Chucky the Lucky Ducky

(Proverbs 27:17 - "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." ESV)

Read the story in my last posting, or check out http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jun/06061410.html. Now this is profoundly disturbing, although not that surprising. I truly admire the pluck of Mr. Parker, who has taken a stand for righteous values (I don't know if he is a Christian or not, but there is something that is motivating him.)

It is sad and disturbing that the vengeance was taken out on a 7 year old boy by other kids. My stomach churned when I first heard about this. I hope for his sake that the Parker family would consider homeschooling. When I heard about this, I couldn't help but think about our little backyard barnyard and Chucky the Lucky Ducky.

Chucky was given to us by a good friend, a Godly public school science teacher who attempted to hatch some duck eggs in his classroom incubator. During the time of the incubation, one of the ornery kids purposefully cranked up the heat on the machine, and all the eggs were "cooked" except for little Chucky's.

A little background here: we already had two hens and one duck - the only survivors at our attempts to raise around thirty or so birds in the last two years. Now the hens don't like anybody. They have pecked some of the other chicks and ducks mercilessly when they are shut up at night in their little shed.

When we got Chucky, the girls were so happy because our other duck (the kids named her "Pipsqueak" for the funny noises she makes) was lonely and had no duck "friends." In fact, the night after all of Pipsqueak's "friends" got eaten by some critter or other, the girls cried not for the lost of the many, but for the loneliness of the one. (It was sweet, but pathetic!)

Well, Chucky started following Pipsqueak around like a baby duck follows her mama. But when we would put them in the shed at night, poor Chucky kept on getting pecked. I don't understand chicken sociology too much, but they are very much into a strict social order. Meaning, the only ones in the club are the ones in the club; everyone else is subject to a pecking. And so the barnyard "pecking order" is firmly established.

About two weeks ago, I went out one morning to find poor little Chucky on the floor of the shed, covered with blood and gasping for life. I didn't pick him up, because I thought it wouldn't do any good. He had violated the order and he paid for it with a pecking. One way or the other, he wouldn't ever do it again.

Well, Chucky is still alive, but he is scarred and ugly. One eye is gone, and his whole head is just one ugly scar. He is definitely not as cute as he used to be.

I think the analogies between Chucky and that little boy are profound. The only solution I had was to separate the poor little duck completely from his evil tormentors. Think about it.

jc