# Ending One Chapter, Opening Another



## WeeLittleChicken (Aug 31, 2012)

I know I haven't been around much but that might change. I moved off of the farm a month early after my ex's behavior started to scare the tar out of me. He claimed he was coming home early to install smart locks to the security system in the house so he could lock people in or out remotely if he saw anything he didn't like on the security camera... (a veiled threat if I ever heard one, especially when coupled with, "And I can attach it to the smoke detector too!" As if I would burn the place down?!) So in three days I shoved the rest of my belongings in trash bags and got the hell out of Dodge. I contacted him to say he had 3 goats and 60 or so chickens on the property with 24 hours worth of feed he should figure something out for... This caused a riot of course, even though I had been saying I could leave any time for the past seven months... and this is not mentioning he abandoned ***250*** chickens when he left town for me to take care of (he was seriously pissed I didn't process and sell them all for his ease. WTF...) 

Soooo after that he immediately went onto FaceBook, posted a message about how I had "abandoned animals" on his property with no warning (his animals, his property, 24 hours warning and I said I would drive an hour and a half back to feed them again if I had to which he responded, "Stop dealing with MY animals!") Of course a few of his coworkers believed him and whisked away the goats who he claimed "she didn't leave any water for them!!" (it was in the pasture, not the stall you [email protected]#$%) He claimed my actions were a "prosecutable offense" but he wasn't going to pursue it because that's how nice of a guy he is (or could it be he doesn't have a legal leg, or even a toe to stand on and knows it. He still thinks I'm dumb as a stick. Funny enough it's THIS that bothers me most!) 

I asked a concerned neighbor to check in on them. Looks like he has someone over there maybe three times a week to feed the left over chickens. She asked to help before the goats were removed and of course since he's never taken care of his precious kids before (not to mention he's spent maybe three hours of their life with them) he had no idea what to tell her to feed them. I kid you not. But I am the bad guy. Uh huh. 

He was home for two days yesterday and today and tried to post an ad for "Free hens - various breeds" using my old photos, the ones I have posted here of young robust birds I had already sold... All he has on the property is a bunch of 2+ year old spent hens and 1/3rd of those I left are roosters. He cannot tell the difference. And I doubt he had the presence of mind to pen them up anywhere for people coming to pick them up. Oh to be a fly on the wall! I wish I could have seen as people started arriving to see completely different chickens, a man who seems to know *absolutely nothing* about them, and then expected to chase them around 2.5 acres worth of pasture to get them.... If I walked into that situation I would think I was being punked and walk out! But I digress. 


So now I am with my mother... situation is not great... hoping this will be but a brief stop on my journeys elsewhere. Meanwhile I keep getting messages about what I have taken from the house. Seriously.... you emotionally torture and torment me for seven months, effectively driving me out, and then you expect me to be nice and return everything you think I have taken?! (We're not even talking anything expensive or sentimental here.... its like random $12 items...) yeah no. I am done, done, done.... Does he not realize in seven months time I really could have destroyed that house and no one would be able to prove it since he wasn't home? I could have literally taken an ax to all the walls, the floor, the ceiling. I could have sold all the appliances on Craigslist. I could have turned it into a homeless shelter. I could have left the chickens and goats inside the house when I left! I took the high road... only to be demonized on FaceBook as the SOB who "abandoned" the animals... I took the high road because I believe in karma and that I won't have to do anything but watch. He's about to see what's coming to him and I will have nothing to do with that - it'll all be consequences of his increasingly unhinged behavior. 

I managed to take my angora bunnies, my pair of Belgian Hares, and some chickens, half of whom got passed to dear friends, the other handful remains here. Thinking of keeping the four mille fleur legbar hens.... I'm not allowed to have chickens here but they're in a tractor out back and I doubt anyone will ever know. Plus I have been walking and I heard hen noises coming from at least two other houses in the neighborhood.... 

Still, I look forward. I am almost done dealing with unintentional chaos and almost ready to resume my campaign to raise money for a new farm under better management.  In the meantime I plan on doing a lot of traveling, writing, and photography this summer, so I will be around, no doubt.


