- Jul 23, 2012
- 62
- 3
- 33
Rapunzel came to us in the middle of last winter. She was a sweet, shy little thing, but we knew from the start she had quite the spirit. She came from a coup where overcrowding was a big issue and survived with all her feathers, except the ones on her tail. She also took quite a liking to us and every time I would walk by the coup she'd always talk to me for a little bit. Even the other chickens began to adore her, going everywhere she went and freaking out when they strayed from her. Then our rooster and her became quite the little couple. When we went inside the coup at night they'd be cuddled in the corner together with his wing over her back. Everything seemed perfect, and for a while it was. Rapunzel slowly but surely regrew her tail feathers and began to blend back into the crowd, she began to let us pick her up and talked with me more and more.
Then things turned for the worst. One day I went to check on them and found Rapunzel with her tail feathers torn out and a bloody mess left behind. We quickly cleaned her up and isolated her in a nearby coup. It was then that we noticed the swelling. It was small at first, her stomach area was just a little bigger than the average hen's. Then it began to get worse. We found it was hot and the bump grew to be about the size of a fist. After that we found the reason the other hens had been so cruel. A white liquid was coming out of her vent. Convinced it was an infection, we tried to make her last little while enjoyable by giving her yogourt and hot mash. She always gobbled it up greedily and we kept feeding it to her. You could always tell that she was a fighter, she still had bright eyes and still talked to me when I opened the roof of the coup to pet her. Then suddenly she started to get better. We were astounded when the bump went away and she began to move around again. She went into remission.
Back with the flock, she would let us cuddle her and pick her up. She was even bold enough to come up to us and ask for pets. She even took quite a liking to my brother and would fall asleep on his pant leg while we sat outside. She went back into her heartwarming habit of cuddling with Henry. She was always a little slower than the rest of the flock and I would pick her up and let her "fly" to the coup. I always laughed when she would put her wings out like she was gliding across the yard. Life was good again and she was my little buddy.
^Rapunzel, Henry and the rest of the flock enjoying a nice little treat
Then tragedy struck again. Henry got sick with cancer and we isolated him from the rest of the flock. In the beginning he was just having green poo. Then he got lethargic and floppy until he was no longer able to stand up. We did all we could, but it wasn't enough. I came home one day to find him collapsed in a heap with his neck curled under him. I held him for his last few minutes and we gave him yogourt and cuddled him until he stopped breathing and we couldn't feel a pulse.
About a week ago Rapunzel got sick again. She stopped moving around with the other chickens and developed two bumps in her swelled belly. It grew again and eventually she couldn't even jump up on the step to get into her house. She would fall asleep where she stood and stopped hanging out with the other chickens. She still waited for Henry in the corner where the used to cuddle and would look at me hopefully whenever I entered the coup as she was there when I took him out. Every time I saw her there it both broke and warmed my heart. In the morning yesterday she was looking sickly. When I came home and checked on her she was sprawled across the floor of the coup with one foot stretched out. I scooped her up and took her inside. She laid in my arms like that for a little while. Then her eyes opened and she flapped her wings like we were going to fly back to the coup once more. I loved that little bird with all my heart, and it definitely broke for her.
RIP Rapunzel the flock won't be the same without you
Then things turned for the worst. One day I went to check on them and found Rapunzel with her tail feathers torn out and a bloody mess left behind. We quickly cleaned her up and isolated her in a nearby coup. It was then that we noticed the swelling. It was small at first, her stomach area was just a little bigger than the average hen's. Then it began to get worse. We found it was hot and the bump grew to be about the size of a fist. After that we found the reason the other hens had been so cruel. A white liquid was coming out of her vent. Convinced it was an infection, we tried to make her last little while enjoyable by giving her yogourt and hot mash. She always gobbled it up greedily and we kept feeding it to her. You could always tell that she was a fighter, she still had bright eyes and still talked to me when I opened the roof of the coup to pet her. Then suddenly she started to get better. We were astounded when the bump went away and she began to move around again. She went into remission.
Back with the flock, she would let us cuddle her and pick her up. She was even bold enough to come up to us and ask for pets. She even took quite a liking to my brother and would fall asleep on his pant leg while we sat outside. She went back into her heartwarming habit of cuddling with Henry. She was always a little slower than the rest of the flock and I would pick her up and let her "fly" to the coup. I always laughed when she would put her wings out like she was gliding across the yard. Life was good again and she was my little buddy.
^Rapunzel, Henry and the rest of the flock enjoying a nice little treat
Then tragedy struck again. Henry got sick with cancer and we isolated him from the rest of the flock. In the beginning he was just having green poo. Then he got lethargic and floppy until he was no longer able to stand up. We did all we could, but it wasn't enough. I came home one day to find him collapsed in a heap with his neck curled under him. I held him for his last few minutes and we gave him yogourt and cuddled him until he stopped breathing and we couldn't feel a pulse.
About a week ago Rapunzel got sick again. She stopped moving around with the other chickens and developed two bumps in her swelled belly. It grew again and eventually she couldn't even jump up on the step to get into her house. She would fall asleep where she stood and stopped hanging out with the other chickens. She still waited for Henry in the corner where the used to cuddle and would look at me hopefully whenever I entered the coup as she was there when I took him out. Every time I saw her there it both broke and warmed my heart. In the morning yesterday she was looking sickly. When I came home and checked on her she was sprawled across the floor of the coup with one foot stretched out. I scooped her up and took her inside. She laid in my arms like that for a little while. Then her eyes opened and she flapped her wings like we were going to fly back to the coup once more. I loved that little bird with all my heart, and it definitely broke for her.
RIP Rapunzel the flock won't be the same without you
Last edited:
