Gushi, Another Jarecki Spirit Bird

Ten minutes after I opened the window by our bed at 1:40 this morning, I heard a growl, a chicken scream and scampering.

Dave got outside first armed with a hose and chased what he thought was either a cat or a coon away. He saw Gushi laying on the ground. I grabbed a flashlight (mental note: buy a flashlight and keep by back door) and ran out there while Dave went back in the house to get dressed (mental picture: Dave hunting a wild animal with a garden hose in his boxers).

There was a raccoon, with Gushi in it's mouth, trying to scamper up our metal fence. It was having trouble carrying her with the light shining in it's face, me yelling for Dave and it feeling cornered. It made it up the fence and started walking towards me on top of the fence. Like a good dog owner I kept telling the raccoon to "Drop it". Finally it did drop her and jumped down the fence.

Loretta, the orange lady, was in shock and stuck between the food and the chicken coop wall. Princess Battlestar, from our original flock, was laying face down, wings spread inside the box. She's the small lady who has now survived a coon and a bird of prey attack. The bird of prey took her brother Fezmo last summer. Ladyfinger, was broody (again) in the nesting box and pretty much comatose from wanting to be a mother, so she wasn't too aware of anything. (Ladyfinger's full name is Fatty McGee and I've accepted the fact that she is my domestic spirit animal).

Dave stood guard over Gushi's body with a light and a shovel as the raccoon tried to grab her through the fence (can you believe that!?). Loretta came somewhat out of her stupor and ran into the yard, where I was able to pick her up and put her with the others. Loretta piled on top of Ladyfinger and I stroked Princess B into reality as she calmed down.

It was my turn to watch over Gushi's body as Dave tried to secure the coop. Dave closed the inside box door that we use to keep the ladies warm in the winter. We reckon the coon got in through either a very small space where the chicken wire wasn't stapled or through the bottom of the coop door that doesn't have a bottom bolt (the coop door was still locked). Either space seems too small for a huge raccoon to get through and then to carry a six pound chicken through, but that's from our limited human perspective.

Once the ladies were safe we decided to give Gushi back to the cycle of life. We carried her outside the run, said a prayer, and then offered her up to the raccoon. We made an appeal to the raccoon to please not hurt any more of our ladies and hoped she had pups to feed with our chicken. Two hours later we heard a growl out the window and Gushi was gone.

Only days ago we learned of Gushi's full name, Kristi Yamaguchi. She was our best egg layer and fattest bird (she has grown since this picture was taken). We feel good knowing that she spent her last days sunning herself on our deck, which leads us to believe she will come back as a dog. Perhaps as a semi-neurotic Dalmatian.