NY chicken lover!!!!

[FishMtFarm]

Awe that's so sad. Thank you for Shari g her story and all the beautiful pictures. She's at peace now.

 

[cutipatooti]

Sad loss in our little chicken family today, Fern, our Silver Laced Wyandotte, who has been here since we got her as tiny chick in May of 2015 - yes that's her in my profile pic!

She has been healthy apart from some bumblefoot issues, which cleared up after I followed tips on here about how to get the gunk out of her feet.

She hasn't laid over the winter for the last 2 winters, and was almost 3 years old.

Yesterday she looked weird in the way she was moving, almost stiff legged, bit weak, stumbling to the side, but was still determined to roam all over the garden, eating and drinking well. I wondered if she had bumblefoot again, but nothing unusual on her feet, no obvious wounds, or injuries, not bloated, so we helped her into the coop at roosting time, and went with a 'lets see how she is tomorrow' approach, read up about various internal chicken ailments, egg problems, even about tumors pushing on the sciatic nerve causing walking problems......

Sad to say, she had a rapid decline, I came home from work this afternoon to find she had separated herself from the other 4 chickens, into a different run, and was laying down in the mud, she looked very pale, her comb had flopped right over, lots of slow blinking. She moved when I went towards her and did the classic 'penguin' type walk with her tail tip almost touching the ground. When I picked her up, she was oozing what looked like yellow egg yolk from her vent. I felt she was suffering, so took her away from the coop, and ended her life.

Reading up more now, it seems likely to have been something like peritonitis caused by a soft shell / no shell egg getting stuck inside, or a similar reproductive issue. I couldn't bring myself to do a necropsy to confirm this. Having read it can be something that builds up over time, if she has been sick for more than the last few days, she hid it very well.

So, we are down to 4, matriarch Sylvia, our Brown Leghorn who was one of our original pair of chicks in June 2014, Ginger, the Red Sexlink who we got early last summer and Princess Di & Dove, the Easter Eggers who joined them at the end of last summer.

Hope you don't mind me sharing pics of this pretty lady....

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and saved my favorite for last - the first time she heard an airplane overhead

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So sorry to hear of your loss. She was beautiful

 

[Hilly78]

As some of you know but not all I am having a flock reduction probably the end of May start of June. I will have an entire flock of buff laced Brahma, trios of Cockerel and pullet starter flocks of black and blue Marans and also a trip trio of Dominique .I wanted to give a heads up to those in NY first.

 

[boskelli1571]

As some of you know but not all I am having a flock reduction probably the end of May start of June. I will have an entire flock of buff laced Brahma, trios of Cockerel and pullet starter flocks of black and blue Marans and also a trip trio of Dominique .I wanted to give a heads up to those in NY first.

If you have some left you might bring them to Chickenstock...

 

[Hilly78]

If you have some left you might bring them to Chickenstock...

When and where is that?

 

[boskelli1571]

When and where is that?

There is a thread started, but its' in the Finger Lakes and will be in May date TBD.

Here's the thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/2018-ny-chickenstock.1221809/

 

[Gramma Chick]

Just wanted to pop in to say hello!
I am from suffolk county long island. South Shirley. .

Welcome You will love the new babies

 

[Gramma Chick]

We had a flock of Call Ducks. DUCKS ARE MESSY AND OURS did not go in by themselves...we had to drive them in. I prefer Chickens.

Me Too

 

[Gramma Chick]

Anyone looking for a sweet rooster to add to your flock?

I think it is a young hen ...my white rocks looked like this at pullets ..
and the fact that is so friendly says hen to me

 

[Gramma Chick]

Sad loss in our little chicken family today, Fern, our Silver Laced Wyandotte, who has been here since we got her as tiny chick in May of 2015 I felt she was suffering, so took her away from the coop, and ended her life.

You did what was best for her .