Sadness and Rebuild

[Leha]

Yesterday, we suddenly lost one of our girls. Our PBR was running around healthy (even hopped the fence into my neighbors yard!) and right before they went in to coop, (we let them free range before bed) my daughter said Stella collapsed on the ground. I wrapped her up in a towel, held her, talked to her called my friends with chickens, looked everywhere on this site, but about an hour later, she passed away. We still have no idea why. My friend walked us through trying to check for impaction and sour crop and it didn't seem like she had either. It was a very hard thing to do, but how many birds can say they passed away in their owners arms? So I don't feel horribly bad.

This had a big impact on my 11yr old.. as she's autistic.. and Stella got hurt/sick when she was supposed to be watching her. My neighbors are all torn up about it too. She can't imagine my girls without our PBR. So I figured I would look into chicks. Then I started reading stuff and my neighbor started asking me stuff and I got all confused. Vaccines? Well, crud.. what if these girls I rescued didn't get vaccinated.. will the new birds make them sick? And I'm really good about cleaning the coop once a month, but I didn't know I needed to like wash it down and powder it up with disinfectant and whatnot. So I'm suddenly feeling inadequate as a chicken owner! We only had 4 girls.. and now we have 3.. and only two of them lay eggs on a regular basis.

I was hoping to get some words from others.. thoughts.. feelings.. etc, on getting two more girls to join our 3.. and hopefully healing the wound that is in our hearts with the loss of Stella. She was the top of the pecking order too.. so the other birds look a little lost.. but once they free ranged, they seemed to be okay. I have no idea how old these girls are.. whether they've been vaccinated.. etc. and so on.. I rescued them by chance.. and now I can't imagine my life without them.

Anyway, here's a picture of my beautiful girl, the day before she passed.

 

[iwiw60]

That is so sad...sorry for your loss.

 

[mimischicksnat]

I am just starting out myself, but wanted to say how sorry I am for your loss.

 

[Sjisty]

I'm so sorry for your loss! Sometimes things happen and we never know why. I wonder if she got overheated. I had a rooster die a few years back. One minute he seemed healthy and a bit later I found him on his roost, dead.

There is probably nothing you could have vaccinated her for. It certainly wasn't Merek's disease, nor does it sound like avian pox would fit, either, and those are the major vaccinations.

I don't dust and scrub my coops monthly, and I have chickens that are over 8 years old and still laying eggs, so I must be doing something right.

It sounds like you are a good chicken mommy. Hugs to your daughter. Make sure she knows it wasn't her fault. If you lived anywhere near me, I would give you some chickens for her.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. It is not necessary to disinfect coops. Just keep the place free of trash, dry with clean shavings or other litter, and clean it out periodically to remove the droppings and dirty litter, and feed clean food and water. Disinfection is not necessary unless one had had to replace a flock due to infectious disease. Chickens die sometimes--it's part of raising them. Pick your chickens up once a week, and examine them for lice and mites, feel their keel or breastbone for any weight loss, feel the crop in the morning for any impaction, worm them twice a year, and notice their eyes and nostrils for any discharge. We all lose birds, and at most Mareks vaccine is about all people vaccinate for unless they have had a disease in their flock before. I don't do Mareks unless I get chicks from a hatchery. Try to make some friends who have chickens, and maybe you can locate an extra hen or two to add.

 

[Leha]

Thanks for all your warm words. We truly appreciate the love and support that BYC brings to us.

Our local feed and supply has chicks right now. I think we're pretty set on the idea of getting 2 little girls and letting my kids watch them grow from babies. I can't think of a reason not to at this point. Our coop and run can house 6 birds with ease, so 5 should be great. Yes, not many people with chickens live near me.. the woes of living in the Bay Area. I just feel blessed to have a local feed store that is super supportive and helpful. They're always happy to answer my newbie questions.

I followed the directions to make both the 5g feeder and the 5g waterer. So the girls have access to fresh water and an endless supply of food. We use sand in their run and I clean/rake it out every 2wks or so.. then add fresh sand. Because we live right near the bay, it doesn't get too hot here, but we do have endless days of 85-95degree heat in the peak of summer. I got them an old, used kids sandbox that I'm going to convert into a little pool for them this summer. I just have to figure out how to expand the run. Thankfully, we don't suffer from the 100+degree heat of the inlanders.

I like to think I'm doing this right.. but that's only because my husband and I have read so much here on the forum. Please continue sharing your thoughts and advice. Every word you guys write, every piece of information; we look forward to and appreciate.