This has been a rough month

[zan16]

I am not a chicken farmer at all. I got 4 young chickens from our friends farm about 3 or more years ago and have had so much fun. They all got trained to be around me and fly up to be held. I would sit for hours and just laugh with my family. My wife called them my mistresses I spent so much time with them in the garden. I love to teach my son how to care for them and build the coupe. Make signs and stupid stuff like that. I have had such a great time that one of them stopped laying so i got a few more. I quarantined them and all is good. Integrated them and the old girls were fun to watch them keep the new ones in-line.
About a month ago my chicken Omelette started moving slowly and her neck just wasnt right. A day or two later she stopped eating and drinking and was gone. Darn that was bad.
Two days ago, one of the other girls, Chewbacca got sick and started to make some clicking noise so i pulled her from the flock and fed her by hand and water. I put her in the house and caged her but she was looking worse and worse. She tried to walk but used her wings to hold herself up. She would pull herself to be right next to me with the cage open. I tried the water with acv just a little and didnt see a change. Yesterday i put her in her cage and put it in the coupe to be with her friends and when i came home she was really looking bad. I explained to my wife i couldnt let her suffer. It is my responsibility to take care of the chickens and do the right thing.
What a bad day today was. I cant even try to explain how bad I feel. I cant even look at the other chickens the same way.
I really miss those girls...

 

[SnapdragonQ]

 

[Tortoise]

So very sorry.

 

[Eggcessive]

Very sorry for your losses. It sounds like many of us that enjoy our chickens. I would try to get a necropsy on your latest chicken who died if you still have the body, to see if there is something contagious going around. Did you get the new ones from the same person? Mareks disease could be a possible problem, and your state vet could do a necropsy and testing. A body needs to be kept cool and shipped or taken to the lab. Here is a link for your state vet to contact:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[Mtnboomer]

So very sorry for your loss. Did you consider a necropsy to determine cause of death? They are getting on the older side but still 2 deaths in a short period of time may be csuse for concern.

 

[hayley3]

I am not a chicken farmer at all. I got 4 young chickens from our friends farm about 3 or more years ago and have had so much fun. They all got trained to be around me and fly up to be held. I would sit for hours and just laugh with my family. My wife called them my mistresses I spent so much time with them in the garden. I love to teach my son how to care for them and build the coupe. Make signs and stupid stuff like that. I have had such a great time that one of them stopped laying so i got a few more. I quarantined them and all is good. Integrated them and the old girls were fun to watch them keep the new ones in-line.
About a month ago my chicken Omelette started moving slowly and her neck just wasnt right. A day or two later she stopped eating and drinking and was gone. Darn that was bad.
Two days ago, one of the other girls, Chewbacca got sick and started to make some clicking noise so i pulled her from the flock and fed her by hand and water. I put her in the house and caged her but she was looking worse and worse. She tried to walk but used her wings to hold herself up. She would pull herself to be right next to me with the cage open. I tried the water with acv just a little and didnt see a change. Yesterday i put her in her cage and put it in the coupe to be with her friends and when i came home she was really looking bad. I explained to my wife i couldnt let her suffer. It is my responsibility to take care of the chickens and do the right thing.
What a bad day today was. I cant even try to explain how bad I feel. I cant even look at the other chickens the same way.
I really miss those girls...

Chickens are so much fun, I also enjoy watching them a lot even if I am pecked. It's cute. So sorry you are losing them ....I hope you get it figured out. Do you know how old they were when you got them? I have a chicken who is over 10 yrs old but some only lasted 5 yrs, (not counting those who were attacked by a fox and taken)

 

[Trish of the Coop]

I am not a chicken farmer at all. I got 4 young chickens from our friends farm about 3 or more years ago and have had so much fun. They all got trained to be around me and fly up to be held. I would sit for hours and just laugh with my family. My wife called them my mistresses I spent so much time with them in the garden. I love to teach my son how to care for them and build the coupe. Make signs and stupid stuff like that. I have had such a great time that one of them stopped laying so i got a few more. I quarantined them and all is good. Integrated them and the old girls were fun to watch them keep the new ones in-line.
About a month ago my chicken Omelette started moving slowly and her neck just wasnt right. A day or two later she stopped eating and drinking and was gone. Darn that was bad.
Two days ago, one of the other girls, Chewbacca got sick and started to make some clicking noise so i pulled her from the flock and fed her by hand and water. I put her in the house and caged her but she was looking worse and worse. She tried to walk but used her wings to hold herself up. She would pull herself to be right next to me with the cage open. I tried the water with acv just a little and didnt see a change. Yesterday i put her in her cage and put it in the coupe to be with her friends and when i came home she was really looking bad. I explained to my wife i couldnt let her suffer. It is my responsibility to take care of the chickens and do the right thing.
What a bad day today was. I cant even try to explain how bad I feel. I cant even look at the other chickens the same way.
I really miss those girls...

So sorry to hear. It doesnt matter what species it is. They steal our hearts. Thinking about you tonight and in the days to come.

 

[Silkielove102]

I'm so sorry about you're birds.... I think you might consider maybe keeping a close eye on the coop and the rest of the birds. Because I think what you're two birds had was pneumonia, and just in case another starts acting this way.... listen to her/his breathing, if you hear rasping, put vet r x on her/his nostrils. then give her/his shot of penicillin in the breast area, do NOT get it in her/his croft, which is the area that is like a balloon with their food in it. Again I am dearly sorry about you're birds.

 

[zan16]

Thank you all for the kind words and I am sorry if it seemed like I am too soft. I do have a place for living things...to answer a what a few of you asked, I did call the local aviation vet, which is quite a ways a way here in Encinitas, San Diego. They told me not to send in the bird that the local government will not test it.
It is pouring rain here in San Diego right now for the last 3 or 4 days but I will pull the other birds out and put them in the other pen and clean the coupe thoroughly. Also if i could get some insight from some one? I have unwashed sand floors that i keep clean but every couple of months when it gets packed down...i have about 6 inches of sand...i run the tiller over it to fluff it up. Any advice on keeping that sand safe? its dirt underneath. I was told sand was better.?
thanks again all.

 

[Love my chickens 25]

I’m so so sorry about your girls. I get the feeling of loosing multiple birds around the same time. We are all here for you good luck with the rest.