Dealing with Loss of 1st Chicken

[furandfeatheredmomma7]

My heart (and eyes) are crying with you. My chicks didn't arrive until late September...too late for the north by most standards. They are doing very well and they are actually what gets me moving in the mornings. I understand the attachment and I am sure she felt loved and passed peacefully. Will pray for you and your other baby.

Thank you so much for your kind words. I need to update you all on Lemmy (my surviving girl). It has been a rough week in a half but she is holding on. I am still having to feed her as she doesn't seem to have an appetite. We have her on electrolytes, mashed up feed and some oats and fruits. She is pooping regular but has not layer any eggs since the attack. Her wounds are healing but her right leg is swollen (doesn't look or feel to be broken) and warm. So, we have her isolated and resting but I am taking her outside for walks to see her sisters. She has been too afraid to be outside and is limping so I expect a long recovery for her. Praying she pulls through. She was in shock for 5 days (she was panting heavily all the time and did not want to be bothered at all). She now seems calmer, is very alert and will stand up and down as we tries to be mobile here and there.

 

[furandfeatheredmomma7]

I truly feel your pain I lost two to a fox because I forgot to shut their enclosure one night.
The guilt and sorrow took so long to get over. We now set an alarm for a certain time every night to lock them in.
We built a new chook house and yard that is hopefully safer. It is solid corrugated iron walls and roof on a cement slab. Also a yard surrounded with small gauge wire and heavy paving bricks running along the base of the fence so that nothing will be able to dig under. There are two locked doors to get into to the chook house so we feel safe in the chances of anything getting in is very small. Some may say it's Fort Knox but we call it the high security Taj Mahal!!

We have a coop within a coop so there isna second floor that is inclosed and the outer coop is wrapped in metal and wood. It looks like a bomb shelter now. We have 3 access doors that have locks and are getting motion detection lights put in. Sending lots of hugs your way my friend. My heart has been hurting.

 

[Xouie]

Thank you so much for your kind words. I need to update you all on Lemmy (my surviving girl). It has been a rough week in a half but she is holding on. I am still having to feed her as she doesn't seem to have an appetite. We have her on electrolytes, mashed up feed and some oats and fruits. She is pooping regular but has not layer any eggs since the attack. Her wounds are healing but her right leg is swollen (doesn't look or feel to be broken) and warm. So, we have her isolated and resting but I am taking her outside for walks to see her sisters. She has been too afraid to be outside and is limping so I expect a long recovery for her. Praying she pulls through. She was in shock for 5 days (she was panting heavily all the time and did not want to be bothered at all). She now seems calmer, is very alert and will stand up and down as we tries to be mobile here and there.

It’s so good to see Lemmy is making an improvement. I hope she continues to get better.

 

[furandfeatheredmomma7]

I am being a bit judge mental of people that can’t just simply be sympathetic when someone is grieving, that is true. I don’t go into threads where people are talking about butchering their birds and start talking about how it is cruel, it isn’t the time or the place. That was my point.

I appreciate the support my friend but it is alright. I understand that not everyone will agree with my viewpoints or choices and because of that I did make my feelings known immediately. As a new chicken owner, this has been way more of a struggle (in terms of losing a hen) then I anticipated. I am still taking care of Lemmy, feeding her as her appetite is low but she is alert and seems more depressed than anything. Her right leg is hurting her so she has been resting in a crate inside our home and I now have her visiting her sisters outside so she can have some companionship. She was in shock for about 5 days...panting, very low energy but since has been perking up and her left wing is slowly healing and the other injuries were have attended to I am still cleaning and keeping dry so they can continue to heal. My main focus is getting her to eat on her own soon so her diet still consists of her favorite veggies and fruits and her normal feed. My heart still hurts...its strange. We have their entire coop wrapped in metal now (kind of like a bomb shelter) and the wire is put 6 feet under ground. It has been a hard...so thank you for taking the time to be compassionate to someone you do not know❤

 

[furandfeatheredmomma7]

We're here for you @furandfeatheredmomma7. All of have had, or will have, similar experiences. You're not crazy, you have a big, wonderful heart.

Be well.

I appreciate you and everyone for being kind. I do want to say that it does not matter how many books you read and advice you get, sometimes things just happen and that is what I have learned. I appreciate the kindness people have shown and it has helped me gain perspective and strength. I am still taking care of Lemmy who survived the attack and is in recovery. She has a limp in one leg but is getting more mobile and her wounds are slowly healing. I am feeding her for now as she has very little appetite but is very alert. Praying and hoping she will pull through...many sleepless nights here in my neck of the woods.

