Hector's World: Adventures and Mayhem at Mountain View Poultry (or Sequel to The Evolution of Atlas

[Twizzler]

I’m sorry for your loss. You tried and I hope she knew how much you cared

 

[speckledhen]

Sadly, we both know that happens sometimes. It's not about the quality of care. It's more than that.

Yes, we do know that. But, I try up until the very end for my girls. It's always the girls. Rarely ever do the boys end up that way.

 

[getaclue]

I know you've gone the extra mile for her, to help her. Of that, there is no doubt. Sometimes, it's just their time. Still, it hurts to lose one, no matter the reason for the loss.

 

[1muttsfan]

Hens seem to run down with time, likely all that egg laying. Boys have the life of Riley when given a small flock all their own and a little security, but they seem to wear our sooner than the girls.

 

[speckledhen]

Hens seem to run down with time, likely all that egg laying. Boys have the life of Riley when given a small flock all their own and a little security, but they seem to wear our sooner than the girls.

I keep saying that, much as I love my boys, life might be easier if it was one of them rather than my hens. Atlas can barely walk these days, but he just keeps on chugging along at about the same age his grandpa Isaac was when he died suddenly while chasing his hens around. And the Belgian D'Anvers, oy! Aubrey is 9 yrs old with Spike right behind him. Talk about useless! Why not one of those, or even a 10, 11 or 12 yr old hen? But, no, had to be the sweetest, most snuggly hen ever, and a mystery at that.

 

[speckledhen]

Well, seems I'm losing, of all the hens I could lose, my Jane. And the only thing that is happening to her that I know of is her molt. She is in the middle of her molt, acting cold, of course, out of sorts, but today, she was just very weak and didn't even want her morning scratch. I put her on the nest box where Hector sleeps to give it to her and she didn't even look at it. Then, she tried to hop to the roost when everyone went out the door and fell. I picked her up and she is just limp. So, into the hospital cage she went. I made her a scrambled egg and when I took it to her, she would not even open her eyes. She was like that all day, just getting weaker and weaker. Her crop only has water in it. I'd be surprised if she is alive in the morning.
This was pretty much overnight, the big downturn. And I just lost Thea in that group-she was in her molt, her crop got sluggish, we fixed it, but she just went downhill. She was, of course, Hector and Jill's age. It's all those in that Hector line that seem to not want to live now. Lost Mary at a year old for some unknown reason. Jill and her other daughter, Maddie, seem fine. Hector is molting and he also is still limping, but I can't tell anything else is going on. Maddie is already over her molt, I think. I put her in the cage with Jane and Jane didn't even twitch. Maddie ate the eggs that Jane wouldn't even look at and I took her out of the cage.

Tiny the Terrorist is molting and not eating much, is extremely thin and gasps a bit when you pick her up , but she is going on 11 years old so that may just be the natural downhill slide at her age. Cora, Bash's daughter looks like someone plucked her, is missing 3/4 of all her feathers, but she is super energetic. BJ is molting and her crop, as per the usual with some of the Brahmas when they molt, is sluggish so we're restricting her food, but she is very active as well. I just do not know what to think of my sweet Janie. Everyone eats the same feed, all the groups, so I can't see that it's feed-related. It's so odd. Molting is very natural and Jane is only 2 1/2 yrs old and until a couple of days ago, was very active, running all over the place with Maddie.

 

[1muttsfan]

Aw Cyn I am so sorry it's so totally unfair that you have all these wonderful birds that live so old and yet lose these young, should-be-healthy ones.

 

[speckledhen]

Aw Cyn I am so sorry it's so totally unfair that you have all these wonderful birds that live so old and yet lose these young, should-be-healthy ones.

I know, Mary, it doesn't seem fair at all. Snow and June will be 13 and Georgie will turn 12 all around February. Then, Tiny and Emily will be 11 if they make it that far and Gloria Jean and Druscilla are 9 yrs old now. So, why can't Hector's line live longer? Doesn't make any sense to me, but it is what it is. They all get the same feed, the same attention and care. I just hate this because I am so fond of Jane! She is so funny and goofy and smart. Jane and Athena, who is a few months older than Hector, were the only ones laying in that pen. Then, this.

 

[speckledhen]

Jane is gone. She was gone this morning and had been gone awhile. I was 99.9% sure that would be the case. She was not bloated at all, no crop impaction, not soured, no visible injuries, just no clue as to why. The only thing I can think is that there was some internal issue peculiar to her that the molt exacerbated and the stress of the molt just did her in, sadly. She had been laying within the last two weeks so I doubt it was anything reproductive, plus, as I mentioned, no bloat. What the heck is up with this line? It's so strange.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

So sorry Cynthia. Seems fall is a common time for birds to succumb around here if they have something going on. A lot of stressors here with shifting temperatures and migrating birds.