No help needed just want to share my sadness

[harice4806]

In the last 3 days I've had to euthanize 2 birds. One girl had already survived a few injuries but being a production bird hit a bad prolapsed vent and had pieces of soft egg hanging out of her. I decided while sad bc she was so sweet after her rough early life it was the best choice. Today I noticed one of my other hens (older than the first, also a production breed) was acting off. Not a lot of movement and sitting funny. At dark she never even got on the roost. Her rear was incredibly swollen, firm, and had lots of discolored hard discharge. Checked for egg bound and nothing found. Believed to be water belly (ascites) which doesn't really have a cure. Just prolonging the inevitable with fluid drainage. Most humane thing was to put her down. 4 yrs in and never had health issues with a single bird. Just predator losses. I suppose it's more likely with production breeds. They're just not meant for longevity. Be sure to do regular checks on your birds even if they're not the most social. Being a prey animal they are great at hiding injury/illness as long as possible. By the time you notice it's probably too late. Keep an eye on your feather babies!

 

[pozees2]

It's always so sad to lose them, isn't it? I mean, we know when we get them they are only with us for so long, but it still is sad.

 

[Friendly_Lurker]