- Thread starter
- #31
Henhouse Harlot
Crowing
Professional help was, and still is, definitely needed. Unfortunately, there's absolutely nothing else I can do to try to help her in that area. I tried talking with her in just about every way I could think of, I even had a few of her old friends chime in with support. No luck. Her grief goes far past what a therapist would call "normal grieving", I believe it's what is called "traumatic grief". If I were to remove all of the chickens all at once, it would be traumatic for her. In her mind, she's taking fantastic care of her Mom's chickens.....As kind hearted as you are, I'd do some careful introspection that you are not enabling a hoarding situation. Your friend may need therapy, it sure sounds like she can't emotionally handle any of this, and she has shown herself unable to care for them. With such high numbers and constant reproduction this could still spiral out of your control.
If I were in your shoes I would organize a rooster cull. Get some friends to help. Round them up with feed or while they're roosting.
Then rehome the healthiest hens with full disclosure. You can rescue all those girls you can't rehome and hopefully that won't be more than you can handle long term.
If it gets too bad, please don't be afraid to call in animal control. You are a concerned friend and not to blame, and professionals have some experience helping hoarders.

I have a wonderful family who does eat meat, and they've been slowly taking the extra roosters away at night, with my help. (Coyotes? I thought that was more clear, lol)
The hen's I've been doing the same. However, I don't want to get rid of all of them, the woman is not totally aware of all the chickens, after all, they were her Mom's. I was able to find a new home for the 9 babies! That's a start. My end goal is to get the flock of PLC's down to a reasonable number, with no bachelor roosters. I'd love to be able to allow the flocks to mingle, but first I need to get the PLC'S healthy.
I'm trying to think of how to explain this....it's a weird situation. Okay. In the owners mind, I don't believe she can handle the idea that her Mom's precious chickens aren't perfectly happy and healthy. The chickens were always her Mom's thing. It's difficult.