Sadness and Joy

What a day...

This evening, Jalympics, a Rhode Island Red who has been with us for several years, passed away.  Jalypics was well known for being the chicken with Wyatt's knight costume last Halloween, visiting elder care homes to entertain seniors, and starring in a YouTube video stealing Wyatt's apple in the car.

Some of Jal's favorite tricks included sneaking into the house to take over the sofa, claiming the blue chair on the porch, and long talks with Remington.  She was officially named by one of Wyatt classmates in second grade.  Over the late summer, Jal had stopped sleeping in trees with some of her friends, and had taken to getting extra protein from Wyatt when she seemed more thin than usual.

 Jalympics had just snuck into the house yesterday.  We are never ready to see our friends move on.  They leave a mark on our hearts.  She has made us better chicken folks.

We were getting ready tonight, while remembering Jal, for a shipment of Brahmas and Buckeyes to come in tomorrow.  Part f the plan is to look at how the Brahmas and Buckeyes do, compared with the Delawares of last Spring, in our climate.  We are also breeding heritage Brahmas here.  As we were working away, Charlie heard chirping in the incubator where there had been no movement only an hour before!

We hadn't expected them just yet, and were behind with another project that we had been busy with all week, so the bedding is cold and outside.  We will add that in in the morning, so the little ones don't slip on the newspaper we use at the far bottom of the brooder.

Jalympics will never be replaced around here, but somehow God gives us new life to continue on the circle and keep us working and reaching for more.Please join us in remembering Jalympics, and in welcoming our new little ones!