Pyrenees killed three chicks

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Welcome to BYC. I am so sorry for your loss. I've lost a few to predators. (Including one of my own dogs.) It is never easy, but I like to think that I give mine a good life. Obviously you care, and that, in my opinion, is what makes you a good person and a good chicken keeper. Hang in there.
Get your little girl some younger friends and she'll be happy. I don't have ducks, but I've read enough to know that male ducks can accidentally kill hens. I would read up on that prior to housing them together.
Good luck with your farming!
 
Hello and welcome to BYC! :frow

I am so sorry for your losses and this rough start. :hugs Sometimes the best situations start with "trial by fire". My first flock had MS as chicks, it was a horrible first year trying to save them from dying. There were days I cried and wished I had never kept chickens. But I learned SO much in that time, I look back now and don't regret any of it, I love keeping poultry and I am a way better steward to my birds after all the knowledge I gained. Hang in there, it will get better!! :hugs
 
T P S said:
As bad as it is to see your own chickens die, I LOVE watching chicks draw in their first breath! Yes, some diseases have no cure like: reproductive, tumors (including Mareks), micoplasma, water belly (no absolute cure), etc. But they are not too common, apart from reproductive issues. Reproductive issues are most common in high production breeds, but can occur in any age and breed. Thats why I tend to stay away from high production breeds...

Some chickens do live long lives, 8-10+ years...so it really depends on their quality of life and not really how long they live. The longest living chicken won't ever be older than a human, but their quality of life is so important! Chickens are worth it to me, at this point, its not really about their eggs, but about the chickens themselves. We have never butchered nor culled a single chicken for the years we have had them, its still an ocean we are not yet diving into....so, so far, we own them primarily for their personalities and eggs.
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Thanks for your response…I guess I didn’t realize that there are so many health issues. Which chicks are less prone to reproductive issues and make good pets? I really don’t care about eggs, just thought it would be a nice bonus. I definitely don’t plan on raising them for food…I have had a hard time eating any chicken at all since I have had these girls. 😁 The vet did mention he has done hysterectomies on chickens and I couldn’t understand why. Now I get it. I can’t kill a living thing, but see on here sometimes it’s the humane thing to do. I just don’t have it in me to do that, so what do you do if there is not vet open to euthanize it?
 
janiedoe said:
Welcome to BYC. I am so sorry for your loss. I've lost a few to predators. (Including one of my own dogs.) It is never easy, but I like to think that I give mine a good life. Obviously you care, and that, in my opinion, is what makes you a good person and a good chicken keeper. Hang in there.
Get your little girl some younger friends and she'll be happy. I don't have ducks, but I've read enough to know that male ducks can accidentally kill hens. I would read up on that prior to housing them together.
Good luck with your farming!
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Thank you. These are supposed to be all girls, but I hear that they are hard to determine sex while young. they are getting older and I’ll try to see if I can tell yet. I was hoping to spoil them and give them their best life. It’s hard for me to think about getting more, but I know “Thelma” needs some chick friends. If I do get more babies, I am unsure of how to put them all together once she is feeling better, which I am sure is another post altogether!
 

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These pics are the best I could get-she is very chirpy this morning and can’t tell if it’s pain or she is looking for her friends, so I didn’t want to lift her wings up too much. I am giving her the pain meds the vet gave us-but I have to put it in her food because I don’t want to forcibly open her beak because I know it would hurt her. (Okay, I admit, I don’t even know how to open her beak)
 
Newatthischickstuff said:
These pics are the best I could get-she is very chirpy this morning and can’t tell if it’s pain or she is looking for her friends, so I didn’t want to lift her wings up too much. I am giving her the pain meds the vet gave us-but I have to put it in her food because I don’t want to forcibly open her beak because I know it would hurt her. (Okay, I admit, I don’t even know how to open her beak)
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When I need to open one of my chickens beaks to give them meds, I gently pry their beak open and hold my finger in between their beak so they can’t close it and put them meds in their mouth.
Hope she gets better very soon! :)
 

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