every day is something new.

[CLB1125]

today I woke up and thought maybe I would have a nice quiet day. Ha! Husband came in and told me you got a sick chicken out there. Sure enough, near death. Chickens a fickle birds. They hide their illnesses so well by the time you know they are dying. Most people think it’s just a chicken. These are my pets. Some I have hatched, some were day old chicks when I got them. They are my babies just like the dog and cats. So I wrapped her in a blanket and rocked her until she passed. Sounds silly I know, but I feel at least she felt loved . I hold them to my chest thinking maybe my heartbeat will calm them. I was raised to be compassionate to all animals. If one of our cows were sick I wouldn’t rock it lol my chair isn’t big enough 😂 but we would put her in the barn on a bed of fresh straw . If she couldn’t get better then we would call the vet to put her down. So today will be another sad day as were the days before. And probably will be tomorrow too. Nothing changes.

[CLB1125]

Thanks. My husband bugged me for 3 years to get chickens. So I finally gave in. Well here we are 12 years later and I have chickens. He builds the stuff for them but everything else is up to me. But I’m hooked. Love to watch eggs hatch. It’s amazing!

[Nothing_but_books]

It's normal for birds to hide their sickness. They know they are prey animals, and are protecting themselves from standing out.

If you reach out to your vet, I'm sure you can learn the early signs of illness to look for. For instance, with my parrot, you watch for a change in eating habits, a change in the droppings, and the bird fluffing up.

[MindfulMoment]

sorry I hate when my chickens die. A few weeks ago one of them ran full force into my car. No idea why she did that but it killed her stone dead. I was so upset. We’ve lost quite a few this year. It’s been a bad year. Do you know what she was sick with? Hate for it to go through your flock.

[CLB1125 in reply to MindfulMoment]

I'm not sure. She was quite thin which i never noticed earlier because she fluffy and running around. Even last night she was running around. but now thinking about it. my husband said the rooster was picking on her. never thought about it being a warning sign. I am going to give them a round of corid to be safe. I used to try to nurse them back to health and without knowing what's wrong with them it's futile. So now I just give them before death care. it was just too heartbreaking.

[LifeIsThePitts]

Not silly at all to comfort your animal in it's passing. That's compassionate and beautiful. It's not easy to hold something and feel its life drain away. I held my dog when she was put to sleep. It was wrenching but I'd never leave my animal alone in that moment. NEVER. I completely understand 🙏 I'm 😔 so sorry 💔 chickens are like puppies following you around the yard. I love how they talk to you and have their own personalities. Their names were obvious choices. Easy to identify but Butterscotch was my favorite and would ride around on my shoulder and Head 😄 Red was the meanest and bossiest and little socks was the timid scardey cat. I miss them all ☹️

Me and Butterscotch Socks and Red

[CLB1125]

my red is the sassiest and the loudest! This is baby my oldest, a bearded silky.

Baby

[LifeIsThePitts]

She's so fluffy...she looks like a mushroom 🍄

Lion's Mane mushroom

[Midori]

Sorry to hear about your hen, but well done you for helping her not feel alone as she passed.

Sheep can also be like that. someone once said they were bags of skin bones and organs looking for the most difficult place to die, and I can agree with that, as I have been out in all weathers looking for lost sheep and found them stuck on cliffs, or tangled in wire by their wool, or stuck in mud holes. Very little sense, sheep.

Glad I don't have to do it now!

Cheers, Midori

[CLB1125 in reply to Midori]

The things we do for our animals!