I had to say Goodbye

Hello Everyone!
Usually I like to keep things light & fun, but sometimes life gets in the way. All of you should be familiar with my 2 roosters; Chatty & Cashmire by now. For 17 months I have raised, loved & spoiled them daily. Chatty though, began to change when he got into the coop with his girls. This is normal as they become protectors instead of just the family pet. And Cashmire, as we all know has always been aggressive. Daily I have had to fight off one or the other when I go to let them & the girls out of the coop. I have been hurt so bad by the spurs that I have come close to passing out from the pain but being bull-headed I ignored it & continued on. Well in January, I started getting sick & found a lump in my armpit that I watched. By May, it hurt & got big enough I went to the doctor. Come to find out, I had a bacterial infection, probably caused from all the daily spur & nail attacks. My 51 yr old body couldn't handle the daily abuse & rebelled big time. Now most people won't think twice about getting rid of the cause, in this case 2 roosters, but for me it was very very hard just to even think about. Finally one day, Chatty hit me so hard & fast I had to kick him across the run just to get away from him & he still charged after me. I HAD to let them go. I have a wonderful food Co-op lady, who let me bring them to her so she could get them to another woman for me. Yes I cried the whole 30 minute drive there, with Chatty sitting next to me & Cashmire in a box in the backseat. It has been 4 days & I still cry over what I had to do because the woman she was giving them to was going to kill them & eat them. I tried Craigslist, but everyone wanted hens or roosters to kill. So I was in a hard place mentally but knew I had to give in & let it happen, though my heart was breaking. I would have not done it at all, but even separating Chatty from his girls to be in the house with me didn't stop his attacking. Whereas at one time he never attacked me away from them. Some of you will read this & think 'good grief the woman is being stupid over some roosters', but the ones who read my Blog know I raised these guys from day old chicks, spoiled them with treats & love. Chatty I had taught to walk on a lead, ride in the car with me & gave him his own chair in the dining room. so for me, they weren't 'just' roosters, they were my pets who i adored. Driving away & leaving them was very hard & all night I fought getting in the car & getting them back. But I also realize, I need to stay healthy for all my other pets who depend on me. I have 2 hens who live in the house because of deformitives. I have a 14 yr old blind dog & a diabetic cat who all need daily care by me & when I am sick its all I can do to get out of bed. So, yeah I had to make a grown up choice & I hated it ever step of the way. I don't see myself as someone who gives up or quits. When it comes to my animals, I will put up with a lot so they have a good safe life.
Until next time have a wonderful chicken day.