Lost My First Chicken

[JewelBirds]

I used to have twenty-four chickens. Now I have twenty-three. We got Scarlett (along with others) on April 3rd 2017. She just turned two years old and was an ISA Brown hen. She was a bold chicken and almost always got her way. She loved to explore all over the yard and most of all eat as much food as she could find. Once in a while I would call her "Big Red" or "Big Chest" (she LOVED to eat!). This past week she got sick and developed ascites and soon after sour crop. I don't know what caused it. I tried taking her to several vets, who refused to see her because they didn't know anything about chickens. I supported her as best I could and tried to treat the sour crop on my own with the information I found online and on this site. Just as she seemed to be getting over the sour crop, she died the next day (yesterday). I know that what she died from was not the ascites or the sour crop - that these were secondary symptoms to something far more serious. I knew she probably wouldn't make it on her last day so I kept her comfortable and spent that day saying good-bye to her, and she passed a few hours into the night.

Rest In Peace

Scarlett Rose ​

 

[Ginmary]

 

[Wyorp Rock]

 

[Ribh]

 

[equine chick]

I’m really sorry. Research avian vet for next time. I’m lucky living in the country my daughter is a vet tech for a registered avian vet . I’m not sure what area you are from.
https://www.birdvetsnearyou.com
https://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2015/10/state-by-state-lists-of-avian-vets-labs.html

 

[BY Bob]

 

[cleoandtheflock]

What a sweet hen

 

[JBG acres]

 

[olivigus]

I'm so sorry for your loss. She was a lovely girl. It is very true that sometimes there is an underlying condition that we can't see and simply don't know about. The first hen I lost died from an infection. I was worried about the others, so I had a necropsy done on her, and it turned out she had some internal problems with her ovary and other organs (quite possibly from birth) and that is what had made her susceptible to the infection. All of that is just to say that it sounds like you did everything you could for her and she certainly had a good and very happy life with you. I think the last gift our loved and loving animal friends give us is a lesson in how to accept what is and let them go. I still have fond memories of my Domino. Those never go away.

 

[meetthebubus]

Sweet tribute, she was happy and loved