- Jul 10, 2011
- 8
- 0
- 7
This is a pretty lengthy post, but after the hell I've gone through today, I think this will really help provide some closure:
Soooooo, over a year ago, my girlfriend and I went on a picnic by Blue Marsh Lake. Had a bottle of wine, enjoyed the day and on our way home, we stopped at this random little shop and they were selling baby chicks. We impulsively bought one . We picked the smallest one that all the other ones were trampling on.
That day marked a relationship between man and chicken I didn't even think was possible. I gave her so much love and affection as a chick that she literally grew into the most personable, sweetest, chicken you'd ever meet. She started going everywhere with us! We took her to weekend-long campout partys where she just walked around with everyone and would perch on our friends, indulge in an occasional sip of brew
and she just loved to be with people.
I actually just posted a recent thread about this yesterday regarding a commercial I made with her.
(see thread here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=538368)
or just jump straight to video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h3pxLrREFY
I mean, I remember driving around for that filming, and her and I drove up to the grafitti highway (the abandoned highway in centralia, PA) and one of my favorite memories was her and I walking down this abandoned highway covered in grafitti ... her walking right by my side. When she'd get tired, she hop onto my shoulder for a more scenic look.
I do design & video freelance, so I couldn't just have her be a one star wonder, haha. I mean after all ... she's Miss Peach!!!
We also incorporated her in a Vitalize Consulting Solutions Commercial (which ended up winning): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6sLyGDRBhQ
She also co-starred in a tryout video for the well known TV show, 'Survivor' ... but unfortunately, I can't release that one.
Originally, it was just me and my girlfriend that truly "loved" her ... but Miss Peach really rubbed off on everyone, and needless to say, she became a complete part of the family. Even my TWO BIRD DOGS (brittany spanniels) would just let her walk around the yard doing her own thing. They all got along. Later on, we got Willis the duck, and Peach and Willis became best friends almost instantly. They literally followed each other around in the yard, and they were always looking out for one another. Multiple times a day, I would go out and pick her up just to hold her and ask her perplexing questions ... mostly for amusement. She was just such a beautiful soul.
Well, I woke up feeling sick this morning, and next thing you know, there's a note on our door from our neighbor:
Soooooo, over a year ago, my girlfriend and I went on a picnic by Blue Marsh Lake. Had a bottle of wine, enjoyed the day and on our way home, we stopped at this random little shop and they were selling baby chicks. We impulsively bought one . We picked the smallest one that all the other ones were trampling on.
That day marked a relationship between man and chicken I didn't even think was possible. I gave her so much love and affection as a chick that she literally grew into the most personable, sweetest, chicken you'd ever meet. She started going everywhere with us! We took her to weekend-long campout partys where she just walked around with everyone and would perch on our friends, indulge in an occasional sip of brew
I actually just posted a recent thread about this yesterday regarding a commercial I made with her.
(see thread here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=538368)
or just jump straight to video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h3pxLrREFY
I mean, I remember driving around for that filming, and her and I drove up to the grafitti highway (the abandoned highway in centralia, PA) and one of my favorite memories was her and I walking down this abandoned highway covered in grafitti ... her walking right by my side. When she'd get tired, she hop onto my shoulder for a more scenic look.
I do design & video freelance, so I couldn't just have her be a one star wonder, haha. I mean after all ... she's Miss Peach!!!
We also incorporated her in a Vitalize Consulting Solutions Commercial (which ended up winning): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6sLyGDRBhQ
She also co-starred in a tryout video for the well known TV show, 'Survivor' ... but unfortunately, I can't release that one.
Originally, it was just me and my girlfriend that truly "loved" her ... but Miss Peach really rubbed off on everyone, and needless to say, she became a complete part of the family. Even my TWO BIRD DOGS (brittany spanniels) would just let her walk around the yard doing her own thing. They all got along. Later on, we got Willis the duck, and Peach and Willis became best friends almost instantly. They literally followed each other around in the yard, and they were always looking out for one another. Multiple times a day, I would go out and pick her up just to hold her and ask her perplexing questions ... mostly for amusement. She was just such a beautiful soul.
Well, I woke up feeling sick this morning, and next thing you know, there's a note on our door from our neighbor:
"were sorry this morning one of our dogs escaped and killed one of your chickens. we would like to get you a new one"
I was completely sick to my stomach. First of all, we only had ONE chicken, and MISS PEACH is IRREPLACEABLE, just like one of their dogs would be if I came into their yard and mawed it to death. I went out to our yard ... looked and found a massive wad of tail feathers with some fat attached to them. I was in complete shock. It appeared that she had been attacked close to the middle of our 3 acre yard ... NOWHERE NEAR a border. It just really bothered me that I couldn't find the rest of her remains. I went out by their pen and saw Willis (the duck) sitting on the egg
Miss Peach had laid earlier that day. I almost lost it ... until I heard a flap. And then another flap ... a really weird sounding flap. It was behind the pen. I walked around back, flipped over a bucket that had been laying on its side, and there was Miss Peach ... still alive!
