The Great Fowl Debacle

Since moving to the farm I have wished for chickens. Black and white zebra ones (Barred Rocks), red full feathered ones (Rhode Island Reds) and the ones that look like they have been fluffed with a blow dryer (Silkies). Jer said no no no on the hairdo chickens cause they aren't the best egg layers and they aren't big enough to eat (I'll get some someday I just wont ask first). 

I have also been reading on ducks and how they are very proficient in eating SLUGS. I loath slugs. I think we should salt every single one! Ducks are also egg layers and I hear the eggs are super yummy. Khaki Campbell's were my ducks of choice. They lay about 300 eggs per year. Omelet anyone?

So after begging Jer I bought 3 chickens and 2 ducks! When we went pick up little critters the kids were super excited. They were cute little fur balls. We intended on letting them grow out of their baby feathers at Tucker Creek Ranch (Jer's parents farm) because our barn doesn't have power and the babies need to be under a heat lamp for a few weeks. We just needed Daddy to get home from work!

Daddy gets home we shove dinner down our throats and head to TCR. What happened next happened in the first 5 minutes of walking into the barn. Brace yourself!

The goats make a racket when anyone walks in the barn because they think it is dinner time so Jer grabbed a bucket of grain and slide the door open to feed them.

Jameson and Madalyn walk over to pick out which pen we were going to put the babies in and Jameson declares "There is a DEAD goat!"
I set the box of babies on the ground walk 10 steps to see what the kids are looking at.

Jameson screams! "GET OUT OF THAT BOX"

I look over to see a barn cat INSIDE the box of babies.
Jameson runs over and grabs the cat who promptly scratches him. 

I glance into the box.

A dead chick. A maimed duck.

Jameson bursts into tears.

Madalyn cries "THAT was my FAVORITE chick!" (we had them about 1 hour at this time)

Jer walks in from feeding the goats and asks "what is going on"
I reply "we have a dead chick. The cat jumped in the box" 

and start to nervously laugh. 

(you know the laugh the one that comes at the most inappropriate time when your brain gives you two choices cry.. or laugh. Since I don't cry much my brain thought a good time to laugh. Not a full on laugh just a nervous giggle. I know what you're thinking... worst mother ever! Judge if you want, but it had been a stressful week and I swear this stuff only happens to us!)
Jer tells me to "get out of the barn and bring the kids home!"
I walk out of the barn where the kids were standing crying and Jameson says "DADDY NEEDS TO KILL THE CAT. SHOOT HER WITH A GUN! I HATE THAT CAT!"

Ok.. more laughing.. cause wait.. Jameson just said that?? My little animal lover wants to shoot the cat?

Both kids cry all the way home and talk about what jerks those barn cats are. Good thing it is a short drive.
I get the kids home and in the shower. While Jameson is in the shower I wonder about the symptoms of cat scratch fever.. I refrained from WebMDing it cause we all know I would have had Jameson diagnosed with some awful disease within minutes. I would have been staged in the driveway with Jameson buckled in waiting to head to the ER with a cat scratch when Jer got home! 

I apply meds to the slash on Jamesons belly after the shower and both kids fall asleep on the sofa.
Jer comes home after getting a fowl fortress set up to ensure we don't have a midnight massacre.

We have added a few more chicks to the fortress cause Jer says "if you're going to have chicks you might as well have more than 3"
Jameson has gotten over wanting to kill the cat and Madalyn hasn't even asked to go see the chicks. 

Jameson has also informed me that "sometimes farm animals die and we need to get used to that" I wonder if he will feel the same way when it comes time to butcher the chickens for dinner? Time will tell. In abut 4 weeks.

Blessed is me...