Toughie's Little Chick

"There's a baby chick in the backyard!"Toughie said, as he raced into my computer room to find me.

"Baby chick?" I thought as I continued to type away on my keyboard. Hmmm, we do have two chickens in a aviary in the back yard, but no rooster.

"Go get it" I replied.

Toughie ran outside and was back inside in two seconds flat.

"I can't get him. He runs away from me."

I got up and went outside to see this baby chick. "Toughie, it is a baby bird. Grab him."

"He is too fast for me," Toughie replied. He was looking at the fairly large squawking beak of that baby bird. He was a bit afraid, but didn't want me to know. I grabbed the unhappy baby bird before Asia, our bird loving (but not in a good way) dog could. The kids found two other dead baby birds. (The little dove mother is sitting on her children, and they are all fine, by the way. Also, they say the parents will swoop down and feed the little birds that fall out of their nests, but with bird loving Asia, that was not an option.)

My thoughts went back to when I was very small, probably about Toughie's age. I found a baby bird. My mother let me put him in an old bird cage and I mushed up worms for him and tried to feed him. I remember loving that little baby bird and hoping he would live. I prayed that he would, but he died. I remember how sad I felt, and wondered why Heavenly Father didn't let my bird live. My dad helped me bury him and said every one has a time to die.

I was sad.

Later, my little dog, Rusty got hit by a car. I came home from school and before my mother could tell me, this loud mouthed neighbor kid told me my dog had been hit by a car. Rusty had survived being bitten by a larger dog, and a tomato juice bath after being sprayed by a skunk on one of our outings. I couldn't believe he was gone. He meant a lot to my family and me. Calling Rusty had been the only way I could find my two little brothers--who were ALWAYS in some kind of trouble.

I thought my heart would break.

My dad dug another hole and we had another funeral. Through my animals I learned love, but also much about death and sadness. I remember my dad telling me about his little bum lamb, Bummer, who he raised and loved when he was a young boy. My dad got tears in his eyes when he told me that he came home from school one day and the dogs had gotten in Bummer's pen and killed him. I hugged my dad to comfort him, and he hugged and comforted me. I knew he knew how I felt.

I looked down at Toughie, who was looking up at me with big brown eyes. He watched as I made baby bird food out of dog food, corn meal, a little protein powder and mushed it all up. His bird is a female baby grackle, I think, so at least she has a very big beak. I have been feeding her with a baby spoon that will be thrown away at some point.

"You know, Toughie, odds are she is going to die," I said, still looking at those big tender brown eyes of his.

"You will fed her, though?"

"Yes, I'll try, but I am not a mother bird. They do the best job raising baby birds. What are you going to name him?"

He thought for a moment.
"Junior."

Toughie had to go home, but the next day, I noticed him cutting up several Styrofoam cups. It took him a couple of tries to get the exact size he wanted. He finally placed an unevenly cut cup bottom with water in it in the bird cage next to the little bird, who was sitting on a grass nest Dano built for her. In uneven letters it read, 'JuNiOr'.

I fed the little bird this morning. I think she has a respiratory infection...and usually I can only keep these birds alive around five days.....

I'm probably going to have to prepare Toughie for a funeral. Thats how we learn about death, at least in this family. We also learn that because of the Savior's Resurrection life goes on. Will we see all of these little baby birds and animals again? I don't know. I do know they will be resurrected. I know each on of them is special to our creator, and should be treated humanely while they are here.



Junior, Toughie's baby bird. So far, so good, but the odds are not in Junior's favor. Miracles do happen, though. We'll just have to wait and see.