Thestral

 

This creature is a thestral, an imaginary creature from the world of Harry Potter.

So you can see where this little one got her name!

She was an unusual little creature from day one. So ugly that she was darling. She's a little naked neck silkie, a variety called a stripper since she lacks a bow tie of fluff on the front of her neck.

She grew more interesting everyday, developing a curious personality, always happy to interact and discover new things.

Every new day was a new adventure with Thestral.

She went through her various phases, some a bit uglier than others!

But even the darling frizzle d'Uccles were not super dazzling at this point lol. And this girl was certainly original looking!

She quickly entered what I termed the Dr Seuss phase.

That girl was never afraid to let you know how she was feeling!

But each day my strange little girl became more dear to me.

She became a lovely little hen, faithfully laying eggs and enjoying life.

And she was still always ready to hop right into my lap for some snuggle time.

Of course her interactive nature got her into trouble at times. When I repainted her coop, she attempted to help me!

No chicken ever made me laugh as often as Thestral did.

Last week Thestral was injured. I believe she fell out of her coop and broke something around her pelvis. She was in with a rooster so there's a possibility that he hurt her even more. We moved her as soon as possible into a safe isolation cage, but it was just too late. I took her out everyday and loved on her. Told her how much I love her. But her internal injuries were obviously just too bad for her to recover. She would still interact, but she quit eating. She could still walk slowly, but it was obvious she was in tremendous pain.

Yesterday I put my darling girl down. One of the hardest things I have ever had to do.

I love you baby girl. I will always love you baby girl. You are a good good creation, a gift from God. An awkward, ugly, beautiful, irreplaceable piece of my heart. Fly high sweetheart, fly high and wait for me. Because a creation as wonderful as you can never really die.