Is it better to let them die?

[Fields Mountain Farm]

I have several ways of coping. One of them is to try not to get attached. There is always the one or two, however, that make pets (or is that pests?) of themselves by being tame and friendly. I don't name them, exactly. My current big red cockerel is called Big Red, just because of his size and color. DH knows immediately who I'm talking about. The little BO that comes running every time I'm in sight is Goldie, for the same reason. The thing is, it seems like naming them is a death sentence for them. I also know the realities of free ranging. It happens - a predator comes and they die. It bothers me, but I can't let myself be nervous about free ranging, or I'd be a wreck. I just have to accept my losses and move on.

Mine that actually have names are for similar reason.. I had a Sunny D once, big BO mix who was the color of Sunny Delight orange drink...

I am loving this respect full thread! My hands are all beloved pets… But I have a cousin who used to raise them for her family of 10 to eat. One time when I mentioned I keep chickens and that we had that in common, she meantioned chickens are mean. I told her that mine are pets, and she replied that she didn’t have that luxury. Honestly, I felt a little embarrassed And realized I was being insensitive. I have great respect for people who grow their own birds for eggs and meat.
Also @Shadrach, you had me on the edge of my seat reading that! You are a great writer!

Well put!

I agree. I don’t know how BYC pick their moderators but I think they do an amazingly good job.
It’s very easy to forget that BYC has chosen to cater for a very wide range of ages and nationalities.
Something I might write for a British audience, especially humour, and mine gets pretty dark at times, can be totally misconstrued by a reader with a different cultural background.
I think some people forget that BYC isn’t ‘their’ site. It’s a problem inherent in tolerant moderation.
I’ve had posts moderated; I don’t argue. There are some rules they have to adhere to for legal reasons and there are others that are there to protect the sensibilities of other posters.
There is a post somewhere where the staff claim they have the best moderators on the web. When I first read it I was dubious to say the least. Having been here a few weeks and having had an awful lot to say for myself, I think they may be right.

Yes, it can be difficult at best to understand each others difference in culture, word usage and humor. We all come from so many different backgrounds. And its a good thing we have good moderators to help keep us all "in line". I dont envy their jobs at most times but am greatful for the job they do.. I imagine it can be dauntig at times .lol
But its so good for us all to learn each others ways and to gain understanding and respect for each others varied lives and views.
I had a hard time when I first came to byc, grasping tone in text or misunderstanding terms and I was constantly worried Id offend or hurt someone's feelings, still struggle with it from time to time. I have learned tho, and continue to do so. But it breaks my heart when others hurt and more so if I cause it, tho unintentionally. I am so impressed with the way this thread is going!
This is how it should be. To be able to express individual views without fear of being ridiculed.
I hope the positive atmosphere continues..

I was surprised to read you eat chicken. I don’t eat bought chicken but I’ll eat a chicken that lived here. Some people who know how much time I spend with the chickens here are stunned when I tell them I not only eat them, I’ll kill them as well. It’s a very difficult standpoint to explain to people.

X2

What an amazing, fearless hen!! I am beyond impressed So glad you could do something to help her survive! Like others have said, I think it is a fine balance between intervening and knowing when the "right" call is ending an animals suffering. I too have suffered losses in my flock. Fortunately I never had to make a decision as the predator killed the hens each time. I do know I'd do what I could, within reason, to help one of my flock survive. But there are so many considerations that go into a decision like that, not only survivability but, as others said, cost. Have I sat out at night with a flashlight and air rifle after hearing my flock alert? Absolutely. But I also know I can't protect them 24/7 from a determined predator, especially one that has all the time in the world to wait and watch for the opportunity to get a meal.

What do I do when I lose a hen? The same as when I lose any other animal. I grieve, I pay respect to it, thank it for the happiness and nourishment (mind and body) it has provided, and give it a proper burial. And I remember it

I think you are doing wonderful work by studying and caring for "your" flock. And I'm sure they appreciate all the effort you put into it.

Hope i didnt ramble on too much.

 

[townchicks]

I was surprised to read you eat chicken.

LOL, you're not alone. Frankly I didn't (and neither did DH) for a good 6 mos. after we got the girls. I still don't eat much. I was a vegetarian for many years in my younger days, not because I didn't like meat, or because I thought it was healthier, but simply because I was horrified by the conditions animals are raised and slaughtered in. They still are bad, for the most part, but it is now possible to purchase meat that has been more humanely treated in it's lifetime. So that's what I do. So keeping hens is one way to avoid contributing to the horrific conditions of battery chickens, by not buying eggs. But I knew from the start they would also be pets, because we get very attached, quickly. The more time you spend with animals, it seems to me, that the more you find that they have value in and of themselves, and not just for what they can give us humans.

