Hard Loss of a beloved Hen; advice please!

[Kuntry Klucker]

My Beloved rooster, "PEEPS" Rest in peaceView attachment 1435879

Aww... He was a stud. He looks like he was a sweet roo. So sorry for your loss. It's so hard to lose our featured family members.

 

[4 ever Orpington]

Hi Everyone,

I hope that this is the right forum for this post, if not admin I apologize.

We had the first had loss of our favorite hens last night.
She was plagued with egg yolk peritonitis in addition to being an old girl
of 9 years.

I tried to treat her with antibiotics and other care for several weeks. It was clear that
she was not going to recover and that she was just suffering while I was trying to help her.

After realizing this I looked for end of life solutions. I tried to see if a vet would put her down but
they said they do not see "Farm" animals despite already being a client in vet care for
my cat. Other vets would not see me unless I was already a client. So that came to a dead in
quick.

I was then faced with doing to task myself. After researching methods to despatch a sick hen
and reading other people's reports I decided that the most fail safe method was the hatched to
the neck in the form of a quick and clean deception. I ached knowing that I was going to have to
do this to my favorite hen but other methods were just not as clear to me and I felt that this
was the safest route ending in a quick parting for my beloved girl. She was the first hen that I have had to cull, other that were sick either died quickly after taking ill for I would just find them dead in the coop as they aged passed the 7 to 8 year mark.

Well as fate would have it, I was ready to cull her and as I heaved the hatched down
to her neck I missed!! I was horrified, I could not believe that I missed! I stuck her but
not with a fatal blow I wanted to achieve. So as I regained my
strength fighting back tears I swung again and this time completed the most difficult tasks of my life thus far. She flopped and did the stuff that I was warned would happen.

What bothers me is this. After careful planning a research in order to send my beloved girl
to the beyond in a quick and hopefully fleeting painless method I screwed up. I wanted
nothing more that to give her the last gift of love with a gentle passing.

It haunts me to think that pain she was in when I missed. It terrifies me that think that the girl
who loved me so much was probably wondering why I caused her so much pain. I cannot sleep,
eat or anything, I am just haunted at the turmoil and suffering I caused her all in the efforts to end
her suffering.

For anyone who has been down this road please tell me how you recover. I am not sure what
to do. I am stuck in a hell that I created all because I was trying to do my beloved feathered friend the best favor that I could.

Please no negative comments, I am already traumatized beyond what I can handle. I am need some help in guidance in how to begin to heal for such a sorrowful tragedy.

thank you in advance.

While it’s never easy to take the life of our feathered friends. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to do so. I pray for your heart to heal soon. May God comfort you during this time of need.

 

[tripletfeb]

I am new to chickens but it seems that 9 years is a very nice age for a hen to live to. So the fact that she lived a full, long, happy life hopefully helps you feel better. I'm sure she is very happy that you ended it quickly. You didn't stop when you missed, you did what had to be done. I am very sorry for your loss, please know you are not alone. God Bless!

 

[4 ever Orpington]

View attachment 1435791

I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and understanding. Only chicken people can understand the grief of putting down a sick hen that was so loved. She was 1 in a million. I will think of the words that were spoken and look toward a route of recovery. I do have comfort in knowing that she is no longer in pain or suffering. She lead a very happy and spoiled life. I just hope she can forgive me. But i might have to work on forgiving myself first.

Thanks again. It is so comforting knowing that folks here understand.

Here is the last photo I took of her. She loved getting rids in the wagon.

Miss Katie




View attachment 1435788

Just precious! My heart aches for you.