Do you cry or sigh? (No sad stories please!)

[Karrie13]

I guess it depends on the situation. I hatched out a couple of chicks last year and my husband's dog somehow managed to open a secured brooder top and get in and kill my babies. I did them all. I was Mad, sad, cried, then sighed. I also refused to look at, talk to or pet the dog for a whole month. Just me being pouty about it all.
Then in Feb I lost a hen due to pecking, I had to finish her off, at that one I was just MAD and ready to do away with all the girls and start over. But I didn't, I do have some of them marked for removal once the new ones are old enough.

 

[Cara]

It depends on the bird and the circumstances. I cried when a raccoon killed a few of my husband's ducks, that was our first predator attack. I cried when one got in and killed a dozen of my birds too. Usually if it's just one bird passing from illness i'm ok with it. But when the bobcat got in my coop and killed 40 of my best birds overnight...well that was a hysterical meltdown. Even more so when my husband came back with me and found the bobcat still inside.

 

[cbeth95]

Quote:
Uhhh thats mean....

 

[chickaddict]

It depends on how they are lost

2 - RIR"S to a raccoon - I felt guilty and sad because it was my fault they got caught

1 - barred rock to illness - I was angry because the Craigs list person I bought her from raved about how healthy his birds were.

3 - barred rocks to the hatchet - I was angry and depressed because the Craigs list person who sold me the sick bird sold me 3 "pullets" at the same time and a month later all 3 started crowing. I couldn't find anyone to take them and i am not zoned for roos. Needless to say I no longer patronize Craigs list.

1 - buff orpington to a hawk - I sighed, chain of life and all, nothing I could have done about that one.

2 - black australorps to a stray cat - caused a level of anger I haven't experienced since our house was broken into. If the cat had killed for food I would have sighed - chain of life yada yada - the cat killed them for pure PLEASURE not hunger. The same cat attacked my neighbor who then had to endure a series of paiful injections becuase of the attack. We haven't seen him since he got my babies but there is a bounty on it's head. I'm kind of hoping it became fox food.

 

[MagsC]

A little of both I guess, but I dont cry very long so probably "sigh".

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Quote:
Completely agree.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Quote:
Uhhh thats mean....

No it's not...it's a fact of the flock. Keep the nice ones, get rid of the mean ones that injure and kill the rest of the flock.

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

It depends. I've done both. Many times the loss was the breaking point for many bad things piled up at once.

The worst "ugly cry" I had was when I lost a broody Cochin hen to an owl. She sat on the nest and let the owl eat her. That was the saddest thing I had ever seen.

 

[SilverPhoenix]

It depends for me. If they're a young chicken or it's an unexpected death, I'll cry my eyes out over it and feel awful about it for a long time. If they're an older bird and I've been expecting it for a while, I get sad, but I do better because I know they had a nice, long life and just passed from old age.

 

[PotterWatch]

I sigh and move on, hopefully with better protection for my girls if it was a predator. I have only lost two to predators though so far. All others have either gone to new homes or to my freezer.