For some reason this year has been unbelievably bad for my hens. Mites made one of my girls so weak that I had to kill her because she was so sick. I'm heart broken. I used several scalpels and then after she pretty much bled out, I stretched her neck to finish the job. It makes me ill just to write that...she was wrapped in a towel and was held in my arms as I did it. I spoke to her and thanked her for coming into my life...still so sad. Secondly, I've been treating another hen for an abscess that developed below her vent. It's been almost two weeks since I brought her inside, killed the mites that were all over her, killed the maggots that were crawling out of the wound and have been debriding the wound each day. Started injectable penicillin yesterday after treating her with tetracycline in her water. The wound is healing very well. She's eating well, drinking water, pooping and getting sick of living inside in a cat carrier... I fear that sound like a horrible chicken parent with the whole mite situation. I've not had to deal with them for the past 6 years. I've sprinkled Sevin dust and DE all over the yard as well as the inside the coop. Scrubbed out the roost, sprayed a mite killer that is non toxic for chickens that I bought at Big R. I also put a large amount of wood ash in the area where they all dust bathe daily. What a nightmare! Thanks for letting me blather on
It never gets any easier to cull a chicken for whatever reason, even for me. Like you, I softly talk to the bird while cradling it, gently petting her. I thank her for her eggs and tell her that she's been a good girl. They seem to become very calm when I do this. Then I cull....yeah it hurts (me.) But I also know what's best for the bird, and the others as well.