semi-exotic pet...

:-)

Birdsong said...

Sorry about Ruth, hon...