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## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

Sounds like you both are being irresponsible with the proper care of maintaining livestock.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

I hate to hear you are having troubles and the animals had to suffer but you did what you had to do.I know you are in a dark place now,but the sun will rise again and life will be bright.You are right that you are ending one chapter and beginning another.Focus on the future,remember the past but don't dwell on it and live today like it's your last.You have a new life in front of you-go after it with gusto!!!Good luck!!!


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## WeeLittleChicken (Aug 31, 2012)

I did the best I could given the situation. My safety had to come first and I had legitimate reason to believe it was not OK. Plus the neighbor is continuing to watch, feed, and harass him to get someone over there. As I said, I did the best I could, now it's time to put some positive vibes out in the universe. I shall spend this summer traveling, raising funds, writing, and gardening. At the end of this road I hope to settle down again on a farm - a teaching farm/place for the community. Giving back, that's what it's all about....


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## vmjllc (Apr 5, 2017)

Nm156 - Not sure how you think SHE is being irresponsible with the animals. Sounds like she was in danger, had to leave quickly and she moved into a place she couldn't have all those animals. She made arrangements with a neighbor to keep help care for the animal. Has your life ever been threatened by a significant other...I think not based on your nerve comment. Besides that, the ex claimed they were his animals...that makes him the responsible one. 
WeLittleChicken - God for you for taking the high road and being brave enough to leave. So many times, that doesn't happen. Good luck ! ;-)


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## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

vmjllc said:


> Nm156 - Not sure how you think SHE is being irresponsible with the animals. Sounds like she was in danger, had to leave quickly and she moved into a place she couldn't have all those animals. She made arrangements with a neighbor to keep help care for the animal. Has your life ever been threatened by a significant other...I think not based on your nerve comment. Besides that, the ex claimed they were his animals...that makes him the responsible one.
> WeLittleChicken - God for you for taking the high road and being brave enough to leave. So many times, that doesn't happen. Good luck ! ;-)


Maybe because I've read more of this person's posts then you have.
If you have all that crap going on you don't go get a bunch of animals.
Then she thinks it will be funny when the people show up and find out they're spent layers.

"Oh to be a fly on the wall! I wish I could have seen as people started arriving to see completely different chickens, a man who seems to know *absolutely nothing* about them, and then expected to chase them around 2.5 acres worth of pasture to get them.... If I walked into that situation I would think I was being punked and walk out! But I digress."

http://www.chickenforum.com/f10/goodbye-everyone-11229/


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

There are two sides to every story.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

We don't know everything, we'll never know everything and we don't all make the same choices when faced with an extreme situation. 

I for one know that if faced with a dangerous situation it's time to make a choice, do what is right to protect my physical safety or stay around trying to divest the property of animals that the property owner should have been dealing with for months. That didn't happen. It was easier for him to threaten her than to do the things necessary to shut things down.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

I'm sure the last thing WLC wanted to do was abandon her animals.She felt threatened and had to leave quickly.She took what animals she could and made arrangements with a neighbor to look after the ones left behind.I'm sure it is not what she wanted.She has enough problems and guilt.We don't need to add to it.She needs a friend not a lecture.


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## WeeLittleChicken (Aug 31, 2012)

Actually I was the one left with the animals.... He broke up with me literally as he was out the door to live in Memphis for the next eight months. He had NO time to deal with this properly (this was his house/property/and yes animals) so I stayed and took care of them (and sold off a great deal - 250 chickens went down to 50 or 60 and I was working on those when things went so haywire I had to leave. I had told him all this time that I could leave at any moment too so this isn't a problem of communication.) At no point did I add to the population. I did what I had to... and it sucks... but I'm fine and feeling better about things. I feel like I can breathe now. We literally started with 250 chicks two years prior to this mess, not because I wanted to go big or go home but because _he_ did. He wanted a profitable enterprise. Looking back I am realizing how nuts everything always was with him... I hope in the future I can start over, with a much smaller flock! Profit should never be the goal... just a happy reward if it does happen. Many lessons learned - at least for me. He couldn't even figure out he had to have someone pick up his mail in the last month of his absence.... no life skills what-so-ever. He's going to crash and burn without this domestic goddess keeping everything together.... C'est la vie.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

Good luck on your future endeavors!!!


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## WeeLittleChicken (Aug 31, 2012)

I will be around to share them when I get there. This forum has amazing people. I wouldn't want to lose that!


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