The Old Folks Home

[ronott1]

@bruchha2000 Not likely to happen. That tractor is his baby. The 4 wheel drive is a must. He's got the front wheels bogged down several times and used the bucket along with the 4 wheel drive with the differential locked and the bucket to unbog himself.

Sad day for me. I had to put one of my hens with ocular Marek's down. She had been progressively loosing her sight since the first of the year and this last week by all indications she was just shadowing out of her one remaining eye. The last three days I haven't been able to get her to eat. She drank today but wouldn't show any interest in food other than picking up one pellet and laying it back down. I have been hand feeding her for weeks, holding food and water under her beak so she would find it and eat/drink.. I think over the past three days I got two tablespoons of scrambled egg down her. The roosters were terrifying with the exception of Rocky, my half blind BO rooster who slept next to her last night and stayed beside her today in the coop until I dragged them out so they could eat. So this afternoon when I offered her food after getting her to finally drink, and she refused. I knew it was time. This one was hard and she didn't die easily. #19 or #20 I've watched die, I have really lost count at this point. I was really fond of this little hen. She was very pleasant and friendly. All I know is like I told my husband. I can't do this any more. I can't put any more down. I know I did the humane thing not letting her starve to death but.....

Sorry. Pretty tearful right now. I know this is part of keeping a flock but it's the part that really really STINKS! Just needing to vent.

God I hate Marek's disease.

RIP Sassy. Rocky and I will miss you.

It is hard but necessary

 

[CapricornFarm]

@bruchha2000 Not likely to happen. That tractor is his baby. The 4 wheel drive is a must. He's got the front wheels bogged down several times and used the bucket along with the 4 wheel drive with the differential locked and the bucket to unbog himself.

Sad day for me. I had to put one of my hens with ocular Marek's down. She had been progressively loosing her sight since the first of the year and this last week by all indications she was just shadowing out of her one remaining eye. The last three days I haven't been able to get her to eat. She drank today but wouldn't show any interest in food other than picking up one pellet and laying it back down. I have been hand feeding her for weeks, holding food and water under her beak so she would find it and eat/drink.. I think over the past three days I got two tablespoons of scrambled egg down her. The roosters were terrifying with the exception of Rocky, my half blind BO rooster who slept next to her last night and stayed beside her today in the coop until I dragged them out so they could eat. So this afternoon when I offered her food after getting her to finally drink, and she refused. I knew it was time. This one was hard and she didn't die easily. #19 or #20 I've watched die, I have really lost count at this point. I was really fond of this little hen. She was very pleasant and friendly. All I know is like I told my husband. I can't do this any more. I can't put any more down. I know I did the humane thing not letting her starve to death but.....

Sorry. Pretty tearful right now. I know this is part of keeping a flock but it's the part that really really STINKS! Just needing to vent.

God I hate Marek's disease.

RIP Sassy. Rocky and I will miss you.

So sorry Micro! I keep wondering when the next one will die. I have really wanted to get more chickens and maybe put them someplace else but it seems Mereks is inevitable. Hugs.

 

[MrsMistyReal]

@bruchha2000 Not likely to happen. That tractor is his baby. The 4 wheel drive is a must. He's got the front wheels bogged down several times and used the bucket along with the 4 wheel drive with the differential locked and the bucket to unbog himself.

Sad day for me. I had to put one of my hens with ocular Marek's down. She had been progressively loosing her sight since the first of the year and this last week by all indications she was just shadowing out of her one remaining eye. The last three days I haven't been able to get her to eat. She drank today but wouldn't show any interest in food other than picking up one pellet and laying it back down. I have been hand feeding her for weeks, holding food and water under her beak so she would find it and eat/drink.. I think over the past three days I got two tablespoons of scrambled egg down her. The roosters were terrifying with the exception of Rocky, my half blind BO rooster who slept next to her last night and stayed beside her today in the coop until I dragged them out so they could eat. So this afternoon when I offered her food after getting her to finally drink, and she refused. I knew it was time. This one was hard and she didn't die easily. #19 or #20 I've watched die, I have really lost count at this point. I was really fond of this little hen. She was very pleasant and friendly. All I know is like I told my husband. I can't do this any more. I can't put any more down. I know I did the humane thing not letting her starve to death but.....

