A Texas family’s chicken received a huge honor when it was given its own obituary in a local newspaper.
The tribute bid farewell to Big Mama, a six-year-old Rhode Island Red, in The Eagle newspaper based in Byron, Texas.
Not every chicken deserves an obituary, but Big Mama was special, owner Stephanie Sword told the paper.
A Texas family paid tribute to their six-year-old chicken – a Rhode Island Red named Big Mama (pictured) – who died on Sunday in an obituary in the local paper
The Swords – Stephanie, her husband Gregory, and their two sons – adopted Big Mama (pictured) in September 2013 after a family that had raised her in a Houston apartment decided to have her euthanized
The Swords – Stephanie, her husband Gregory, and their two sons – adopted Big Mama in September 2013 after a family that had raised her in a Houston apartment decided to have her euthanized.
However, a veterinarian convinced the family to give her up for adoption instead, and the Swords, who live in College Station, heard about her through an email distributed to the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine.
‘We were hooked instantly’ after seeing a grainy photo of a skinny chicken looking at herself in the mirror,’ Stephanie wrote in the obituary for the bird.
Because the chicken was raised in an apartment, it took her a while to get used to outdoor life and being surrounded by other chickens and it caused her to develop some strange habits.
‘She refused to go in the chicken coop at times, and she would try to come into the house,’ said Stephanie, a graduate student. In bad weather, she’d stay at the back door and sleep on the patio furniture.
However, Big Mama soon ‘discovered how beautiful life could be walking in the grass, being a member of a flock, and having 24-7 love,’ the obituary reads.
The chicken died in her sleep on Sunday at her favorite spot in the chicken coop, the Swords told local media.
Because Big Mama (pictured) was raised in an apartment, it took her a while to get used to outdoor life and being surrounded by other chickens, but she soon adjusted
The obituary, published in The Eagle (pictured), reported that Big Mama died in her sleep on Sunday at her favorite spot in the chicken coop
The Swords (pictured, Stephanie on left, and Gregory on right) decided a paid obituary would be a way to spread the message that every life is worth saving
The family decided a paid obituary would be a way to spread the message that every life is worth saving.
‘Big Mama was very close to being euthanized, but through the kindness of friends and vet techs and veterinarians that saved her, she made her way to us and had this beautiful life as part of our family,’ Stephanie said.
‘We really felt if any chicken deserves an obituary, it was Big Mama.’
Stephanie told KBTX-TV that her family never expected the obit to get so much attention.
‘We’re just hoping that the story of Big Mama will remind others that every life, even that of a chicken, is valuable and worth saving,’ she said.