New Brahma Group: Blue Partridge x Partridge, Plus Dark

[1muttsfan]

That's a lot of trauma to absorb at that age. It's not very good news that the wound is not healing as it should.

 

[speckledhen]

Yes, it surely is. I wish she would have healed and even been able to go back with Bash, but that was never going to happen. At least, after she was reasonably healed, at least enough to go in with a small rooster, being with Axel gave her some company until he began to be less leery of her and make mating attempts. She is just so beautiful, probably the most beautiful of all the hens in that group, that I hate not to see her every day. Thanks for your support, Mary. I guess learning continues as long as I have chickens, but I'd much rather have a boring barnyard than ever deal with anything like this again.

 

[1muttsfan]

That's sure the truth

 

[speckledhen]

Everyone on this very long-running thread is so appreciated, all the support and suggestions from the very experienced folk who frequent it. We have a lot of knowledge on this thread alone, experiences not everyone has, crazy stuff we encounter that is rarely or never mentioned in any book ever written about chickens. That experience is what makes a great chicken manager, but even with all that, so many things remain a mystery. We do our best with all the knowledge in our arsenal and often, it just isn't enough.
Many issues are simply not fixable. I did all I could do for Bonnie and will continue to do until she is gone, as we do with every ailing bird, but at this point, it's pretty much out of our hands. I can't fix her old age nor her heart condition, no matter what I do. I always tell about these things on my channel to let newer chicken owners, or those just thinking about having them, understand that much they encounter that makes them feel a failure is really not their fault. They want to fix the problem, naturally, and feel they failed if they didn't. Sometimes you can fix it, like with Athena's fly strike that completely healed because I knew what to do and caught it in time; I knew what to do from past experience with big old Suede as he was on his decline and I knew what to do at that time because of an even worse situation with one of Ladyhawk's hens, coincidentally, a Suede daughter. Her horse vet was on the spot to guide her in that situation-he was a rare guy, a fairly famous Kentucky horse vet who knew a lot about poultry and was invaluable to me long distance more than once. Knowledge is not as valuable if it isn't passed on to others.
We just build on experiences and glean knowledge from those who know more than we do or have had different experiences. In the end, I think guilt is often a condition of chicken keeping as much as it is with raising human children.

 

[1muttsfan]

People who are nurturers always seem to have a much greater capacity for guilt. We do the best we can, and if we are offering them a good comfortable home, with companionship, food, water, shelter, and room to move around, then they are very fortunate. Just as we are fortunate to enjoy their companionship for as long as it lasts. And their delicious eggs.

 

[speckledhen]

Yes! I completely agree. Bonnie has not stood up all day, won't eat or drink. Her final resting place is ready for her beautiful self.

 

[speckledhen]

Good thing I had a nice big hole dug for her. When I went out awhile later, she was already gone, didn't flap, just quit breathing. I looked at the wing and it seemed to have the same huge scab, not really infected, just not making new skin. I think the smell was the death smell they get the last day or two when they're on their way out, maybe in the poop.

 

[1muttsfan]

Still a beautiful girl

 

[speckledhen]

Absolutely. She was a real beauty, I agree. Thank you Mary.

 

[speckledhen]

I just had my first actual hawk attack EVER in the 20 years of having chickens, almost lost one. I heard a frantic panic from where the bantam Cochins and EE hens were free ranging, knew it was an attack from the sound, and ran for the flocks. All of them were flying and running back to the barn, but one hen was letting out a constant bloodcurdling scream from downhill a bit. The hawk had one of my Buff bantam Cochins down, but I got there before he was able to get any further than her fluffy feathers and he flew off, Cooper's Hawk or Sharp-shinned, didn't get the best look. Maybe she was too slow to react or the hawk was just lucky. The group was petrified and refused to go back outside. It terrified every bird in the barn to hear Dove's screams of fear, none wanted to venture outside the rest of the day, but Dove got off without any punctures or other injuries. Then, I let Mace, the splash bantam Cochin rooster,out with his four old Barred Rock hens, but they hung around the barn door for awhile, then got brave enough to go outside to lay under some plastic tables for cover. i did not open the gate to allow free range time for them after what happened, so, no incident with them.
Then, I did let Bash, Brandy and Cora outside, thinking maybe the hawk was then gone and would not risk an attack on those huge birds anyway. Guess the hawk must have been really hungry, having had no luck earlier with my little hen so he made a liar out of me.
I got my second scare of the day when I was outside on the deck talking to a friend on the phone about the incident when I heard an alarm scream, saw Bash run from behind the other building that blocked my view of the left hand side of the pen he was in near the front gate. He shot over a few steps, putting him in my sight, then he turned to face the threat, flared out his feathers to look even larger than he is, stretched up tall and was ready to fight. It was amazing to see him do his roosterly duty so well.
I saw the hawk swoop toward the barn door as I was running for the pen, then disappear behind the barn. When I got to the barn, Sebastian had wedged himself under the nests while Brandy and Cora were in the back corner under the roost. We then decided enough was enough and locked up the barn for the night. Good grief, that is definitely enough for one day! In between the first incident and the second, I found out that my lovely friend Cheryl (getaclue) had passed away so I have a headache and am about ready for bed at 7 p.m. Whew. If I was a drinker, this would be the day. If I am this stressed, imagine how the chickens feel, especially old man Bash. I hope it doesn't affect him too badly as his age.