Friday 24 August 2012

Kiss of life time....

It has been a concern for quite a while that the 36kg lump of lard was going to hurt one of the smaller chicks that venture into her pen on a daily basis. They are attracted by the food that is offer and not for her charm, wit or delicate aroma that she releases. Peppa is playful, others would call it manic, and unfortunately the smaller chicks don't stand a chance when she rampages through her pen.

We have tried everything to keep the chicks out, but they do everything to get under, over and through the fence. This I knew was eventually going to end in disaster, and it did yesterday! Peppa was in her usual manic mood and was running through her pen scattering chicks like bowling pins, when she grabbed one of the smallest ones and tossed it in the air like a rag doll.

In slow motion I watched this small defenceless chick fly through the air and land in her mud pit, which is disgusting! By the time I had got through the Peppa defence wall, which takes some time as she has got to be locked in like Hanibal Lecter, the chick was wallowing in thick slimy mud. This is no mud pit that any living creature deserves to be in for any amount of time!

I grabbed the chick and it was coated from beak to tail in thick mud, it was laid lifeless in my hands, and at that moment I thought, "oh god Im going to have to have give this chick the kiss of life". Firstly I considered how this would be done, and secondly I thought where the hell is my daughter when I need her to perform crazy tasks!

Thankfully just at that moment it chirped, and blew mud bubbles out of its nose, I breathed a sigh of relief not only because it was alive, but because i didn't have to put my lips around its dirty beak! The chick was wrapped in a tea towel and dried off the best I could, it was shivering and obviously distressed.



I then pondered how its mum was going to help it, as she obviously couldn't lick it clean, but hey nature has a way of coping, and as I popped the chick back in the box with mum, she gently pushed him back under her to dry off. Peppas wall was reinforced some more, and hopefully that will keep the nosey children away from the dangers of the lump of lard!

1 comment:

  1. As Bruce the shark said 'chicks are friends, not food'.......or was it fish........ooooo now there's an idea......fish for the farm (and not the tropical ones)

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