It’s with a heavy heart that I share we lost our Mama Daffy last week to a vicious predator attack.  I’ll spare blog readers from the horrible details, but suffice it to say that I was very traumatized by the ordeal.  It happened on my birthday also, which is already painful because I share it with my Daddy.  Although I know she was just a chicken, she had become a pet to me and I truly loved her.  She was, by far, my most favorite hen.

She had earned my serious respect after adopting, raising, and keeping alive fifteen chicks.  I know it’s quite common for mama hens to raise other baby chicks, but my research led me to believe that accepting fifteen babies was rather unusual.  The way she always kept count of them, and knew when just one was missing, was simply amazing to witness.  She clucked and made all of her different sounds, and they obeyed her every time.  She taught them all about being chickens, including how to dust bathe and find all the good treats while free-ranging.

Even after she was finished raising her babies, she still kept her mama hen status and made sure everyone stayed safe.  Mama Daffy’s face even took on a wiser, gray-feathered look after her post-baby-raising molt.  She was always on top of the pecking order, keeping everyone in line.  She did eventually go back to her grumpier self, but she never bothered any of the other hens unless they annoyed her.  Ha!

I loved watching her mother her babies and be the top hen in the flock.  She was so beautiful and such a fun girl to watch as she did all of her chicken things.  Her big waddling run and adorable scratching constantly made us smile.  She never truly loved people, but she always came running whenever I walked over to the girls.  She knew that wherever I was, treats were likely to follow.  She always waited patiently for me to separately feed her a little extra out of the scoop when I filled the feeder buckets.  Ha!  She would peck any other girl who got in the way.  She was so healthy until the very end and laid eggs consistently almost every day.

Her loss seems like such a waste and so senseless, but I know her sacrifice allowed the other girls to run for safety.  The flock is still traumatized after witnessing the attack, and they continue to be in a bit of a kerfuffle as they rearrange the pecking order.  Chippy (pictured above), in particular, is quite lost without her favorite companion.  She was right beside Mama Daffy all the time, no matter where they went.  She simply doesn’t know what to do without her around, and it’s so sad to watch!

I know, in time, everyone will re-regulate, but her loss is being grieved by all.  I’m thankful for everything she did for our family, even as she paid the ultimate price.  She was an amazing girl who we will always remember with so much fondness.