RIP Ghost

[kidd42]

Sorry for your loss. It's always tough when you lose a girl and more so when she is a favorite.

 

[drumstick diva]

I just saw this post and I feel so badly for you and your son. Extra sad for his birthday. What happens with posts is you can be on top when you first post it, but depending on how many new topic ones come in at the same time - you can get quickly pushed off the bottom. Then no one sees your posting to reply. It doesn't mean we are insensitive - we just didn't know.

I've posted many times and it's gone in the blink of an eye and no replies. Once people see and respond it keeps your post back on board, so to speak.

 

[Sierra pachie bars]

Sorry for the loss. I know how hard it is for kids. My little girl had a duck she adored and one night coyotes cleaned us out. Didn't get my chickens thank heavens. Just my ducks. I told her he must have flown away to safety. That seemed to calm her. Although one she keeps waiting for him to fly home.
Sending you a hug .

 

[duckking]

Thank you all so much for being so gracious. We adored her and my son (who is 14) is seriously mourning her loss. He loves his chickens and ducks and raised them all from day-olds. We are now thinking that she must have fallen in to the pool and Victor, our Rouen drake, tried to mount her and she drowned. There was no reason she couldn't have gotten out. It had been raining, so the pool was brimming, and the ramp was right there. Now I'm kind of rethinking keeping them together. Mind you they have been in a confined area, 250 sq. ft, for the last couple of months because of the weather/snow we've had. Now that it's finally warming up, and the snow is almost gone, we are going to open the other 400 sq ft. so they won't be in such close quarters.

Nanawendy, we are in North Bend and our local feed store has Delaware's coming in as well, as does The Grange in Issaquah which is about 20 mins from us. We wanted to add some hens, so we are making arrangements to get a few different chicks to brood together. Our hen house is quite large and can probably fit about 8 birds with room to spare. Hopefully if I add 5 more in
all at once, it won't go too badly with pecking order issues with the current gang. We'll wait until they are 12 weeks old.

Anyway, again thanks for ignoring my ranting. My son was mortified when he saw it.....stupid Mom....

 

[nanawendy]

I understand about the mourning... We've had to cull 2 in the last 6 mos. Regarding mourning... seems your son is old enough to have him observe the rest of the flock. This could be an exercise in ... oh what the heck... family dynamics

Have him see if he notices a change in the behavior of the other hens and what that behavior is. I say this because I did notice my hens mourning for an original flock member, and 1) It was very interesting 2) it helped me get out of my personal loss 3) it brings to the surface that compassion and caring we all need to practice in different ways.
When I brought this to the BYC peep... most understood and were very helpful. (but there were a few 'ol poops that did not get it, their loss) Our little or big flocks are such a wonderful way to experience a whole gamete of situations... Thank goodness we have the BYC crowd to help us navigate through.

 

[b.hromada]

I too just found this post. I'm so sorry about you and your son's sweet girl. It stinks to lose one.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

for you both.

 

[Guinea and Chicken raiser]

now he is a ghost for real now. My Lemon Burst, name of it, Bursted, figuartively.
i lost a few chickens too, but I didn't have a cam then.
I cried too. I seen her feathers only.

We came home to find our 6 month old Delaware, Ghost, drowned in the duck's pool. She loved to stand on the edge and we have seen her fall in a couple of times, but she flew right out. There is a ramp as well and it's not a large pool. Just an 80 gallon Rubbermaid peanut shaped one, but the water was freezing, still had some ice in it. We are heartbroken. We used to have rocks in there when the ducks were younger, but took them out once they were older. SO back to the drawing board.....I am cleaning the pool out tomorrow morning and rocks are going back around the inside edges of the pool, an easy step back up to the rim. That is, when I stop crying.

: hit She was the best hen...layed everyday, loved to snuggle, funny as heck, a real personality.....She was the one always squawking first when we came outside, and the first one you'd see as she was so white. She was the first to lay out of our 4 hens. My son is devastated. Dang, dang it, dang it.......