SURPRISE!!!

For the last while there has been a pigeon sitting on a nest in my chicken house. It was in one of the 5 nest boxes I provide for the hens, but not a surprise as I've had pigeons nest there before. I was expecting to see some new baby pigeons one day soon.

Earlier today (Saturday Jan 20 - it's now after midnight as I type this, but to me it's still Saturday, haha) I went out to do "chook chores" and noticed something black on the floor, then realized it was a dead chick. Now that was really odd as I didn't know I had a hen nesting... hhhmmm. Then I noticed the pigeon wasn't in the nest and there was a second dead chick in it. The one still in the nest was still warm as I picked up the tiny black body, then I picked up the one on the floor and as I did it's eyes opened just the tiniest bit. Or had I imagined it? I looked real closely for any sign of life at all, then the beak opened... just a tiny bit. OMG!! this chick is still alive! Not by much, mind you, but there is the smallest spark of life in that cold wee body. I quickly stuck in inside my shirt, right against my skin so it could get some warmth while I finished my chores and got into the house.

Once in the house I grabbed a basket that was handy (was waiting for me to plant some plants in it), a light fixture I previously have used for raising orphaned chicks in the house, put a new bulb in it and hung it on the handle of the basket. Then I found some raw sheep fleece for a bed, dug the chick (the chooklet, haha) out of my shirt and put it beneath the light where it was nice and warm.
It was just laying there at first, then gradually I could see it breathing... and eventually it let out the teeniest of peeps. Over time it grew stronger. It got strong enough to stand up peeping... no, YELLING for attention and possibly food. I was having rolled oats for my breakfast and gave some to the baby too, mashed up a bit with milk added. Baby ate.

I later tried to put Baby back in the basket, but he/she got out and dropped to the floor from the stand the basket is on. I was in the other room, could hear Baby yelling, came in and found him/her on the floor some distance from the basket, tottering along as if on his/her way to find me. Needless to say, Baby spent most of the day tucked in my shirt, or beneath my chin. I had a nap this afternoon with Baby tucked in under my chin, and Shadow (cat) on the bed too (as usual).

I know that I can't sleep all night with a chick under my chin. It was okay for a nap, but I will turn over and such in the night and am afraid I would roll over on the chick and squish it. So I bug out my spare bird cage and put the light and sheep fleece into it... and the chick who is not all that happy about it. There has been a lot of yelling, but the baby is settling down more now and will be just fine. I give regular feedings and have now left it's food dish in the cage in the hopes it can feed itself overnight if it gets hungry.

I don't know how to sex baby chicks, so it will be awhile before I know if it is a boy or girl. Roosters/cockerels show their combs sooner and different than hens/pullets do.

I figure this little chicken needs a very special name. It came back from the very brink of death and is now strong and seemingly healthy. At one point this evening I thought of my pen pal friend, a man I write to through my church. He is in a prison in the US. At the top of every page of every letter he sends, he writes Bismallah. Though he is studying what my church teaches/believes, his first religion is Islamic/Muslim, and thus Bismallah.

What Bismallah means, in a nutshell, is:

- By means of the very essence of God
- For the glory of our Creator
- With the light of the One
- With the guidance of The Divine
- As an instrument of the One

The central idea here is that whatever we do, every step that we take, every breath that we breathe, is done for, because of, and through the essence of, the One who has created us.

It is not us that does the work, it is not us that makes opportunities appear, it is not us that produces fruits from every action. We alone are powerless. The Creator has given us life and given us the ability to move and think and feel. We are totally dependent upon the Creator for the very essence of life itself.

Thus, this beautiful word bismillah is a magnificent reminder of our relationship to our Creator and our relationship to all of creation.

In one simple word bismillah expresses our wonder, awe and thankfulness while it also expresses our innermost prayer that we may have the blessing of another breath and that we may walk on a path of truth and understanding.

To say bismillah is to humbly offer one's self as a vehicle for the glory and majesty of The One.

http://wahiduddin.net/words/bismillah.htm

I think Bismallah is a beautiful sounding word, and it's meaning is very powerful. I think it is a name fit for this chick. Boy or girl, it is now named Bismallah. If I had gone outside just 5 minutes later than I did, it would have been dead. If I hadn't decided to pick it up, or if I hadn't noticed that ever so tiny flicker of life in what I thought to be a lifeless body, it would now be dead. If I hadn't known to put it into my shirt against my bare skin it would likely have died. If God (as I know it) hadn't lead me to do what was needed, this baby would be dead. For this and other reasons, I call the chick Bismallah... to honor the essence of God.