I found what was killing my flock... me

My goal was a simple one; a beautiful, green, lush front lawn.  I purchased a bag of weed and feed that was on sale from my local hardware store and set myself to work.  My chickens were safely tucked away in their coop and 24X24 exterior closure, a great distance from my half hearted attempt at "keeping up with the Joneses'"  I spread weed killer and lawn fertilizer upon the front lawn in hopes of being the envy of the neighbor.  I told my daughters to stay off from the grass in fear that they would be exposed to the chemicals before the first raindrops had the opportunity to clear away the residue.

A few days later we had a baby sitter at our home to watch our daughters while my wife and I went out for a day on the town.  We came home to a wonderful report about our daughters, but found our lovely flock of birds were mischievous.  They had been digging out a comfortable dusting bath close to the fence and were able to slide underneath at the attempt at some fresh greenery.  To my dismay I came home to the young flock foraging in our flower beds and freshly fertilized lawn!  I grabbed their favorite treats (Cheerios) and lead them back to their coop and locked them up for safe keeping.  I was a little apprehensive about their exposure, but reassured myself that after the rain, the real danger of a chemical reaction has passed.  We would simply avoid eating the eggs for a week and then we could continue to live our lives.

To my horror, my flock began to perish one by one.  At first I had hoped that the birds had an ailment such as cocci, ring worms or a parasite.  They did not show any signs of ailment, but were found dead lying in their coop.  Our favorite young hen that always greeted us with a vocal cluck, was the second to go.  While collecting eggs, my daughter found her laying face down in the coop and non-responsive.  My daughter's seven year old legs carried her up our porch steps and she burst into the kitchen of our home.  Her face was flush and red and her breath was rushing in and out of her lungs as she exclaimed, "Cutie is sleeping and I can't wake her up!"  My heart sunk.

I decided to raise a flock of chickens for the ideal of being self sufficient and creating a healthy diet for my family.  In a lapse of recognition I let my dormant affluence lifestyle take charge in an attempt to out do the neighborhood.  I am paying dearly to have that lush green lawn and every time I run the lawn mower blades over the grass this summer I will be reminded of my price.  This is a mistake I do not wish on anyone.