Some parenting stuff is just plain hard. I found myself asking God last night, Why did it have to be THIS one?

I know, she was just a chicken, a beautiful feather-legged lady, but still just a backyard bird. But to our sweet Li’l Miss, she was so much more. She loved that girl so much!

She was a great hen, mothering four little chicks the Prez brought home one Saturday when she was still just a chick herself. She followed them everywhere. Right into the edge of the woods late yesterday afternoon.

The worst part is many here are suspect including our dog and one of our cats. Whatever got her wasn’t large enough to carry her off, which means it wasn’t a fox or a coyote. It could have been a hawk, but that is just not likely based on her injuries. Our border collie seems to have a weakness for white birds. We can’t say for sure but he has been suspect when the white rooster that lived here before us went missing (never a trace of him and we know Indy didn’t care for him), when two other young white hens went missing (one of which was never seen again), and now … our beloved Snowflake is gone.

Larry found feathers behind the hen house and into the woods, so he went looking for her around 7 p.m. and found her shortly after in the front yard badly hurt. The Prez, Larry and I tried to doctor her and put her safely in the garage in a box on a towel. It was not meant to be. Last night as the Prez and I cleaned her wounds and applied ointment, she shuddered and took her last breath.

Death is hard! She was just a bird, but she was beloved as I said by our Li’l Miss and Mo picked her out, always wanting at least one feather-leg. I don’t think we’ll get anymore white ladies. We just can’t seem to keep them.

As for suspects, our cat Dori is suspect too. I’ve seen her stalking around the birds before, and she has definitely killed other backyard birds. She is quite stealthy and prefers to eat food she herself has hunted down (lizards, birds, mice, even squirrels).

I had the privilege of telling Li’l Miss this morning about Snowflake. Devastated in a word. She has cried and cried and cried. Snowflake was a pet to her. Our Li’l Miss has been through so much, even in the last year, and I do wonder why that bird. Often life has more questions than answers. I have quite a few pictures of Snowflake and even a little video.

The Prez mentioned some possible ways to dispose of Snowflake’s body, and he dutifully followed my suggestion (albeit strong) of burying her. He picked a spot near a large bush all the ladies love to peck around and sit under. We haven’t been outside yet, but we are planning a little memorial service for later today.

Last photo of Snowflake. Taken yesterday when I let them out to free range. Wish I hadn’t but she loved it.

Rest In Peace Snowflake.