Small world. I've only lived here a few years, but it's a nice town. I'm glad I don't live in the city limits though. They don't allow back yard chickens in Grand Rapids.
I'm not far from Holland - just north of Grand Rapids. It finally looks like winter will finally be behind us this weekend. Spring has struggled to arrive this year.
A lot of the farm stores are not offering chicks any more anyhow. You can order small orders from Ideal Poultry and opt for the Marek's vaccine. I ordered from them and have been happy with my chickens. Here is the link...
I'm sorry she did not make it. I doubt that it was the wet concrete. That is mostly sand and it sets fast. I would wait a month to introduce any chickens to the flock just to make sure that she did not have something that was contagious to the other chickens. I suppose if you were to get...
It is very, very, very unlikely that your children are at any risk from her malady. Try to check her over. Listen to her breathing, feel her belly and check her vent. She may be egg bound (egg stuck in vent). Chickens sometimes do open mouth breathing if they are in pain. You might want to...