Video: Reba Squat-Walks ~Update ~ RIP, Beautiful Reba

[speckledhen]

Thanks Karen. Yes, these ailments seem to be the norm for us, at least until the hatchery girls are all gone. I do have two hatchery Brahmas who are about to turn 5 years old, but so far, no issues with them. My hatchery banty Cochin has been egg bound twice already, though, and hasn't laid an egg in many months so no idea what's up with her. I just hope once the hatchery girls have all passed, that these reproductive issues are a much more rare occurrence for us.

Mary, they are amazing creatures aren't they? I'd rather have loved them and lost them than never to have had the pleasure of their company at all. Many will come and go the more years we keep chickens. I haven't forgotten one voice or personality. I can be a practical chicken manager and still enjoy the nuances of their personalities and their quirks, individual voices and funny antics. You can't convince me that one must preclude the other.

 

[seminolewind]

Cynthia, I haven't forgotten one past chicken either. Yes they all have their endearing qualities.

I also have to thank you-if it hadn't been for you, I would have never done any necropsies. It's so important to the rest of the flock. You gave me the strength. It's still real hard.

 

[CMV]

Sorry about Reba, SpeckledHen. She put up a good fight. At least she is no longer suffering.

 

[speckledhen]

Agreed, Carrie, and thank you. This girl was so tough, though, that just two days before her death when we allowed her out to roam a bit, when she saw me with a piece of bread in my hand, she literally zoomed, wings frantically flapping, up a hill to get to me for a bite of her favorite thing. She, and others we've had, you just didn't realize how close they were to the end to look at them. They just go until they can't go anymore.

Karen, my DH hates to do necropsies. I'll do them myself, but if he doesn't want to on a particular bird, I let it slide and either bury the body, burn the body or take it across the power line easement into the woods to let some animal have nourishment from what's left of their, by then, very thin bodies. If Reba had been exactly like the others, I wouldn't have even hinted at doing one, but I'm glad we saw what we did. It gives us more knowledge about what can go on in there, first fibroid masses we've seen in a chicken.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Rest well Beautiful Reba, across the bridge in gently waving fields of grass, where the sun spots are hot, the shade deep and cool, dust bathing is sandy, the bugs are juicy and the water calls you with a musical giggle.

 

[speckledhen]

Oh, Genny, the "waving fields of grass" got me! Reba loved her grass! Not sure if I posted this story here, but about a week ago, we took her to the spot where I planted grass seed a couple of months ago and it is growing under all the leaves. She was in heaven! The next day when we let her out, she tried to go back there, which was a couple hundred feet from the little broody pen/cage where she had been living, but had to stop to rest underneath DH's truck. We found her and transported her the rest of the way because I knew where she had been headed. That hen knew this property backward and forward, having free ranged on it since she was about 10 weeks old.

 

[seminolewind]

Quote:
You are not pulling on my heart strings---you are Yanking on them!

I think I will copy that out and put it in my special pocket in my handbag.

 

[Suzie]

Horsefeatherz NV - you started me crying with your lovely sentiments - SpeckledHen has so much knowledge and I guess that anyone who reads this thread will be saddened to hear that Reba has passed away - she couldn't have had any better love and care - SpeckledHen if you read this please accept my grateful thanks for all you have taught me - I can only say that I am pleased that Reba passed away peacefully - I hope that in time your memories will be of happier times you shared with her - one of my girls died yesterday - she just keeled over in the mud - 2 years old and too young for me to lose her - I don't have the knowledge to even contemplate a necropsy - one day maybe with the support of BYC and it's members I will learn

I was just so upset that she fell over in the mud - I wanted to wash her down to give her some dignity in her death - crazy maybe but she was one of my girls and I miss her dreadfully as do her companions.

I suppose that is part of loving and caring for our chickens, ducks, geese and whatever animals we have that we all love.

SpeckledHen = maybe somebody will wake me up also on 2nd January 2012 - I don't do the seasonal thing either!

Bless you and your DH

Suzie

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I am so sorry.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
Oh, no, Suzie, I'm so sorry about your hen! My very first death was when they were just over two years old. We didn't know as much then, but upon inspection, found loose yolk in her abdomen so learned that she had died of EYP.

Necropsies are hard and we don't know everything we're seeing but we do know to look at the oviducts, the liver condition and the heart at the very least. Every one of the hens had a robust, great looking liver, just the oviducts and abdomen were weird. One young Delaware pullet's heart imploded, which was the only heart issue we've seen upon examination. It was easy to diagnose because the chest was full of that really dark blood and one chamber was just collapsed. They are hard and gut-wrenching on some, but have taught us so much. Glad what we have learned has been educational for others.