We said goodbye to Primrose today. She died in the night snuggled up in the rabbit hutch. It wasn't a massive shock when I went to check on her this morning, I knew how ill she was last night. It's still a bit of a shock though because of all my four ex batts she was the most robust and in the best condition. She was the biggest bossiest girl in the flock, in the best condition and the undisputed Boss Chook. I never expected that she would be the first one to leave us.
I just checked back on my calender and Primrose came to live with us 11 weeks ago today. It seems a lot longer but it is there in black and white so it must be true. That means she had 11 weeks of freedom after the hell of living in a cage her whole life. 11 weeks to scratch about and feel the sun on her back. It wasn't long but I am glad I was able to give her that time. I read recently that battery hens are only kept for 18 months before they are 'disposed of'. That means Primrose was just one and a half years old, that's no age for a chicken.
My favourite memory of Primrose was the time I came indoors and found her in the doorway of my study. The cheeky madam had wandered in for a nosey about. When she saw me she legged it back down the hall but missed the kitchen doorway and ended up in the lounge where she led me a merry dance trying to catch her.
She was the Boss Chook, no doubt about that. She kept a close eye on all her ladies, making sure they all went to bed at night, sitting up until they had all climbed the ladder. I remember one night Blossom was faffing about and wouldn't go up. Primrose was sitting patiently waiting for her, almost falling asleep while she did. She looked so relieved when Blossom finally went up and she could go to bed herself.
She wasn't all nice, she bullied poor Snowdrop to the point where she left home for a while. It pleases me that they had made it up before Primrose died so they parted as friends. She also put Action Dog in her place on many occasions, especially if there was food about. She would peck Action Dog to make sure her ladies got all the food and the dog didn't steal any of it. She was always submissive to me though, squatting down when I went to pet her and eating corn from my hand.
We buried her in the wood today, wrapped in a yellow sheet to match the yellow ring she took her name from. I am going to miss seeing her running accross the garden, wings flapping, trying to respond to my call as fast as possible. I wonder who will keep everyone in order now she is gone.
Sleep well my angel.
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| Primrose |
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