 

[Allthefloofs]

I appreciate the support my friend but it is alright. I understand that not everyone will agree with my viewpoints or choices and because of that I did make my feelings known immediately. As a new chicken owner, this has been way more of a struggle (in terms of losing a hen) then I anticipated. I am still taking care of Lemmy, feeding her as her appetite is low but she is alert and seems more depressed than anything. Her right leg is hurting her so she has been resting in a crate inside our home and I now have her visiting her sisters outside so she can have some companionship. She was in shock for about 5 days...panting, very low energy but since has been perking up and her left wing is slowly healing and the other injuries were have attended to I am still cleaning and keeping dry so they can continue to heal. My main focus is getting her to eat on her own soon so her diet still consists of her favorite veggies and fruits and her normal feed. My heart still hurts...its strange. We have their entire coop wrapped in metal now (kind of like a bomb shelter) and the wire is put 6 feet under ground. It has been a hard...so thank you for taking the time to be compassionate to someone you do not know❤

I am so glad Lemmy is doing so much better! I should not have said anything. It just so happened that we had to euthanize one of our favorite girls last Tuesday. It was after a month of trying daily to save her and realizing that she was declining regardless of our efforts. I think I sort of let my grief over her take over and I am sorry for that. She wasn't our first to pass, and I am more resilient about dealing with their deaths. I am more able to grieve for them specifically now. All the special little things that I loved about them. Our first to pass was really hard for me to process, and so while I don't know exactly how you are feeling I can easily understand how hard it is. I feel a bit defensive of your right to grief, and in other threads I have ignored the comments that have been mean or judgmental, it was sort of a perfect storm as they say. Best to you and Lemmy, I hope to see pictures of her recovered at some point if you feel inclined to keep us updated.

 

[Landerb]

Hi everyone, I am a bit new to this and to be honest, am doing this out of clear desperation to not feel so alone and crazy in my thoughts at the moment. Night we just lost one of our 5 chickens who was severely injured from a bobcat attack sometime early yesterday morning. The site was devastating. Not only where it happened around their coup but her injuries were so severe that my husband wanted to put her down out of compassion but me, being the fighter I am-told him I wanted to do everything we could to clean her wounds (the skin on her neck and her tail feathers from stripped clean off and her right wing was hanging by a thread). I thought maybe she could survive with one wing (i have read countless threads on here about taking care of injured chickens so I wanted to give it our best shot) and that it we could take care of her etc. After the entire day being filled with an amatuer type surgery, I was able to feed her with a syringe and tried to make her as comfortable as possible. After 12 hours of checking in on her...finally before I was heading to bed, I saw her take her last breath and go peacefully.
I did not handle the situation so peacefully and completely broke down. She was a sweet girl, the tiniest one we had and had a wonderful personality. In the midst of my tears I woke my husband up so we could bury her in our backyard because...well...my heart is too big and I just cannot help but feel guilty, horrible and broken. Did I mention that we have another chicken who got injured too? No? Ok, so our girl Lemmy is currently recovering from a torn neck (which we closed and cleaned) and her one wing is sprained. She is inside a carrier and is doing well-missing her sisters. So, all in all-we have reinforced their coup even more and have metal plates surrounding the entire coup as the bobcats chased them around and grabbed them through the metal fencing.

Sorry this is so long...I don't know how to explain these feelings of loss for something I never owned before last April. I never thought chickens would make my life just a bit better and that my family and I would be so attached..but we are. I feel guilty for not keeping them safe. My little girl deserved so much better.

I can only hope that our feathered girls live a life full of love so when their time does come they know they were loved. That is what I am trying to hold onto right now...just that thought...that she knew we loved her and I held her when she left.

I had a similar experience when I lost my first chicken— the sweetest little Lavendar Orpington pullet, barely 10 weeks. We have no clue why she died, just found her dead when we opened the coop up in the morning. I was devastated. I actually had to take a few sick days off of work bc I just couldn’t stop crying. That happened on Veteran’s Day and I still cry for her at least once a week.

You’re not crazy and you’re certainly not alone. I’m so sorry for your loss.

 

[furandfeatheredmomma7]

I am so glad Lemmy is doing so much better! I should not have said anything. It just so happened that we had to euthanize one of our favorite girls last Tuesday. It was after a month of trying daily to save her and realizing that she was declining regardless of our efforts. I think I sort of let my grief over her take over and I am sorry for that. She wasn't our first to pass, and I am more resilient about dealing with their deaths. I am more able to grieve for them specifically now. All the special little things that I loved about them. Our first to pass was really hard for me to process, and so while I don't know exactly how you are feeling I can easily understand how hard it is. I feel a bit defensive of your right to grief, and in other threads I have ignored the comments that have been mean or judgmental, it was sort of a perfect storm as they say. Best to you and Lemmy, I hope to see pictures of her recovered at some point if you feel inclined to keep us updated.

