Ode to Chicks

Here is Abby's journal entry 6/29/2014.

Today my chicks died.  A fox killed them.  I can still picture them in my mind.  Always getting into mischief, somehow.  They hated to be separated.  Take one away from the other chicks and if it knew where the others were it would go running.  If it did not know where the others were it would call and call and call till it knew where the others were (running while calling).  Scattering the food, spilling the water, pooping in the food.  They were Harry Houdini at escaping, running, and stranger Harry Houdinis, eating.  They could eat five crumbles in two seconds!  They were just about four or five months old.  They were almost layers!  I miss them a lot.  (Sad face with tears)

I made up two rhymes about foxes, cats, and chicks.

"Cats don't cry, so why should I?
Cats eat chickens so do vixens."

"Cats don't keep chickens.
Same with vixens."

This is Abby's picture.  You can see the chicks all have x's for eyes to signify they're dead.

Here are my (Rhyetta's) comments which I wrote in her journal:

While we were enjoying our dessert for Family Night, Dad called out, "Look at that!"  We all followed his stare out the window to see a tan fox in the backyard by the chicken coop!  The fox saw us too and sauntered away.  Abby went outside immediately to check on her chicks.  Uh-oh.  We could see one, lifeless, surrounded by a pile of feathers by the pear tree.  The other two were nowhere to be found.  I figured the fox had gotten all of them.  Surprisingly, Abby wasn't sad.  She has become used to dealing with her animal's deaths.  I feel sad that we won't get any eggs, especially after Abby has cared for them so well and for so long.  It's hard to keep any kind of bird out here in the country with so many predators.  Abby did a great job raising the chicks.  Their names were: Chick Norris, Super Chick and Slender Chick.

Here are Ella's comments:

abby's chicks were loving and lovable and cuddly, but one thing about them i did not like was that they pooped on me. (laughter)

Here is Ella's picture: