Like most farms, Hogwallow has a small flock of chickens, geese and other assorted ground-bound birds. They remove ticks from horses, donkeys and cattle and are suitably revered as useful members of the community. All are characters in their own right, but some are more characterful than others.
Stanislaw and Wanda have been two particular favorites. With their strange hair-dos and total devotion to each other, they snuck into everyones' hearts and the horses have always been particularly respectful of their tiny presences around large hooves.
They've been allowed to forage around the horse buckets in return for removing the irritating, bitey things around the horses' legs. Win - win?
Earlier this week, tragedy struck! Stan and Wanda, wandered into one of the no-go areas on the farm.....where the rescued dogs are walked twice a day. The fight was on........... 6 large dogs versus 2 very small and rather slow Polish Bantams.
Stan survived, but the late lamented Wanda, hasn't been seen since.
The little rooster's grief seems to know no bounds. Stanislaw has searched for Wanda every day. He goes from bush to tree to structure and clucks pitifully.
After a suitable period of mourning, we'll try to introduce Stan to a new lady-love. But in the meantime we're all wearing black arm bands and averting our eyes when he mopes past.
And in the meantime............ the term "bird-brain" has been struck from our vocabulary!
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1 comment:
Yes, birds can sorrow so. There are few sounds more heartrending than that of a guinea who has lost its mate.
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