It’s been a rough month

[Silly Indie]

It’s been a heck of a month, I sadly lost three birds whom I was very attached to. It started when Cory, the bantam Rhode Island Red rooster in one of my previous threads, failed to improve from his ailment when a mass in his abdomen was discovered after he passed. I’m grateful that his last weeks were full of treats and positive stuff. We moved his little hutch he was living in into the chicken yard so he could interact and hang out with the others but still remain separate. Then about two weeks or so after losing Cory, I went out to do chores to find one of my favorite hens dead in the chicken yard. No previous signs of anything amiss, her weight was good, comb color was great. In the past she had bouts of some mystery illness where for about a week or two she’d be very lethargic, droopy, with less than stellar comb color. Her appetite remained steady and each time she bounced back and resumed being her normal happy self. And finally… the most recent.. the one who pushed me over the edge: Walter.. He was a favorite amongst everyone. He was my favorite rooster, a grandson of one of the first hens of the flock who was very special to me. He was oh so full of character, a true rebel who never wanted to roost in the coop and instead would go in the barn, garage, or shop making me have to walk out to him to put him in for the night. Today, for some reason he jumped into the police dog’s kennel. This dog has been around chickens since he first came home in 2017. Never showed any inclination to attack the chickens, heck he even had some sit on top of him once and did nothing! A couple times a rogue chicken would hop the fence and get in with him and no one was ever harmed. Then there was today.. I’m not sure what happened and why but when Walter jumped in, the dog killed him. My younger sister found him dead in the kennel. We’re all heartbroken over him and it still doesn’t feel real, I’m still hoping I’m going to wake up and find it was all just a dream but I know it’s not. The loss of a chicken that is dead to me is always hard but some just worm their way even deeper into your heart and those ones hurt even more when they go. For the record, I’m not angry at the dog, he’s still a good boy but he’s a dog and sometimes they do stuff like this and make bad decisions. This month hasn’t been all bad though, the chicks and ducklings are doing well, the ducklings just recently moved out to the big coop and have integrated beautifully with the other ducks and the chicks are still hanging with the bantams in the Bantie coop getting bigger all the time. And now for some pictures of my dear fallen feathered friends..

Cory, 2018-2023

Walter, 2020-2023

Confetti, 2019-2023

It really sucks that they were all still relatively young and healthy (until they weren’t)

 

[N F C]

I'm sorry to read of your losses

 

[Callender Girl]

I's heartbreaking that you lost any three, but especially this trio. Cory, Walter and Confetti were lucky to have someone who cared deeply for them.

Personality aside, Walter was one striking-looking rooster!

Best wishes with the chicks and ducklings; they can't replace what you've lost but they may be able to help you heal a bit.

 

[TwoCrows]

I am so sorry for your losses, and while it's always heartbreaking to lose them at any age, it's worse with the younger ones. They didn't get to live life to it's fullest and you didn't get enough time with them. Your heart will eventually heal over, for now make sure to cherish the ones that are still with you. ❤

 

[GreenJay]