Leghorn has been sitting --LATEST UPDATE!!! Sad ending

[Judy]

So sorry for your loss. This was almost certainly some problem with the egg laying machinery, because of the discharge. Nothing you could have done to fix it, most likely.

 

[Jeeper1540]

So sorry.

I lost a my favorite hen Chloe earlier this year to being eggbound, which is what it sounds like your hen had.

 

[Tiss]

I'm so sorry. It's always really hard to lose one.

 

[tuesdays chicks]

sorry about your hen

 

[HHandbasket]

This was our first chicken loss. She was my only steady layer and just the nicest bird. It's like morgan7782 said, she would even jump up into your lap and was very interactive and personable. Apparently, being eggbound for even a day will take out a good bird.

I wondered if she would develop egglaying problems because she started SO late. She was a little over 21 weeks when she dropped her first shelless egg, and that's pretty old for a leghorn to start laying (average is 16-18 weeks for them). Her first 2 eggs were shelless, and she had 2 more soft-shelled eggs that first week but has been prolific ever since, even gifting us with two double-yolkers! Finding her dead and stiff like that was just really sad.

On a more mundane level, I have to replace her now in so far as egg production goes. Anybody got a white egglayer they want to part with???

You know what sucks the most? JUST bought them a playhouse yesterday for converting into a new coop for the girls to keep them safe/warm in the winter. Poor Felipa never even got to see her new coop.

 

[Rachel'sFlock]

Oh poor HHandbasket
Please know your Felipa will be clucking around the new coop with you, in spirit.
So very sorry for your loss.

Blessings of comfort

 

[PepsNick]

oh im so sorry! exact same thing happened to mine a few weeks ago

 

[MaineChick]

Sometimes it seems as though being a sweet, favorite hen is the kiss of death. Why can't it be some rude hen that dies on us?

Remember that you gave her a very good life while she was with you.

Condolences.

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

That's really sad. I am sorry. On the bright side you gave one production bird, that would have ordinarily never seen the light of day, or had the chance to stretch it's wings, a great albeit short life. There is value in that.

Egg laying problems can happen in any breed, but it seems to be more common in the production breeds that are bred to crank out all their eggs in short order. It had nothing to do with when she started laying. 21 weeks is not at all late. Some just have a flaw in their plumbing, and it's hard to know it until the situation becomes dire. Even then it's very hard to fix.

The only thing I know for sure is that there are more chickens. Many many many more! And there will be new favorites. So treat yourself to a few more....

 

[HHandbasket]

Thank you... that makes me feel much better. We did give her a really good life, and the good thing is that we got lots of pictures of her. While we got our chickens for the purpose of getting eggs, we have a small flock (only half a dozen birds--well, 5 now), and you can get "better acquainted" with your birds when it's a small flock like this. You do develop relationships with the chickens, and she was just really a fun chicken to spend time with. She was always really curious ... to the point of being downright NOSY... and in her short life, we did get many pics of her. I'll probably make a RIP Felipa page in the next few days.

(Don't tell my better half, but you shoulda heard him snifflin' and cryin' while he was digging the hole to bury her... it was like he was 4... that part was really sweet, but he's taking her loss very hard.)

We are already looking at more chooks, as we do need to replace the eggs we're not going to be getting now that she's gone.