Aggy on her way out!

[oesdog]

Well maybe that is why they are so close! The other bird that colour died last year from a stroke so our wee Aggy was terribly upset for ages and now she has Marigold. It is so lovely to see they are good friends. You will all be surprised as I am Aggy went in with the other girls all day today and when we brought treats she actually pushed some of the others out of her way to get them! I can;t believe she is still here? I mean she wouldn;t move or eat or anything now she is back from the brink???? Animals are so much hardier than we are! I gave her loads of love and hugs today and a big kiss. Her crown and waddles are pure white still and all round her eyes too I am hoping the red will start to come back? She wont last the winter like this. DH says we will have to bring her in the house at night. We might have to put a heat lamp up for her in the garage? -lol

Oes - she is a darling spoiled old hen.

 

[oesdog]

OMG - my poor wee woman is still here. DH says she is like one of those dear old ladies in the family that keep on going and going and in the end you just hope they pop their clogs so you can get on with your life because you just know it is inevitable!
I can;t believe she is still here and I so wanted it all to go quicker for her. We are lucky right now as we are having a bit of an Indian summer so it gets warm in the afternoon. She is out on the patio in the sun but she has not eaten or drank since this time yesterday and she has not moved since I put her down. She just wakes up occationally and then nodds off again.

She has been steadily getting weaker from day to day. I have been trying my best to help her and ease it all a bit. She can't walk about today but yesterday she walked herself to the water and took some and she did eat some meal worms and some saltanas which are her favourite. She did try some egg and yogurt but couldn.t manage it. The day before she did eat some of that and some bread which I have soaked in antibiotic water but today she has not eaten at all. I know her kidneys have failed because her little eyes have gone yellow now. So her internal organs are closing down. She is out in the sun but she hardly lifts her head today but I know she can hear her friends about her. Yesterday she was much more mobile and ate a bit and before I put her to bed we played her favourite game of pretend flying. I got a lovely squeal from her so I know she enjoyed it.

It is taking so long for her to go. I was hoping last week, yesterday and now I am hoping today? The big question is should we end it for her or just let nature take its course? She can;t last much longer can she? It is hprrible when they linger human or animal! She is gasping a bit so I am hoping..... The others have been wonderful and none have hurt her. They actually defend her and cuddle up to her. Which is so nice. Today I have thought they were more distant though and I think they know it is soon.

Oes

 

[N F C]

I think Aggy has loved her life with you & your family so much, she hasn't been quite ready to go. If she isn't in pain, I'd just let nature take it's course. It doesn't sound like it's going to be a lot longer and you don't need to put yourself through having to do that.

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

I think Aggy has loved her life with you & your family so much, she hasn't been quite ready to go. If she isn't in pain, I'd just let nature take it's course. It doesn't sound like it's going to be a lot longer and you don't need to put yourself through having to do that.

Solid advice!

 

[oesdog]

Well this morning I went to the pen she is in in the shed and thinking that she must be gone I lifted the covers and - there she was on her feet looking at me with clear eyes and eating her breakfast????????????????? How can this be??????? She was nearly dead !!!!!!
Yesterday morning she was like road kill when I got her from the coop??? She didn;t move all day and didn;t eat a thing hardly???????
Now she is looking at me like -"oh just kidding you I am still here!!!!!"
She was tucking into meal worms like they were the last ones on earth! She also ate half of DHs donut soaked in infant vitamins. - He says it is pointless giving her a decent chicken diet now and she might as well enjoy whatever she likes?
Part of me has a bit of a false hope really but the realist in me says they always seem to rally before they go? But how can she go from one extreme to the other in a matter of hours? I didn;t put her with the other girls last night so she was up on her feet not like she got run over ! I don;t knwo what to do for the best. DH said I was a but cruel and he was upset because he didn;t want her to die in the night all alone without her friends. Here we are the next day and she is not dead but seems better for not getting squashed with good intentions! The others all try to brood her to keep her warm and I think they squash her so much she just can;t get up in the morning!

