Lost my top girl today. 😢

[Sequel]

I'm sorry for your loss.

X2!

 

[TheOddOneOut]

 

[Sequel]

This is definitely the hardest and saddest part of keeping poultry! Since you mentioned processing birds you could if you wanted to practice it or even a practice necropsy! There are videos on you tube for both I think.
I have told myself that next time I lose a bird I will but so far my flock is small and they’re all pretty much family members so I haven’t. I’m so sorry!

 

[Molly Mojo]

This is definitely the hardest and saddest part of keeping poultry! Since you mentioned processing birds you could if you wanted to practice it or even a practice necropsy! There are videos on you tube for both I think.
I have told myself that next time I lose a bird I will but so far my flock is small and they’re all pretty much family members so I haven’t. I’m so sorry!

Maybe someday I’ll be ready for that.

I’m not squeamish, but my you g nephews and nieces live with me and there is no way I’d be able to do it privately.

 

[Cochins rule]

Thank you for your kind words. They really do comfort.



I don’t know how to process a chicken.

What should I do with her body?

There weren’t even flies on her yet

Coons are the head hunters, fox kill many and take them back to the den one at a time. A fox came into the horse barn at night and took a setting hen from her nest. I was able to hatch her eggs. They hatched in 2 days! I knew they were close to hatching. I lucked out.

Big Mo Chicken was attacked by a fox recently but my husband was close enough to chase it off. Mo was pretty bad off but he is crowing again and chasing the girls.

 

[NightingaleJen]

I'm so sorry. Especially that she was your favourite!

 

[nao57]

So...this thread had me thinking also about the idea how we also always think we can always have animals and that they were always be there.

But this type of event does help us think about, the idea of creating safe positions of being able to replenish our own losses. And hopefully making preparations for such pro-actively. Like what if you couldn't get chicks or chickens at the store? In my area that's what it was like during much of Covid because of the messes and shortages, mixed with buying crazes.

And how many of us actually have aging hens also?

So this kind of thinking will be good for us to learn from, to learn how to be more proactive instead of ending up getting stuck.

I hope this doesn't sound callous or uncaring though. Sorry.

 

[Molly Mojo]

Update:

I had been getting an old 10 x 10 dog kennel ready to use as a frame for a coop. The spacing between the bars were a bit too big for some of the chicks, so I had already gotten the chicken wire fencing and went around the entire base.

Got some heavy duty tarps and covered the top with one using bungee cords to secure. Also covered the back and about 2/3 of each side. Left the front open air.

Put in a makeshift roost with a board across two tall buckets.

I had to wait till dusk so I could catch them all.

They were all a bit stressed and bunched up near the fencing. They don’t really roost yet to sleep.

Hopefully this will work for now.

 

[Usedtowanna]

I'm sorry, it's a shocking thing to come upon. When we had free rangers we lost a couple to what we believe to be owls. We rarely see hawks but see owls often.

 

[nao57]

Yeah its hard to see them suffer when you like them.