Coyotes and 9/11

So last night our chickens got attacked by coyotes.

My sister heard the chickens freaking out so she told our parents and we went outside to see what was going on.

At first we couldn't find our rooster, Clark (yes, we name our chickens). When we found him, he was in a corner far away from the hens.

We tried to get him to go back into the coop, but he was injured and limping, so he knew that he would draw the coyotes back to the hens if he went back to the coop.

This morning we went back out to see what damage had been done, since it was really dark last night and we couldn't see very well.

We found 9 corpses under the bushes. Clark was nowhere to be seen. We found some of his beautiful feathers scattered around. He had made the ultimate sacrifice for his hens.

We named him Clark after Clark Kent, because Clark Kent is Superman and he defended people. We hoped that the rooster would do the same. He did.

We have three other roosters. Two adults and one still very young one. We named the youngest Clark Jr. The other two are Jack (named after Captain Jack in Doctor Who) and Gonzo (named after the muppet and the one who I raised from a chick).

We let the other roosters out of their cage today, praying that one (or both) will take up the vigil of protector. So far, Jack seems the most promising. Gonzo, my darling rooster, is more like a hen. He's really dumb and skittish around the other chickens. He's more of a people rooster (if there can be such a thing lol)

Its rather ironic that this disaster happened the day before the 11th anniversary of 9/11. Of course, this was no where near as devastating, but when 9/11 first happened, I was very young and didn't really know what was happening. I was only frightened because my teacher was.

But last night, when I was standing in the chicken coop amidst the scattered feathers, I knew what to be frightened of. I saw eyes, watching me out of a bush, mere feet from me.

You never know what it feels like to have something like this happen until it happens. In the Little House on the Prairie books, they had wolves howling around their house. They had animals attack their livestock. And then, when I was reading that, it was only a story, no different than another other fairy tale. But now, that story has taken on a bit more reality.

All I can say, is that I am so glad that God protected us last night when we went rushing outside into the chicken coop, armed with nothing more than three flashlights and two bee bee guns. Those killers where so near, I could hear them, in our garden. I am so grateful that me and my family came away unharmed.

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."-1 Thessalonians 5:18

So today, even though we have been devastated by predators that should not even be in the Appalachian mountains, and even though 11 years ago, hundreds lost their lives during 9/11, we must give thanks to God, our Lord and Creator, for His great mercies to us. 

Cheers!