I am so sorry for your loss❤ I stood up for myself because I knew people would see those comments and honestly, I know not everyone looks at this situation the same. I do not want to prolong any suffering so I am taking the care of Lemmy carefully. I guess for me, it is kind of an ethical dilemma...she seems to want to fight and be around but she need TLC so I don't want to give up on her. I joined this community because I did not know how to cope...at all. I have a furry son, 3 cats (all whom I love dearly) and an 8yr old daughter. All of them I love and want to protect. I am hopeful for Lemmy, she is a tough girl but I am very grateful for you all and your perspectives. It has helped me tremendously. Here is a pic of Lemmy today outside seeing her sisters. Will post more soon!

 

[Kinlough]

Hi everyone, I am a bit new to this and to be honest, am doing this out of clear desperation to not feel so alone and crazy in my thoughts at the moment. Night we just lost one of our 5 chickens who was severely injured from a bobcat attack sometime early yesterday morning. The site was devastating. Not only where it happened around their coup but her injuries were so severe that my husband wanted to put her down out of compassion but me, being the fighter I am-told him I wanted to do everything we could to clean her wounds (the skin on her neck and her tail feathers from stripped clean off and her right wing was hanging by a thread). I thought maybe she could survive with one wing (i have read countless threads on here about taking care of injured chickens so I wanted to give it our best shot) and that it we could take care of her etc. After the entire day being filled with an amatuer type surgery, I was able to feed her with a syringe and tried to make her as comfortable as possible. After 12 hours of checking in on her...finally before I was heading to bed, I saw her take her last breath and go peacefully.
I did not handle the situation so peacefully and completely broke down. She was a sweet girl, the tiniest one we had and had a wonderful personality. In the midst of my tears I woke my husband up so we could bury her in our backyard because...well...my heart is too big and I just cannot help but feel guilty, horrible and broken. Did I mention that we have another chicken who got injured too? No? Ok, so our girl Lemmy is currently recovering from a torn neck (which we closed and cleaned) and her one wing is sprained. She is inside a carrier and is doing well-missing her sisters. So, all in all-we have reinforced their coup even more and have metal plates surrounding the entire coup as the bobcats chased them around and grabbed them through the metal fencing.

Sorry this is so long...I don't know how to explain these feelings of loss for something I never owned before last April. I never thought chickens would make my life just a bit better and that my family and I would be so attached..but we are. I feel guilty for not keeping them safe. My little girl deserved so much better.

I can only hope that our feathered girls live a life full of love so when their time does come they know they were loved. That is what I am trying to hold onto right now...just that thought...that she knew we loved her and I held her when she left.

I am sorry for your loss and the sad ness you experienced finding your chickens attacked. I think all animals know fear and pain and the care you gave them must have soothed them and made them feel safe. I have only one rooster now as my hens have all died(at different times), he gets lots of attention now.

 

[Katiedidnt58]

I'm so sorry for your loss, like so many other people here, I've been there too. Admittedly, not to a predator, which I imagine would be so much worse. They say time heals, but I've found, very slowly. I worked for years on a broiler farm, culling chickens due to suffering was something I did daily numerous times. Now I have my own chooks but would never have the heart to do the deed myself though I know when it needs to be done and get someone else to do it if need be. The pain of losing 1 of my girls is no easier now than it was when I lost my 1st beautiful girl, chook, who I saved from the broiler farm when I left. I still cry now when I think of her, lover of drippy made for TV movies. I'm sure she nearly watched every one on YouTube. She was lame in one leg, small and getting knocked over by the other bigger chickens at work. If I was doing my job as I should, I would've culled her but instead I brought her home. She loved that TV! I'd ask her, do you wanna come outside or stay here? She'd nod towards either outside or the TV. It was time consuming looking after her, she had different noises which meant, I need to poo or I already have which meant clean it up or get me out quick! I knew what I was doing was wrong but I loved her so much. I knew she'd never come right. Eventually I had to make the decision to end it for her. She was in a good mood that day, it was so quick, she didn't even realise someone else was there. That didn't make it any easier. I cried and cried and cried. I woke up in the night and cried some more over and over. I cried every Monday for months because that was the day she died.
My chooks these days live outside and don't watch TV but when 1 dies it still hits me hard. On the sideboard alongside our wedding, and our daughter graduating from uni photos, pics of my beautiful girls I've lost. My husband thinks I'm crazy, I probably am but I don't see him leaving... https://www.raising-happy-chickens.com/chicken-memorials.html#memorials
I don't know whether you know of this site or not but here, you can post a memorial for your chicken.
Anyone who says, but it was just a chicken, just doesn't know...