I have comiserated with many of you who have lost a favorite hen and now I am on the same side.
We were awakened at 6:00am in Memorial Day morning with Daisy cackling. My husband went to quiet her as it was early and we did not want to disturb the neighbors. He came back to tell me one of our hens was dead! When I asked which hen he said he was not sure, but it was one of the "golden girls" as he referred to our buff rocks. He had taken her out of the run as the others were begining to show "interest" in her.
Recently Angelika was broody and the others were picking on her. During the day I had separated her in a little pen (at night she slept in the coop) with no nesting box and a fan to break the broodiness. I cooled her belly down from time to time with cool water as one poster had suggested. It worked and I put her back with her flockmates and all seemed ok except that they still picked on her occasionally. I kept a close eye on things.
The only thing I can think of that there was a scuffle and she was shoved out of the coop and may have broken her neck on the ramp. There was not a mark on her beautiful body.
My husband dug the perfect little grave for her under the shade of the Japanese maples trees. We covered her body with sweetpea flowers and kale - her favorite greens- and laid a travertine slab over her grave.
I am so sad. It is rare that one finds such a quiet, sweet hen. She used to peck gently at my clothes and then come and sit on my lap. I would stroke her head and she would close her eyes.
I miss my Angelika.
We were awakened at 6:00am in Memorial Day morning with Daisy cackling. My husband went to quiet her as it was early and we did not want to disturb the neighbors. He came back to tell me one of our hens was dead! When I asked which hen he said he was not sure, but it was one of the "golden girls" as he referred to our buff rocks. He had taken her out of the run as the others were begining to show "interest" in her.
Recently Angelika was broody and the others were picking on her. During the day I had separated her in a little pen (at night she slept in the coop) with no nesting box and a fan to break the broodiness. I cooled her belly down from time to time with cool water as one poster had suggested. It worked and I put her back with her flockmates and all seemed ok except that they still picked on her occasionally. I kept a close eye on things.
The only thing I can think of that there was a scuffle and she was shoved out of the coop and may have broken her neck on the ramp. There was not a mark on her beautiful body.
My husband dug the perfect little grave for her under the shade of the Japanese maples trees. We covered her body with sweetpea flowers and kale - her favorite greens- and laid a travertine slab over her grave.
I am so sad. It is rare that one finds such a quiet, sweet hen. She used to peck gently at my clothes and then come and sit on my lap. I would stroke her head and she would close her eyes.
I miss my Angelika.