**NOTE, GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS BEGIN HERE ***
I was relieved until I picked her up only to see that the back half of her was all torn up, and her intestines were dangling out of her. I seriously almost threw up. I took her to the house as fast as I could (her eyes just kind've slowly opening and closing). I yelled into my mom and brother. They came out and my mom immediately started calling vets that would take a chicken. She probably called close to 40 places, none of which would take chickens. Meanwhile, I just held her there stroking her head and telling her we're gonna fix this. Well, the wonderful people at the Veterinary Hospital University of Pennsylvania would take a chicken! We packed up and made the hour and a half drive to philly, while I stayed in the back of the car holding Miss Peach trying to keep her awake. Her head just kept falling forward. We finally got there and I ran in with her. They immediately took her back and we waited. Swear to god, it was like one of the scenes from a movie where you're waiting for the bad news. A man opened the door and walks towards me, sits down, and says, just by looking, we know she'll need serious surgery. There was actually an world renowned exotic bird specialist in the building that night, and he said it'd be $83 just to have her come down to check things out. Before I could even look over at my mom to ask, she said "that's no problem, please send her down". The dr came down and had a look. There was so much internal damage done, and then the risk of infection, that even if the surgery went well, there was only a 25% chance she'd survive. To proceed with the surgery would run 3 to 4 thousand dollars. I broke down crying. I knew that was an absurd number to pay for surgery on a chicken ... that only has a 25% chance of survival as it is. Miss Peach meant so much to all of us, and especially to me and my girlfriend, that my parents made the call to go ahead through with it, and I was completely shocked.
They immediately hooked her up to a couple IV's, one of which containing painkiller (so she was at least comfortable), and continued to keep that cup of oxygen around her face.
They were ready to begin surgery within the next few minutes, so they had my cell # there, and said they'd give me any updates as they happen. Wasn't more than 15 minutes away from the hospital when I got the first call ... Miss Peach's heart had stopped and they haven't been able to bring her back. As sick in my stomach as I feel right now, the only comfort was knowing that she died with no pain ... and that I got to spend our last minutes together petting her head right before we left for them to begin surgery.
So, all that said, with the day from hell seeming to be over, I now fear my emotions and tears are gonna make a serious 180 from fighting for her life ... to seeking revenge for her life. Please, has anyone encountered a situation like this before? ... especially with a chicken that means as much to you as Miss Peach did to me. She wasn't just an egg laying chicken ... she was a personable chicken with a beautiful soul.
Willis the duck had a brother (Chauncey) and a raccoon got him. Hey ... that's life. I was ticked but you can't prevent that. Now, when someone OWNS AN ANIMAL that goes into someone elses yard and kills a pet, that's a completely different story in my book. Going to jail isn't an option, but Miss Peach's death will not be in vein.
Please .... help? suggestions? love?
I was completely sick to my stomach. First of all, we only had ONE chicken, and MISS PEACH is IRREPLACEABLE, just like one of their dogs would be if I came into their yard and mawed it to death. I went out to our yard ... looked and found a massive wad of tail feathers with some fat attached to them. I was in complete shock. It appeared that she had been attacked close to the middle of our 3 acre yard ... NOWHERE NEAR a border. It just really bothered me that I couldn't find the rest of her remains. I went out by their pen and saw Willis (the duck) sitting on the egg
Miss Peach had laid earlier that day. I almost lost it ... until I heard a flap. And then another flap ... a really weird sounding flap. It was behind the pen. I walked around back, flipped over a bucket that had been laying on its side, and there was Miss Peach ... still alive!
**NOTE, GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS BEGIN HERE ***
I was relieved until I picked her up only to see that the back half of her was all torn up, and her intestines were dangling out of her. I seriously almost threw up. I took her to the house as fast as I could (her eyes just kind've slowly opening and closing). I yelled into my mom and brother. They came out and my mom immediately started calling vets that would take a chicken. She probably called close to 40 places, none of which would take chickens. Meanwhile, I just held her there stroking her head and telling her we're gonna fix this. Well, the wonderful people at the Veterinary Hospital University of Pennsylvania would take a chicken! We packed up and made the hour and a half drive to philly, while I stayed in the back of the car holding Miss Peach trying to keep her awake. Her head just kept falling forward. We finally got there and I ran in with her. They immediately took her back and we waited. Swear to god, it was like one of the scenes from a movie where you're waiting for the bad news. A man opened the door and walks towards me, sits down, and says, just by looking, we know she'll need serious surgery. There was actually an world renowned exotic bird specialist in the building that night, and he said it'd be $83 just to have her come down to check things out. Before I could even look over at my mom to ask, she said "that's no problem, please send her down". The dr came down and had a look. There was so much internal damage done, and then the risk of infection, that even if the surgery went well, there was only a 25% chance she'd survive. To proceed with the surgery would run 3 to 4 thousand dollars. I broke down crying. I knew that was an absurd number to pay for surgery on a chicken ... that only has a 25% chance of survival as it is. Miss Peach meant so much to all of us, and especially to me and my girlfriend, that my parents made the call to go ahead through with it, and I was completely shocked.
They immediately hooked her up to a couple IV's, one of which containing painkiller (so she was at least comfortable), and continued to keep that cup of oxygen around her face.
They were ready to begin surgery within the next few minutes, so they had my cell # there, and said they'd give me any updates as they happen. Wasn't more than 15 minutes away from the hospital when I got the first call ... Miss Peach's heart had stopped and they haven't been able to bring her back. As sick in my stomach as I feel right now, the only comfort was knowing that she died with no pain ... and that I got to spend our last minutes together petting her head right before we left for them to begin surgery.
So, all that said, with the day from hell seeming to be over, I now fear my emotions and tears are gonna make a serious 180 from fighting for her life ... to seeking revenge for her life. Please, has anyone encountered a situation like this before? ... especially with a chicken that means as much to you as Miss Peach did to me. She wasn't just an egg laying chicken ... she was a personable chicken with a beautiful soul.
Willis the duck had a brother (Chauncey) and a raccoon got him. Hey ... that's life. I was ticked but you can't prevent that. Now, when someone OWNS AN ANIMAL that goes into someone elses yard and kills a pet, that's a completely different story in my book. Going to jail isn't an option, but Miss Peach's death will not be in vein.
Please .... help? suggestions? love?