 

[Shadrach]

I had my first stitching lesson this afternoon. I was very nervous.
Gloria, the vet who has put up with me and the injured chickens I bring her is moving away.
I took Mel back to Gloria as instructed this afternoon for a check up.
Two of Mel's stitches were too loose and Gloria did one and I did the other.

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

I had my first stitching lesson this afternoon. I was very nervous.
Gloria, the vet who has put up with me and the injured chickens I bring her is moving away.
I took Mel back to Gloria as instructed this afternoon for a check up.
Two of Mel's stitches were too loose and Gloria did one and I did the other.

Dang.. I hate she's moving!
Glad she taught you to do stitches tho! That's wonderful!

 

[micstrachan]

So cool that you tied your first stitch. Well done!

 

[Shadrach]

Mel has been living with me since the attack. None of her tribe have been to visit for the past couple of days. As one might expect everyone is a bit nervous at the moment and not venturing far from the best cover places.
Mel and Fudge are Cillin’s daughters but from different hatching's. There is only a couple of months age difference,
Fudge hatched three chicks before Mel hatched hers and this seems to have caused some friction; Fudge being junior.
Mel was pretty ghastly to Fudge when Fudge returned home with the chicks.
I didn’t interfere and Fudge and the chicks learn't to keep out of Mel’s way.
This morning Fudge, Mel’s sister came round to use the nest box in my house. I’ve had to keep the door shut to stop Mel wandering outside. I need to keep the wounds clean and it’s a lot easier if they don’t get earth e.t.c. in them.
Mel wouldn’t let Fudge in the house. Fudge went outside and called for Cillin and after a couple of minutes Cillin arrived to see what the fuss was about. Normally when Cillin sees one of his hens, especially if they not been in the coop at night, he gets terribly excited and dances around them kicking his leg out to one side and giving them I’m boss pecks on the back of the head.
I opened the door when Cillin arrived and let both Cillin and Fudge in. I was curious to see Cillin’s behaviour when he saw Mel. Bear in mind the last he had seen of Mel was her being loaded into the pet carrier after the hawk attack. Cillin and all the rest of Tribe 1 saw the attack and would have seen Mel fighting the goshawk.

Cillin came into the house first and instead of doing the ‘you’re my hen dance’ he walked over to Mel, lowered his head until his eye was level with hers and after a moment stroked the back of her neck with his beak once and stepped back. Fudge wouldn’t go anywhere near Mel. When Fudge did finally sneak past Mel to get to the egg nest box, Mel launched a half hearted attack which Fudge easily avoided and now they are all in the house, Fudge waiting for the egg to move down before she gets in the box to lay it.

The best thing in my experience for a chickens recovery, provided there are no outright bully's in the flock is the company of other chickens. Mel’s health and strength was improving, but since Cillin and Fudge have been here she’s been grooming herself a lot more, eating alongside Cillin, much to Fudge’s disgust ,and generally behaving more like a chicken and less like an invalid.

Mel’s chicks behaviour changed when dad (Cillin) arrived. It’s flying around the room, running up to dad and hiding between his legs the rushing back to mum.

I’ve been cleaning Mel’s wounds with a 50/50 mix of Betadine liquid before coating them in a cream called Blastoestimulina. The usual recommendation for cleaning here is hydrogen peroxide.
Hydrogen peroxide is very good for grazes, but if the skin or muscle is torn, it tends to seal the the tiny blood vessels that need to remain a bit bloody if the skin is to join properly.
The crows in the woods on the ridge are sounding their alarm call and Cillin, Fudge and Mel are looking very nervous. Mel has sent her chick into hiding (under the cooker) and the other tribes outside have gone very quiet. People who visit here have asked me if the roosters crowing bothers me. While the roosters are crowing everything is okay. It’s when they go quiet I get concerned.

 

[townchicks]

So glad that Mel is doing ok, and has the company of some of her flock. Interesting reaction from the roo. Such a bummer that you are losing your vet, she sounds like a really nice person. Good for you for learning how to do stitches, how nice of her to teach you. Maybe before she goes, you could ask her if it is possible to get you a surgical staple gun. Staples are much easier to use on an awake animal, it's quicker and they seem to tolerate it better. It would be good to have something like that as a back up for the more wiggly ones.

