The Passing of a Our Dear Fluff

When I came home today, I was told that Mellow had passed away.

It was a very windy and cold day. And the large wooden nesting box outside in the chicken enclosure had fallen on Mellow; either while she was inside it, or walking near the box. By the time someone had found her it was too late, she was already gone.

Here lies Mellow after she was buried.

Mellow spent a short 8 months with us, and it will be an 8 months that I will treasure and look back to. She enjoyed her time and always lived life happily fighting for scraps, bossing around the 4 other "young ones", and (when she was younger) always enjoyed a good neck rub. 

Her death was unexpected, and it made me realize again that life is full of surprises. Some good, others unwanted or bad. So treasure your time with your flock, because you never know when it will be the last time you see them all together. Here some memories in honor of our dearest Mellow:

This is how Mellow looked when I first met her, she was about  3-5 weeks old. 

Foraging in the long grass.

A while ago, when Mellow was still banned from the baby chicks due to her anger issues.

Accompanying the chicks outside.

Stretching out her neck to enjoy a soothing neck rub.

Hawk in sight!

Top and Bottom: This was a day in the late summer when Mellow was babysitting the chicks, such a tiring job.

Mellow in the sky!

The Crow Next Door

It's been awhile since I last posted something, and a lot has happened since. Spring is here (finally!), and so comes the warmer weather. Lime seems to be behaving better ( she has stopped biting me), the whole flock is laying, and the wild birds are more lively. Yesterday, after I locked the chickens up, I noticed a grayish-black cat sneaking suspiciously right behind the chicken enclosure. When I ran over there, the cat glanced at me, then warily ran away like a jet as fast as his little paws could carry him.

Anyways, the abundance of crows around my street have risen. A few weeks ago, I spotted a crow cawing and holding a piece of nesting material at the border of my property. It flew away before I could get my camera. Then today, I saw the crow again, in the same exact spot, although this time I noticed that there was a nest next to it. Luckily I had my camera and snapped a few pictures. It seems that, we might have a little family of crows nearby.