The Front Porch Swing

[ocap]

I'll allow myself a full body, all over spasm of ICK on that one.

 

[Beekissed]

Well, folks...did the deed on Ol' Miss Fanny. She was crouched up in a corner all day with her tail in the air and I couldn't wait any longer. She gave me a merry chase but I got her cornered and killed her...and I'm glad I did. Here's the history....she is an ancient BA from one of my flocks from 2006 and she was 6 mo. old back then, one of three BAs my sister had given me. She was an excellent layer all the years I had her, then I passed her off to a friend while I anticipated traveling for a year...you can read all about me getting that flock back in the Road Less Traveled thread.

She's only laid a little here and there since I got her back and she was slated for culling this fall because of fears of old chicken + irregular ovulation = laying issues and possible suffering. I didn't do it and put it off and now here we are when those spring hormones are kicking in and all birds who will lay are stimulated to lay. I think she was the one that gave me the triple yolker mongo egg some weeks ago, which is typical for older birds and their old reproductive parts. Here's a pic of it....it had two huge yolks and one small one in it. The other egg is what the stores call extra large size but I only call large.



She was still eating and drinking and could move quite well...managed to evade me quite nicely over and over the last two days. Comb was red, eyes bright and feathers glossy....but she was isolating and standing in an abnormal way that usually indicates discomfort in chickens. She didn't have an abnormal gait, waddle while she walked or any such. She has been isolating and standing still for about 4 days now.

I killed her, removed her breasts but didn't bother with anything else in this bitter cold wind, and did a quick looky loo inside of her....found three small internally laid egg masses, one blood covered egg tumor still attached to her ovary that I couldn't pull out without busting it...dark, bloody yolk of an unhealthy tinge came out. One larger egg mass was in her oviduct and it was a misshapen cooked yolk consistency...I squeezed it to see the inside and so it looks even more misshapen in the pic. All other organs looked healthy and consistent with an old hen, she had a good deal of deep yellow fat inside, crop had a little feed in it, etc.








Little Red is one of my other old hens and is 6 yrs old...she is currently laying, so she will miss the cull in March..maybe. My old mama hen is also 6 yrs old and not laying. She has laid a few here and there this season but I'm thinking she will be in the March cull. I don't want either old hen to be down to this...standing by herself in a corner feeling uncomfortable. I always want my birds to go out on a good note if I can help it..feeling good, lovin' life and ending well.

****All weird eggs in the pics were snatched up by the flock and eaten quickly. They also lapped up the blood at the killing tree.....they really love these little episodes of natural protein that comes their way. ******

 

[Triple Willow]

I have seen those kind of egg yolks in 6 week old commercial CX birds. I don't believe I have ever seen one as big as the largest one in the pic and usually just one. Sometimes there is a busted one that is smeared inside the bird and stinking to high heavens.

 

[Beekissed]

I have seen those kind of egg yolks in 6 week old commercial CX birds. I don't believe I have ever seen one as big as the largest one in the pic and usually just one. Sometimes there is a busted one that is smeared inside the bird and stinking to high heavens.

Years ago I had an ancient WLH hen that laid a series of double yolkers at the end of her laying life and then stopped altogether. Well, I kind of held her over and didn't cull her that spring because she was one of my favorites but culled her in the fall. She had no symptoms at all and seemed healthy as a horse, but inside of her was one of these egg masses that was big enough to fill my entire palm and was like a big, smooth river rock in shape..thick and oval. It had layers upon layers of concentric egg material and it all looked like this boiled egg stuff except really old and whitish looking...like cottage cheesy when broken apart and mushed.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Awwww. Bless Ol' Miss Fanny.

 

[Beekissed]

I know! I commended her to God's hands and that's where she can rest. She sure was feisty right up to the very end and that's why I loved that old bird! Whenever she would lay eggs this past year and I would gather them along with all the others, she would give the alarm cackle all the way down the yard and follow me back to the house to tell me off. It was like being cussed out by the old biddy because I "stole" her egg. I gave one of hers to Jake one day and she knew it was hers!

She stood there while he ate it and did the alarm/distress cackle all the while, pacing back and forth. She was a hoot! Always had her nose in my business, came down each morning and stood on the back step to tell me it was time....TIME..did ya hear that, you in the house???????? TIME to feed us shickens! Loved that old bird!

She was my oldest chicken and has had a good, long story of days.

Okay...time for a FANNY montage as a final farewell to a great old bird. Imagine the theme song to "Where the Red Fern Grows" playing in the background as we show pics and scenes from this past year in the life and times of Miss Fanny.

 

[Triple Willow]

Years ago I had an ancient WLH hen that laid a series of double yolkers at the end of her laying life and then stopped altogether.  Well, I kind of held her over and didn't cull her that spring because she was one of my favorites but culled her in the fall.  She had no symptoms at all and seemed healthy as a horse, but inside of her was one of these egg masses that was big enough to fill my entire palm and was like a big, smooth river rock in shape..thick and oval.  It had layers upon layers of concentric egg material and it all looked like this boiled egg stuff except really old and whitish looking...like cottage cheesy when broken apart and mushed. 

Ugh makes me wonder what we have inside of us.

 

[Searsmom]

Ugh makes me wonder what we have inside of us.

That made me snort!

Good for Fanny!

 

[Triple Willow]

She was so perdy. I've got four Aussies and they are some of my favorites. That's why I put up with that ol' mean cuss of a rooster, don't want to be without Aussie layers.

 

[Beekissed]

Ugh makes me wonder what we have inside of us.

I KNOW what's inside of me...I get a big ol' ovarian cyst now and again that takes up a good bit of space and causes discomfort. Big enough to affect the sciatic nerve in my right leg and cause pain there a good bit until it bursts. When it bursts it burns a bit but then feels so much better. When the cyst is big I really get the hormonal munchies!

My sis was a surgical nurse and she helped remove an 80lb ovarian cyst once. For years after that I was convinced that all this extra weight could merely be a humongous ovarian cysts that could simply be removed and I'd be instantly slim.

Hey! It could happen!!!