She Never Did Get Her Proper Name, Properly. Scrawny Neck.

It's odd. I feel like I'm running behind with this blog, even though I never planned to post on a schedule or particularly often. I've just always liked having things in order. If you're the type to keep a journal you tend to write about things as they actually happen, or at least I always tried to. I hated having a ton to catch up on cause I'd forget details. I started keeping notes throughout the day if we were on a trip, to write into an actual entry later. Most of the time I never did. In this case not having each post be novel length is a goal too, as well as sorta kinda keeping each theme or event separate. It doesn't really matter how on time or late I am, I keep trying to remember that.

Yes, I'm doing a memorial post for a chicken. Deal with it.

This post is for Scrawny Neck. Diablo. I'd have called her Dia if I had remembered that was one of the names I'd wanted to use once I was able to tell them apart.

She was just a chicken, an Australorpe bought with four others. If I'm honest she wasn't even a particular favorite of mine, but despite all of the girls not being as cuddly as I had wanted to work them to be they're our pets as much as our livestock.

~*~

Hawks have always been on our radar as one of the biggest predators to watch out for. When we lived out west there were a number of predators we had to be careful of but hawks always seemed the worst. I have a friend who lost their entire flock over the course of days, one by one, to hawks. Another recently had one try to break through a cage to get to one of hers that's particularly special to her.

They've still been on our radar here, though for some reason we thought they weren't as big a problem. I hardly even ever saw a shadow of a big enough bird, so they never really weighed heavy on my mind.

Until I looked out our front window and saw one sitting on Scrawny Neck two days ago. I'd never seen a hawk up close before, I had to look twice to make sure of what I was actually seeing. Might have been a red tailed, not sure what breeds are common in this area. It was a handsome bird.

Poor Scrawny Neck. We hadn't even seen it flying around or saw it's shadow. We didn't hear any squawking, noise, anything. Just complete normal silence and suddenly there it was. We checked on the others immediately after running it off, they were all back in or around the coop. I don't know if they had run when the hawk attacked, attracted by a group of chickens in the open, or if they had already headed that way before the attack, and a lone vulnerable chicken was tempting for lunch. We shut everyone in, Bertha included, and good thing too. That little shit was still hanging around in the trees.

We haven't let the whole group out since, only Bertha just today because her current arrangements are so small. She still stuck to hiding up against the big coop and the house. Not sure if it was because of the hawk or it being colder and windier today before it started raining and we put her back in, but I don't remember her ever spending large parts of the day like that, so I can only suppose she's either afraid or actually saw more hawk activity.

This is the second chicken we've lost. Soon after we moved into our current home we lost the first one to what we think was sour crop. That was Black Beauty, retroactively named once I was able to tell the remaining ones apart. Our Lorpys are having bad luck. I know we've actually had a lot less problems then we could have, and I'm grateful for that. Losing only two out of ten over the course of years is pretty good, especially when others have lost whole flocks to hawks and raccoons. Still.

I feel like such a crappy chicken owner. Most people say they only let their chickens out under supervision because of the hawk/predator issue. We'd probably stick to that too, except we're not set up to spend a lot of time outside just yet and the coop we were able to put up when we moved is not large at all. We were pretty rushed when we got here. We're pretty sure boredom and the size of the coop led to them harassing Bertha, so we started letting them out until we were able to actually expand their run.

That needs to be a priority now, up with several other things we also need to focus on first. We should be able to expand the run easily enough with more chicken fencing and sturdy posts once we get them. It wouldn't be the freedom they have now but it would at least cover back to the end of the house and extend out towards the brush we haven't cleared out of the back yet, a pretty large space to start with. Should give us more time to work on the coop/nest boxes themselves.

We're doing the best we're able but I still feel guilty. The whole 'if you can't afford to keep the pet the way it needs then you shouldn't have it' thing. I'm probably being over dramatic. They're not unhealthy, just cooped up a little close. We're just going to have to spend more time outside. Working in the garden, working on what crafts we can outdoors.

~*~

Scrawny Neck was and is the sorriest looking chicken I've ever seen who still had her feathers on.

One time when she was on the perch in the coop, she looked up and turned her head in just the right way while her feathers were ruffled up. She looked like Albert Einstein, or a Chinese Crested Chihuahua. We're finally figuring that Maleficent was behind her constant bad hair day state. She thinks she's a rooster, so she keeps trying to breed. Apparently Scrawny Neck and Scruffy Butt were her harem, I've never seen her mounting the others. We were planning on getting saddles/sweaters for them if we could, or making some. We'll still try for Scruffy Butt. I know they all serve a purpose, but I can't decide which looks most hilariously ridiculous: the saddles/sweaters, or the booties/hats for winter.

None of the Lorpy's really stood out much when they were chicks, even personality wise.

Bertha checking out the newbies the first time we brought them out to visit.

Twinkie doesn't look too sure about them.

Here though, as adults with more room to roam, Scrawny Neck's personality came into it's own. She was definitely not shy, always one of the first to start running over to see if you had treats what was going on. All of them would push and shove to get the treats first, but Scrawny Neck was one of the few who would lunge and jump for them if I wasn't careful. More then once she grabbed a bag entirely out of my hand and tried to run off with it. If that didn't work, or I wasn't fast enough to give her her own, she usually stole from one of the others. For being the runt of the flock she was one of the biggest pigs.

I never saw her flapping up on top of things, not like Glinda does, but she was funny to watch run. All of them, especially the Lorpys, look like they're racing around in bloomers when they run. Scrawny Neck looked like she wore a particularly large pair. She always looked indignant when we herded them back in after straying too far too. She'd stretch her neck out as high as it would go as she trotted ahead. She was one of Bertha's bullies, never hesitated to take a punk at her when she had the opportunity, especially if they were roosting next to each other on the perch before we separated Bertha.

She was a nest hog. Occasionally she'd kick one of the others out so she could brood the eggs, but usually she just never got up. Unless treats were involved.

She wasn't my favorite, in fact she annoyed me because she went after Bertha so much, but she was ours. If we ever get more Lorpys, or if any other new hen fits the character of Diablo, I'll put the name back into action. Diablo the Second.

Until then, Maleficent remains without her henchchicken.

RIP, pretty girl.