R.I.P

[simpsonfamily]

Hello all my son jackson who is six asked if i could do a R.I.P for his pet chicken who passed away this afternoon Australian time he is heart broken and my heart is as well because i have had to tell him that they needed one more chicken angel and they picked her to go.

he would carry her around almost every day would feed her by hand she would run to him when she saw him so i think she loved him as much as he loved her.

i told him we would get him another one after xmas my wife is at work at the moment so we put her in her bed shut the door so the other chicken cant get into the pen because my son said he wants his mother with us when we put her into the ground he told me he has already told his friend.

so i am sorry if this isnt the right area but my eyes are red and sore from crying with my kids so i know it sounds funny for a grown man to cry over a chicken but she was part of our little family for only for a few months but we loved her so much.

So please do one thing love your girls as much as we do

 

[Ashburnham]

All chicken lovers will understand.

if you lived a bit closer, I'd give you one to replace her.


xxxxxxx

 

[Crafty-Duck]

Sorry for your loss

I just got my first chickens back in May and I can already tell I will be devastated when something happens to one of them! they are just so darn lovable!!!! I hope your new chicken brings you and your family a lot of joy and laughter.

 

[simpsonfamily]

Hi guys yes i am sure they will when it is time we still have one chicken and i think she is going to be very lost for a while i have the kids watching a funny movie to take their minds off it for now.

But they want rocks around her so they can put flowers on her once a week jackson is 6 and jorja is 8

 

[sumi]

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss

I love my birds dearly and I cry shamelessly when I lose one. Then my son, he's 6 too, would ask me if I'm "worried" about the chicken and try to cheer me up. There really is something special about our feathered friends that makes them so easy to love.

Tell Jackson I'm a little bit sad too about his chicken, but I'm sure she knows she was loved dearly and she won't forget him while she's in chicken heaven. And I'm sure she would like it if he and Jorja could plant a very pretty rose or another type of flowering bush on her grave, so she'll always have flowers on her grave and something pretty to remind them of her.

 

[theoldchick]

Very sorry for your loss.

 

[redsoxs]

Sorry to hear about your loss. You really put your heart into this post. Hang in there and I hope your new chicken helps aid in the healing.

 

[simpsonfamily]

thankyou guys

they will when you get some more we need to make sure the new ones get along with the one we have left so now the question is what ones would be best for good eggs and would get along with the other chicken and our dog

 

[fisherlady]

Simpsonfamily,
So sorry for your loss, I hope your children are doing OK...
I can't advise for specific breeds because I see you are in Australia and there are a lot of variables which would need to be looked at... general backyard or free ranging? what is your weather like? What breeds are generally available in your area or are you wanting to buy eggs to incubate for your new family birds or buy them as day old chicks and get them delivered?
You may want to post the question of replacement breeds in a seperate thread with a title reflecting the nature of the question to get better response.

All of our chickens have done well with our dog (mixed flock with many breeds), it seems the dog question is usually more based on the dogs personality. Though I'm sure there are folks with a lot more experience that can chime in with more on that subject.

Introduction will have to be slow, for both health safety (new chickens should be watched for signs of illness for a while before you introduce them to your existing flock) and to ensure physical safety for all involved. When we got a new group we housed them safely away from our existing group during the needed 'quarantine' time. During that time we got them used to us and the new birds learned we were the source of food and goodies. (this was a group of adult birds, so intensive introduction was needed because they'd never really been handled at all before). Once we were sure health issues weren't a problem we allowed our flock to free range in the area the new birds were housed. They were able to see each other through the fence but not reach each other to fight. After a week or 10 days of this the new birds were placed into a divided coop with our existing group, again they could see each other, but not reach each other to fight. They coexisted under one roof but with seperate food/water/roosts and outdoor runs.
After a couple weeks (times probably vary based on age/sex/personality of involved birds) we began allowing the groups out into the yard at the same time when we are there to watch for conflicts and intervene when injury is possible. Some pecking order type conflicts arose, but we considered that nature's way and didn't interfere unless it was extreme. There will be conflicts when new birds are introduced because of their need to establish pecking order to keep flock safety/balance. Your seperation set up can be as simple as a large dog cage repurposed to allow a safe haven for the new bird(s) while this introduction time happens. Many threads on here for introducing new members to your flock, a search should provide you with a lot more informed info on it than I can give.
Make sure your youngsters understand 'pecking order' so they aren't as scared or upset about the girls 'fighting' and be ready if your intervention is needed. Hopefully you'll be able to smoothly introduce some new family members for you and the kids to enjoy for years to come! Best of luck to you!!!

Edit to add... here is a thread I found about this introduction question, offers many different views on the subject for you to consider.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/628364/introducing-new-birds-to-the-flock

 

[cary 1973]

So sorry for your loss it makes it even harder when little ones are a effectived by it. my heart brakes for your son and his loss.

i think personaly buff orphingtons are the sweetest easy going birds but they dont do heat very well I live in las vegas nevada durig summer we hit 120+ and took a lot of hard work keeping my cherrio rose from over heating.