I am beside myself not knowing how to help her? It was so good to see her looking well today and I got lots of noises from her and cooing.
I am afraid she will lose her position in the flock if she is seperated for long. One day she is nearly dead and the next I am suving food into her to try to biuld her up for the winter months ahead. DH says she can sleep in the house! He is a big softies when it comes to our ladies. Though she is in the shed for now until it get real cold.

DH had a dream we got a big house in lots of land with two old wooden rocking chairs on the veranda when we were old and he went to sit in his chair and a chicken was on it - it was AGGY! still alive and kicking! -lol

Oes

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

Wow! This hen is strong! Definitely doesn't sound like she is suffering at all!

 

[oesdog]

Aggy has been up on her feet most of the day though she has not moved about too much. She is brighter and more with it - " wonder if chickens can get altzimers?"
She actually had food in her crop today and she managed to eat quite a lot of things. I have managed to soak her bread in water with infant vitamins. SO she is getting water now and is actively seeking it out again today. She cannot groom herself so I had to wash her again in warm water but later today she was drying out on the patio and she did start to groom her front end. She cannot do the back end or she has a wobble and falls on her face! She did try to clean her beak after her feed but had a problem with ballance but that was ok because Lilly very kindly cleaned her beak for her and liberated her from the burden of a large chunk of wholemeal bread she was trying to swallow. I guess there is a cost to personal grooming services!

She is sleeping alone again as I think she has seemed a little better for not being squashed untill she resembles road kill! I wrappend her up in a towel after her wash today and we had a cuddle outside. She is a little heavier I think but still very very thin. When I checked on her tonight she was eating layers pellets which she had not touched in days. I have more meal worms and wholemeal loaf and also got her favourite treats saltanas today at the store. I can soak them in the infant vitamins so she gets to eat them and gets the added bonus too. I do love my Aggy she is such a darling bird you wouldn't believe. I am sure she knows I am trying to help her. She never struggles or tried to get away or anything she just lets me lift her with one hand and she stays perfectly still. I just have to watch the Cat round her as he just brought home this massive woodpigeion minus its head and plucked it on the back step then he ate the inards. He was licking his lips and trying to get in to the house to put his blooded paw prints all over my cream couch! Darn - why do cats act like cats! Of course DH thinks he is a very clever boy! Now I have a bunch of feathers and yuck to clean up before the girl get up tomorrow or they will think someone has been murdered overnight! - That darn moggy! I worry he might try it on with my Aggy! I dare not leave him alone outside when they are out. He will go for the weakest. They others are pretty good at protection but it just takes an ungarded moment. Hamish is an incredibly fast and efficient killer!

Oes

 

[N F C]

I'm glad to hear that overall, Aggy had a pretty good day.

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

Aggy is such a trooper! Keep her away from that cat though!

 

[oesdog]

She is still here! Honestly I cannot believe what I am seeing? At the moment she is on the patio in th esun with her frineds. I have still had to lift her. I have had to bath her as she cannot clean herself. Yesterday I sat out in the sun with her after her bath and had her cuddled up in a towel. I gave her egg and she ate it from the table outside away from the other girls. She is spoiled!
This morning when she got up she was eating ok and had finished the bowl of egg and all the mealworms and sultanas. She doesn;t eat much in the way of chicken food now. She can;t take her own weight very well and I have looked over her and can;t find any reason other than she is weak from not wanting food? She poos but it stinks real bad and is runny at times but normal at other times. She also passes white runny goo a lot and I looked this up on the chicken poo chart and it said it was a sign of kidney failure so I thought it was the natural shutting down of her internal organs as she is quite old. She is very very thin indeed and I have tried to get some weight on her but no matte what I do it isn;t doing too good? Though when I lifted her there seemed more of her today than previous? It is so hard to know what to do for the best for the wee woman? - As for the cat he got grabbed by the neck and hurled into the house for stalking Betty who is quite a tiny hen - he is trying his luck I think! After he killed the wood pigeaon which is not that much smaller than my Betty ( she is not a bantum just never really grew much!-lol) I don;t trust him at all.

Oes - do you guys think she might get better or am I delaying the inevitable????????