Sorry. Pretty tearful right now. I know this is part of keeping a flock but it's the part that really really STINKS! Just needing to vent.

God I hate Marek's disease.

RIP Sassy. Rocky and I will miss you.

sorry for your loss,prayers

 

[pennyJo1960]

@microchick I am so sorry you had to put her down mareks is horrible

 

[bruceha2000]

Sorry. Pretty tearful right now. I know this is part of keeping a flock but it's the part that really really STINKS! Just needing to vent.

I know the feeling, I think many of us do. Dh can't help with the euthanasia?

I knew I had to put Betty down when she wasn't eating or pooping for 2 days. Got my big boy pants out, cleared a space on the workshop table for the necropsy. Cleared a place on the floor for a broomstick dispatch. I didn't want to cut into a crop full of fluid so I drained her outside the barn first. A couple of minutes after that she died in my hands. That made it a LITTLE easier since I didn't have to do it but it meant she was in worse shape than I thought and must have been suffering more than I knew. For that I felt quite badly.

 

[Beer can]

I was reading in a Conservationist magazine awhile back about the winter Olympics in Lake Placid, Whiteface mountain, 1932. Wow! I have a pin I found in our house Lake Placid Winter Olympics, might be worth $$$!
Mentioned it to the guy that comes in on 3rd shift, said they also held it in 1980, he and some friends went. Said 'you should have seen those women's legs! don't notice it on TV but when you stand next to them omg their legs are like tree trunks!' And he's no small guy.
Googled that pin when I got home, durn, 1980 and selling for $5-$12 on EBay.. Guess I'll just keep it.

 

[getaclue]

@micro. So sorry.

 

[microchick]

@ronott1, @CapricornFarm, @MrsMistyReal, @penny1960, @getaclue, @bruceha2000, Thank you all so much for your kind words.

I went out and spent some time with my small bird flock. Amazing how funny it can be to just take a shovel and dig up dirt in their run and watch them scramble for bugs.

Then to top off a truly crappy afternoon, I decided to mow and in the act of mowing tall grass on the pasture side of my run, I mowed over a rabbit nest. Killed to bunnies. One is still in the nest and two were hopping around the bachelor pen with the birds screaming in terror. Gawd, gimme a break. They are about the size of month old bantams, poor little things. I caught them and put them in the tall grass and stopped mowing. DH said they were still screaming when he went out with the dogs. Brave birds.

Yes, DH has helped me in the past with euthanasia. I just feel that it is my responsibility. They know me better than they do him. I'm sure he would do it for me if I asked it's just it's bad enough for me to feel lousy. No need for both of us to be depressed.

 

[Beer can]

Yes, DH has helped me in the past with euthanasia. I just feel that it is my responsibility. They know me better than they do him. I'm sure he would do it for me if I asked it's just it's bad enough for me to feel lousy. No need for both of us to be depressed.

That's how I felt putting one of our dogs down. DW wanted to let her brother do it, he even offered knowing I was going to have a hard time with it. No, not going to have his last moment be in fear or anger. She even tried to talk me into having the vet put him down, no not only do they charge by the lb and he was huge, but same thing he'd be scared and mad.
I didn't care much for it but I felt better that he was comfortable calm and didn't expect it.

 

[ronott1]

@ronott1, @CapricornFarm, @MrsMistyReal, @penny1960, @getaclue, @bruceha2000, Thank you all so much for your kind words.

I went out and spent some time with my small bird flock. Amazing how funny it can be to just take a shovel and dig up dirt in their run and watch them scramble for bugs.

Then to top off a truly crappy afternoon, I decided to mow and in the act of mowing tall grass on the pasture side of my run, I mowed over a rabbit nest. Killed to bunnies. One is still in the nest and two were hopping around the bachelor pen with the birds screaming in terror. Gawd, gimme a break. They are about the size of month old bantams, poor little things. I caught them and put them in the tall grass and stopped mowing. DH said they were still screaming when he went out with the dogs. Brave birds.

Yes, DH has helped me in the past with euthanasia. I just feel that it is my responsibility. They know me better than they do him. I'm sure he would do it for me if I asked it's just it's bad enough for me to feel lousy. No need for both of us to be depressed.

Poor Bunnies!

We had a little wild Rabbit living in the backyard last year. I do not know what happened to it