As the youngest sobbed in my arms over the loss of her chooks yesterday, Husband noticed something jump in her hair.
He nabbed it surreptitiously and gave me a LOOK.
“Flea?” I mouthed?
“Nit?” he mouthed back.
When the sobs had eased he slunk off to the bedroom to consult with Dr Google and returned to give me an affirmative nod.
My cup runneth over.
So, on the morning I came to terms with my heartbreak over my feathered friends I also came to terms with my first nit comb. And all the associated palaver that comes with it.
The youngest loves being the centre of attention, so she was positively glowing at the diagnosis.
At least it took her mind off the brutal events, I suppose.
A few hours later, as I was sitting in my dear friend and former colleague Lorrae’s house relating the dual horror stories, my phone rang.
It was my sister’s boyfriend with the news that Henny Penny, my gorgeous Australorp, had emerged from the bushes as they completed the terrible job of clearing the carnage from the chook run. My sister was crying too much to tell me herself.
I started to blub too. I know I shouldn’t say it, but Henny’s my pride and joy. Husband and I would often boast to each other that she could take first prize in the Royal Easter Show. In fact, we’d trawl the Australorp aisles at the show deriding the winners as not being a patch on our Henny.
Henny wouldn’t win any prizes now. She’s missing great tufts of her magnificent black feathers and she makes the most heartbreaking, broken clucks. She’s terrified, huddling in the corner of her coop.
I hope she gets her spirit back. We will give her a few days to recover, then we’ll get her a new friend over the weekend. Chooks aren’t meant to be alone and she’s lost her best buddy since birth, Fluffy, not to mention her daughter, Fuzzy.
As for the nits, I’m hoping they won’t be back. I got three creepy crawly ones with the nit comb, but wow those little eggs are hard to spot, even in white blonde hair. They’re TINY specks … and my eyes aren’t quite up to it (I’m desperately avoiding the bifocal years).
Mind you, my head feels bloody itchy, and I was hugging the youngest quite close yesterday as she grieved over her chooks …
housegoeshome 
Tom really wants to come see the new chooks once they have settled in and pay his respects x
I will let you know. Henny Penny is looking so sad on her perch.
Speaking from far too much personal experience here (and – can I just add, that a science teacher husband who wants to take the nits in to show the biology class is not necessarily the most supportive thing…); use cheap hair conditioner – slather it all over the hair, really thickly, then after about 10 minutes or so, comb out using the nit comb, rinsing the nit comb between each sweep. Then wash hair normally. Gentle – and cheap – enough to use every day.
Oh, and spray their hair with hairspray before they go to school It forms a protective layer which makes it harder for the nits to grab onto. Plaiting or braiding their hair (yeah, I know, you’ve got heaps!of time in the morning to do that – lol) and then spraying with hair spray, really helps too.
As I said, way too much experience….and wash bedding, especially pillowcases…
Thanks Katherine – good advice. I hadn’t been leaving the conditioner in or rinsing between sweeps.
Henny survived – that’s wonderful! She’ll be traumatised for a while 😦
On the subject of nits, the less I say the better….my youngest daughter had nits on and off all through primary school. The only thing that stopped me feeling a terrible mother was that apparently nits like clean hair!?