Even though we were blessed with no damage from Hurricane Florence, when we thought that NC was going to be hit with a Cat 5 (ish) hurricane, things got real and my life perspective changed immediately.
When you have to decide what to take with you and you can ONLY take what will fit in your vehicles, it really makes you think. It was a short list…
Dogs (and everything they need)
Cat (and everything she needs)
Phone and charger
Ipad
Camera
Things hubby and I need (clothes, water, food etc.)
And then there were the chickens. 12 of them. We couldn’t just leave them. Graciously, my oldest daughter said we could bring them with us to her house and keep them in the garage in kennels. That’s alot to deal with. Thinking about all of that stressed me like you can’t imagine.
I realized quickly that we were NOT prepared for emergencies/disasters where our chicken were concerned. We had made them makeshift “balconies” to keep them out of any rising water, but to actually keep them safe by taking them somewhere?
We had no barn or out building to put them in. I feared their coops were not strong enough. So many more thoughts and emotions those few days before Flo hit. I can’t do that again. I’m too old for all that and they deserve a safe haven if this happens again.
So…we made the decision the weekend before last to at least downsize and we rehomed 7 hens to a friend.
This past weekend we rehomed the remaining 5 girls to another good friend of mine. I just can’t do it any more. I obviously was not meant to be a chicken mom…they aren’t just chickens to me, they are pets (not anything like our “real” pets, but I am still very attached to them). I would never have been able to “cull” any of them, and if one had died – it would have been extremely hard to bury her. I’m just not a “chicken Mom” I guess.
With all that said…even though we are now chicken-less, we are still a homestead and we are still living the healthier life! Our posts may be of a different nature but we are still Our Healthy Homestead!
Thanks to everyone that follows us…we appreciate you so much!
