Quote:
Stew was a hen. Stew #2.
My first two chickens ever......2 red chicks from a straight run bin at the feed store. I figured just my luck they would both be roosters. So I named them Stew and Crockpot. Crockpot turned into a rooster, Stew into a hen. She is some sort of prduction red or rir or something similar. So after that, any red chicken I got, I named Stew. Stew #2, Stew #3, Stew #4......a while back I sold Stew #3....and upgraded Stew #4 to be Stew #3. But Stew #2 was always my favorite. She would follow me around the yard and hang out near me while I was outside.....jump up to take food out of fingers. Just a friendly nice girl. I'd had her for over 2 years now.
She was going through a big molt. Like major molt. And was acting "off". I just figured it was because of the molt, sometimes the girls will get grumpy or reserved while molting.......well, Saturday she literally walked out and laid down in the middle of the yard. I was on the mower and had to stop it to go move her. She smelled HORRIBLE when I picked her up......her entire rear end was full of discharge and maggots and nastiness. Horrible, I've had that happen once before on a much smaller scale with a broody cochin.....but this was absolutely horrible. Way too far gone. She was resting quietly so we put her to the side in the garage....My neighbor was going to cull her for me but before he got home she started doing the flopping around thing, so my dad put her out of her misery. It was so sad. I feel bad that I never went to check her closely.....I did try to pick her up last week one day when she was "off" but she still felt good enough to stay out of reach out in the yard, and. Didn't even think about it at roost time in the coop.
Very sad.
