Every day I struggle watching this creature battle her many wounds. I think this is only a chicken, and we should have put her out of her misery days ago. Chickens are near the bottom of the chain for me, simple creatures with small brains, eating machines, tomorrow’s dinner. I am not a patient person, seeing animals struggle makes me uncomfortable, focusing resources on a chicken when resources are such an issue for so many people makes me uncomfortable. The whole thing makes me uncomfortable. I am not a farmer, but I do have some farmer’s blood in me, and chickens are chickens.

Fran has trouble standing and walking for long periods. Sometimes she is better, sometimes not, sometimes she can walk for five minutes, sometimes 30 seconds. Her wounds are still open, still need treatment, still healing.  She is a wreck, poor thing, and I am not sure this is more humane than putting her down. At the same time, the ambivalence tells me it is important, tells me to stick with it. People e-mail me that it took their chickens months to heal from wounds, and I wonder if that is something we want to do. I don’t really know. I am committed to going farther, and so is Maria. Whatever we do, we will decide together. Animals challenge and inform our humanity. Fran has more than a spark of life in her, and so the decision is up to her too. We will stick it out. It’s a roller coaster thing, up and down, up and down. Yesterday in the morning I didn’t think she would make it. In the afternoon, she pecked around in the pasture for a few minutes before slowing to a crawl, then just hobbling to the barn.

And yet, she touches something me, for sure. I love photographing her, trying to capture her healing, her struggle. I appreciate the many different ways people see the plight of a chicken, and relate to it.