Ode to Old Hens... Pictures of the Seniors in Our Flock

[speckledhen]

Since my last post on this thread, we lost Wynette, my last original Marvin Stukel hen, who was almost 9 years old, Sissy, a 7 year old Belgian D'Anver and Mary Jo, daughter of Atlas to some mysterious something (no symptoms other than loss of appetite) and today, we are burying my oldest hen of all, my McMurray-descended Barred Rock hen, Amanda, hatched March 13 years ago. She has been crippled for years, but was laying a few eggs every year and last produced a few in April 2019. Tough old gal, with a world-renowned thunker (Beak of Death). She was the QUEEN! We are so sad today.
This was Amanda in her prime in 2010. I want to remember her this way.

 

[Waves]

She was Giada, the queen of my first flock. i met her at 11 yy old and said goodbye forever at 16yy. She lived 6,5 long years. I know, these aren't so much years but for an ISA brown they're quite long.. She was so beautiful, i called her my top-model. She died this autumn because of a respiratory virus worsen by age-blindness. In her last weeks she ate only from my hands, i had never seen her so weak, she was the strong hen of the flock. She was respected from others until the last day, never seen a pecking. I sometimes cry again for her, i miss her.

Thanks for opening this thread, it's important to share feelings..Sorry for your losses y'all.

 

[speckledhen]

Well, I was right. We just lost Panda. She was on her feet today, but not breathing well. We heard a commotion in the barn about 7:15 p.m., went out and she was gone. Definitely just old age at 12+ years.

 

[speckledhen]

Thank you, that's a nice picture. I sure miss her today. When you have a hen for over 12 years, it's like losing the family dog. I'm happy that she was still ambulatory and didn't have a really bad day. Loved that girl. She was one of three chicks that grew up together-my lavender bantam Cochin hen, Shadow, and my Gold Laced Wyandotte, Vada. Vada died just over a year old of egg issues. Shadow lived to be about 4 1/2 and that left Panda to live on for 8 more years after that.

 

[speckledhen]

Snow passed away this morning, just stopped breathing. She was 14 years 3 months old. June, my Easter Egger that was given to me as a gift at 8 weeks old (by a friend with a very healthy flock or I would not have accepted her!), is the same age and she can't be far behind judging by how much she has slowed down in the past month.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

I think someone forgot to tell them that they are "senior" as they look fantastic.

 

[speckledhen]

We still have Meg, Dusty, Hope, Nugget in the Orp pen, led by their little Cochin man, Xander. Meg is 7 1/2 now! None are laying, though Meg did lay within the last year.









In the Old Hen's Retirement Home & Hospice, my Buff Brahma, Caroline (same age as Meg), is still with us, though her crop is very bad and she has developed some arthritis like Amanda. Amanda's arthritis is so bad in her left leg that she has no more use of that foot, but she still lays a couple of eggs every couple of weeks, wherever she is in the floor. Amanda and Becca are over 7 years old themselves. Gypsy has started up laying again this week-she will turn 7 in November herself. These old hens are amazing.

 

[speckledhen]

A few seniors today. Meg isn't doing well. She sleeps a lot, laying on the ground, much like Suede did a few weeks before he passed away. She will turn 8 years old in January, but I honestly don't think she'll make it that long. Hope, the Buff laying beside her, isn't old, only just over 3 years old, but has been bloating up and then slimming back down for the last two years. She only laid a few eggs in her early life and quit, then started this downward spiral, but it's a puzzling one. Right now, her abdomen is HUGE. I won't drain her because she cannot breathe when handled, but I will open her up when she goes to see what the heck happened in there. She looks awful with shrunken comb and waddling walk, but she's been down this far before and come back from the brink, just never lays eggs when she does. Her belly is larger than I've ever seen it, so this may be the last year for her.


Two other oldsters, Gypsy and Becca, eating seed heads off whatever the heck this is out of the compost pile that came from their scratch, wheat or milo, I guess. Today, I got two eggs, one was Gypsy's pictured below, and one belonged to my 5 1/2 year old Delaware, Georgie. The old ladies are beating the younger ones in egglaying at the moment.







ETA: As of the 23rd, Meg hasn't come out of the coop in two days. I'm afraid she wont be with us much longer. Gosh, she's such a great old girl, a true matriarch.


She finally came out late in the day, but it wore her out.

 

[speckledhen]

Ellie passed away during the night with the same quiet dignity with which she lived, not even a flap. The others didn't seem to realize she was gone, just looked like she was sleeping as she was when we left her in the nest last night. When DH showed her body to Isaac, he whimpered like a puppy.

I'm going to open up a large cyst she had on her rear to see what it is comprised of-it began as a puffy, fatty looking raised area just like another hen or two here has and probably is not related to her death, but I have a unique opportunity to see what is in there, whether fat or a ball of matted feathers or fibroid or what. It had become very enlarged over the last two months. Then we will bury her in the place we bury all the special ones now, near Nora and Meg and the others. Her place was prepared yesterday.

Hopefully, on a lighter note, she will have a niece or nephew hatched this morning under my BR, Dottie. Birth and death on the farm...

ETA: By the way, I did the necropsy and posted photos under Emergencies if you're interested.

 

[jwyles]

I feel like you should turn this into a book: Diary of an Old Hen or something. There are so many chicken crazy people out there it'd probably be a best seller. Not only would it be entertaining but informative as well.