06/08/2026
There is a reason I haven’t shared any of this yet.
Sometimes I need time to grieve before I can put the words out into the world.
A little over a week ago, we lost our beloved Pea Fowler.
He was frightened by a man weed-whacking near his enclosure and, in a panic, found a hole in the netting and escaped. We searched and searched for him, hoping he would come home. Four days later, we found his feathers.
Pea Fowler would have turned four years old this month.
His loss has been especially hard because I loved him from the very beginning. When he was just a tiny chick, I dropper-fed him to help him survive. I watched him grow from a fragile baby into the beautiful, majestic bird that so many of you came to know and love. He was family, and his absence has left a hole in my heart.
The sanctuary is filled with incredible joy, but it is also filled with heartbreak. Loving animals means opening your heart completely, knowing that sometimes it will be broken.
Then, just when my heart was hurting the most, a tiny chick arrived.
I agreed to take in what I was told was a wild turkey poult so I could get her to wildlife rehab. Instead, she appeared to be a peachick. Peachicks and turkey poults look remarkably alike when they are young, and for the first time since losing Pea Fowler, I felt a little spark of hope.
Maybe it was coincidence. Maybe it was just timing. But this tiny baby made me smile when I desperately needed a reason to.
I started imagining her future. I imagined watching her grow, spreading her wings, and becoming part of the Funky Family.
But last night, we lost her too.
The truth is, she never really acted like a healthy chick. She rarely walked around, had very little energy, and never seemed to gain the strength that a chick her age should have had. It’s possible this is why her mama left her behind in the first place.
We gave her warmth, safety, food, and all the love we could. But sometimes the tiniest lives are simply too fragile. No matter how badly we want to save them, some are only with us for a short time.
Even though her life was brief, she mattered.
She knew warmth. She knew safety. She knew kindness. She knew that someone cared enough to fight for her.
Losing her so soon after losing Pea Fowler has been incredibly painful. One loss reopened the wound of the other. But as heartbreaking as this journey has been, I am grateful for every moment I had with both of them.
No one will ever replace Pea Fowler. He will always be part of the Funky Family and a piece of my heart.
And this precious little chick, despite only being here for a short time, reminded me of something important: even in the midst of loss, hope still finds a way to show up.
Fly free, sweet babies. You were loved beyond measure, and you always will be. ❤️🦚