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

Mel has been living with me since the attack. None of her tribe have been to visit for the past couple of days. As one might expect everyone is a bit nervous at the moment and not venturing far from the best cover places.
Mel and Fudge are Cillin’s daughters but from different hatching's. There is only a couple of months age difference,
Fudge hatched three chicks before Mel hatched hers and this seems to have caused some friction; Fudge being junior.
Mel was pretty ghastly to Fudge when Fudge returned home with the chicks.
I didn’t interfere and Fudge and the chicks learn't to keep out of Mel’s way.
This morning Fudge, Mel’s sister came round to use the nest box in my house. I’ve had to keep the door shut to stop Mel wandering outside. I need to keep the wounds clean and it’s a lot easier if they don’t get earth e.t.c. in them.
Mel wouldn’t let Fudge in the house. Fudge went outside and called for Cillin and after a couple of minutes Cillin arrived to see what the fuss was about. Normally when Cillin sees one of his hens, especially if they not been in the coop at night, he gets terribly excited and dances around them kicking his leg out to one side and giving them I’m boss pecks on the back of the head.
I opened the door when Cillin arrived and let both Cillin and Fudge in. I was curious to see Cillin’s behaviour when he saw Mel. Bear in mind the last he had seen of Mel was her being loaded into the pet carrier after the hawk attack. Cillin and all the rest of Tribe 1 saw the attack and would have seen Mel fighting the goshawk.

Cillin came into the house first and instead of doing the ‘you’re my hen dance’ he walked over to Mel, lowered his head until his eye was level with hers and after a moment stroked the back of her neck with his beak once and stepped back. Fudge wouldn’t go anywhere near Mel. When Fudge did finally sneak past Mel to get to the egg nest box, Mel launched a half hearted attack which Fudge easily avoided and now they are all in the house, Fudge waiting for the egg to move down before she gets in the box to lay it.

The best thing in my experience for a chickens recovery, provided there are no outright bully's in the flock is the company of other chickens. Mel’s health and strength was improving, but since Cillin and Fudge have been here she’s been grooming herself a lot more, eating alongside Cillin, much to Fudge’s disgust ,and generally behaving more like a chicken and less like an invalid.

Mel’s chicks behaviour changed when dad (Cillin) arrived. It’s flying around the room, running up to dad and hiding between his legs the rushing back to mum.

I’ve been cleaning Mel’s wounds with a 50/50 mix of Betadine liquid before coating them in a cream called Blastoestimulina. The usual recommendation for cleaning here is hydrogen peroxide.
Hydrogen peroxide is very good for grazes, but if the skin or muscle is torn, it tends to seal the the tiny blood vessels that need to remain a bit bloody if the skin is to join properly.
The crows in the woods on the ridge are sounding their alarm call and Cillin, Fudge and Mel are looking very nervous. Mel has sent her chick into hiding (under the cooker) and the other tribes outside have gone very quiet. People who visit here have asked me if the roosters crowing bothers me. While the roosters are crowing everything is okay. It’s when they go quiet I get concerned.

Im so glad Mel is coming along well!
I love when you write, especially about their behaviors with each other.. it's so fascinating to really watch how they interact. And you word it in such a way that it pulls a reader in and gives a beautiful visiual.
Thank for all of your sharing!

 

[Shadrach]

So glad that Mel is doing ok, and has the company of some of her flock. Interesting reaction from the roo. Such a bummer that you are losing your vet, she sounds like a really nice person. Good for you for learning how to do stitches, how nice of her to teach you. Maybe before she goes, you could ask her if it is possible to get you a surgical staple gun. Staples are much easier to use on an awake animal, it's quicker and they seem to tolerate it better. It would be good to have something like that as a back up for the more wiggly ones.

Gloria has been a amazing from day one. Bear in mind this is rural Spain and animals are for eating. Gloria told me she has only had one other person bring her chickens to treat.
One Christmas I took her some candle sticks I had made out of wood; just as a thank you, not as payment. I don't think she gets many presents, she was almost in tears.

They do use staples here and generally they haven't worked out that well on the chickens.
I've had some fall out and this of course means the wound stays open longer and that slows recovery. Stitches fail as well. I might ask her about a staple gun though now you've mentioned it.

 

[aart]

They do use staples here and generally they haven't worked out that well on the chickens.
I've had some fall out and this of course means the wound stays open longer and that slows recovery. Stitches fail as well. I might ask her about a staple gun though now you've mentioned it.

Have had both staples and stitches in the dog....the staples were much easier for him to pull out, stitches held much better but harder to put in.
My first thought with staples in chickens, if they pull them out and eat them....
....I don't think it would be easy to put a 'cone of shame' on a chicken