Caroline, my last hatchery hen, is now 7 years old, this month in fact. No hatchery hen of mine has ever lived to this age. January was the month of her hatch and it appears it may be the month of her death as well. Her crop has been progressively more pendulous and sluggish over the past year or so. We have provided multiple daily crop massages, but here are masses in there that seem to be hard as petrified wood, perhaps tumors and not food at all, masses we cannot break up. We try to push enough food through to make sure she gets nutrition daily, but she is losing weight.
For two days now, she has ceased standing guard over arthritic Amanda, her usual job she took upon herself, and is standing alone, in an upright position, as if it's hard for her to breathe. Her eyes look tired and sunken. My husband massages her crop and places her under a heat lamp we have in there mainly because of Amanda's arthritis. Funny and strange thing is, Caroline laid an egg two days ago. Caroline has not laid one egg in almost two years until that day. I bet coming into lay again in this bone-chilling winter is stressing her system critically, especially as she fights her pendulous crop. We adore Caroline, the queen of everything around here, the one who takes over any flock she is put into, the one who takes no guff off anyone, even bossy old Amanda. She's a tough old woman, but her time is near. She and her late sister, Miranda, made me love the Brahma breed. They're strong, lay nice large roundish eggs, take heat or cold equally well, have friendly, but not irritatingly clingy personalities, and they're just plain beautiful hens. When we must hatch to replace hens gone on to their final rest, we will hatch, among the Barred Rocks and Rhode Island Reds, some Brahmas.
Beautiful, sweet, tough Queen Caroline:
Back in 2011:
For two days now, she has ceased standing guard over arthritic Amanda, her usual job she took upon herself, and is standing alone, in an upright position, as if it's hard for her to breathe. Her eyes look tired and sunken. My husband massages her crop and places her under a heat lamp we have in there mainly because of Amanda's arthritis. Funny and strange thing is, Caroline laid an egg two days ago. Caroline has not laid one egg in almost two years until that day. I bet coming into lay again in this bone-chilling winter is stressing her system critically, especially as she fights her pendulous crop. We adore Caroline, the queen of everything around here, the one who takes over any flock she is put into, the one who takes no guff off anyone, even bossy old Amanda. She's a tough old woman, but her time is near. She and her late sister, Miranda, made me love the Brahma breed. They're strong, lay nice large roundish eggs, take heat or cold equally well, have friendly, but not irritatingly clingy personalities, and they're just plain beautiful hens. When we must hatch to replace hens gone on to their final rest, we will hatch, among the Barred Rocks and Rhode Island Reds, some Brahmas.
Beautiful, sweet, tough Queen Caroline:
Back in 2011: