Difficulty draining water belly

[kaydeetee86]

Sad update: she passed this morning. The symptoms came back. Same thing… her belly was full but I could only get a tiny bit of pale yellow fluid out. We think the rest was cancer. (I’m not doing a necropsy… she just gets to rest now.)

I miss her and I’m heartbroken, but she’s not in pain now. We got seven extra months together and I’m thankful for that. I’m thankful she made it to almost six years old, and that I had the opportunity to give her the best life I possibly could.

I had time to record her little voice. She loved to talk! I could actually pick up on her “names” for me and some of the other flock members. (The rooster’s name sounded like “uh oh” lol.) I took a lot of photos and videos over the past 7 months.

Anyway… that was Judith. One of the littlest loves of my life. The story doesn’t end with any sort of answers, but that was my odd experience with being barely able to drain water belly and symptoms that went away for months.

 

[alinas2010]

Sad update: she passed this morning. The symptoms came back. Same thing… her belly was full but I could only get a tiny bit of pale yellow fluid out. We think the rest was cancer. (I’m not doing a necropsy… she just gets to rest now.)

I miss her and I’m heartbroken, but she’s not in pain now. We got seven extra months together and I’m thankful for that. I’m thankful she made it to almost six years old, and that I had the opportunity to give her the best life I possibly could.

I had time to record her little voice. She loved to talk! I could actually pick up on her “names” for me and some of the other flock members. (The rooster’s name sounded like “uh oh” lol.) I took a lot of photos and videos over the past 7 months.

Anyway… that was Judith. One of the littlest loves of my life. The story doesn’t end with any sort of answers, but that was my odd experience with being barely able to drain water belly and symptoms that went away for months.

I’m so sorry she passed, but happy she is at peace now and can eat all the bugs she wants at the big coop up in the sky.

You did a lot for her and no doubt improved her quality of life the past few months. It’s wonderful you got another 7 months with her and that you were able to get those recordings and pictures. It sounds like she’s left you with a lot of great memories. I hope you are able to look back at those and they can help carry you through this difficult time.

Feel free to share any pictures and memories you have of her. What was her name?

 

[GoosesGeeses]

Sorry for your loss

 

[kaydeetee86]

I’m so sorry she passed, but happy she is at peace now and can eat all the bugs she wants at the big coop up in the sky.

You did a lot for her and no doubt improved her quality of life the past few months. It’s wonderful you got another 7 months with her and that you were able to get those recordings and pictures. It sounds like she’s left you with a lot of great memories. I hope you are able to look back at those and they can help carry you through this difficult time.

Feel free to share any pictures and memories you have of her. What was her name?

Aww thank you. I think I will!

This was Judith. (My OG flock had a Walking Dead theme lol.) I got them in 2020, about two weeks before the lockdowns started. They were unintentionally a COVID project, so I got to spend a lot of time with them.

She was a Golden Comet, the last of my original 4 Comets.

She loved eating Styrofoam as a baby, and she was FAST! Her favorite foods as an adult were peanuts, Greek yogurt, and mice.

She loved to talk. Out of all of them, I could understand her “words” for things the best. She called me “brr-BUM” and the rooster “uh oh.”

She was the rooster’s best girl, and she loved him so much. He would run interference so that she could eat any mouse she caught.

She was ornery, and sometimes a little bully. I read her articles about how Golden Comets were supposed to be sweet. She didn’t care. She and her partner-in-crime (a Barred Rock named Lucille) spent occasional time in the repurposed Horny Roo Jail. I’m sad that they aren’t here, but I’m happy that they’re together again. Probably causing chaos and mass destruction wherever they go.

She gave us a lot of beautiful eggs.

She changed color each time she molted. The first year, she went from golden to as dark as the RIRs. She lightened up every year after that.

Thank you for letting me share all of that. She was such a special girl.

 

[alinas2010]

Aww thank you. I think I will!

This was Judith. (My OG flock had a Walking Dead theme lol.) I got them in 2020, about two weeks before the lockdowns started. They were unintentionally a COVID project, so I got to spend a lot of time with them.

She was a Golden Comet, the last of my original 4 Comets.

She loved eating Styrofoam as a baby, and she was FAST! Her favorite foods as an adult were peanuts, Greek yogurt, and mice.

She loved to talk. Out of all of them, I could understand her “words” for things the best. She called me “brr-BUM” and the rooster “uh oh.”

She was the rooster’s best girl, and she loved him so much. He would run interference so that she could eat any mouse she caught.

She was ornery, and sometimes a little bully. I read her articles about how Golden Comets were supposed to be sweet. She didn’t care. She and her partner-in-crime (a Barred Rock named Lucille) spent occasional time in the repurposed Horny Roo Jail. I’m sad that they aren’t here, but I’m happy that they’re together again. Probably causing chaos and mass destruction wherever they go.

She gave us a lot of beautiful eggs.

She changed color each time she molted. The first year, she went from golden to as dark as the RIRs. She lightened up every year after that.

Thank you for letting me share all of that. She was such a special girl.

Judith sounds so special! And she’s gorgeous! Everything you’d want in a red hen. She sounds like she had quite the personality, too. Thank you for sharing, your stories of her are so touching. Undoubtedly she had a wonderful life with you and taught you how to be a chicken parent. There’s always something special about our first hens. Were you able to hatch any babies from her?

 

[alinas2010]

Also, her hackle feathers are gorgeous! I love the close up face picture too ❤

 

[kaydeetee86]

Judith sounds so special! And she’s gorgeous! Everything you’d want in a red hen. She sounds like she had quite the personality, too. Thank you for sharing, your stories of her are so touching. Undoubtedly she had a wonderful life with you and taught you how to be a chicken parent. There’s always something special about our first hens. Were you able to hatch any babies from her?

No, unfortunately. We tried once but she stopped laying shortly after that. The birds were already 4. I did end up with one feathered demon spawn sweet baby boy from another hen. He hates everybody except me… and now it’s store-bought pullets only for a while. Oops.

I was nervous passing on genes from a bird bred for high production, though. My chickens are friends with the added benefit of omelets. I’d rather have long life than extra eggs. I loved my Comets very much, but I won’t get them again.

I’ve learned a lot and gotten through a lot because of them. A whole entire pandemic, an extremely complicated adoption, and plenty of other life challenges. Those little birds have my heart.

I have 3 remaining out of my original 10. They turn 6 in a couple weeks. Just gotta do everything I can to keep them healthy, and be thankful for every day I have with them.