Ragnar is off to Valhalla

I went out to the coop yesterday morning to open the windows, check for eggs, the usual. Well not so usual. Ragnar was on the floor, not moving. I assumed he was dead. I picked him up, he was wet and barely breathing and hardly opened his eyes when I moved him. Not a good sign. I put him in a box, moved him into the barn under the heat lamp and hoped he was just cold.

I made him a larger, more comfortable box but after checking him out and trying to give him some water and vitamins I knew it was only going to have one outcome. I did my best to make him comfortable, gave him tiny bits of water through out the day and once it warmed up outside took him out to feel the sun and breathe some fresh air for the last time.

Ragnar died some time around 6 yesterday evening. He was fine the day before and then...not. Thats how to goes I supposed. It's just a part of having animals. The worst part. I'm not entirely sure what happened. There is evidence of a fight, being sick, no mites though, I have been franticly searching the internet for the magical answer to jump out at me.

This sucks. So far the kids haven't asked and I honestly am not sure what I would tell them. We live on a farm and as we care for more animals some are going to die, it's just how it is. Now we go through the what went wrong, would could I have done better. The flock is going to have some adjusting to do, their pecking order is all off kilter. Faux-Roo is going to have to step up and be the H.B.I.C (Head Bird In Charge).

For us, it's hard to lose an animals, it'd definitely not like as if the dog had died. There will be no tears on my part (I don't think so anyways), I do feel badly though. In a few days there will a whole new crisis to deal with I'm sure. Perhaps it's too soon to joke, but I said to Scribs yesterday "This had better not be an omen for things to come on Vikings."

So it goes.