On Friday, I shared with you all about the eagles attacking our neighborhood chickens. I lost one and had another wounded. I thought my biggest problem was figuring out how to create obstacles in my orchard, where they live, and put some Veterycin on the quarter sized wound, the only wound I could see. Good news! By the next day the wound was a dime size, but my chicken wasn't smelling right and her bum was a mess. Maybe the eagle scared the poop out of her? An Epsom bath couldn't hurt and would give me a better view. She seemed to like it and even perked up a bit. Ok...now the worst is over, right? Oh no....today I go out to check on her and she is laying in the corner of the sick bay pen and smells bad again. Time for another Epsom bath, but this time 20 minutes into the soak I saw a couple dozen dead maggots floating around!!!!!! OMGEEE!!!! Do those thing grow over night?? Why couldn't I see them the day before? She doesn't have any on her now, and my neighbor is picking up Permethrin in town.
One would think my chickens have been through enough now. But, sadly no... I went out to check on the other girls, who have been acting very scared and been eerily quiet since Friday and couldn't find Rosie. She had been acting the strangest, off on her own and staying under structures during the day. I figured she was traumatized. I was out there early this morning and she was the same. This afternoon she was inside the coop and dead. I cannot see a wound, a bug, a maggot, or any reason at all that she died. I hadn't seen her eat since Friday, but I had seen her drink water.
Could my week get worse? Rosie, Shirl and Ethel were the 3 of my original flock from 4 years ago. The eagle killed Shirl Friday, Ethel isn't doing well, and now Rosie is gone. Some people might think it's good I didn't lose the younger prolific layers, but not me. I was so attached to those girls.
I'm so heartbroken I had to come here and share it. You are the only people who actually understand how I feel. Most people around here just raise dual purpose chickens and that's that. I may be in the country, and they may have a whole orchard to roam, but I am a backyard chicken gal.
Do you think Rosie died of trauma?
One would think my chickens have been through enough now. But, sadly no... I went out to check on the other girls, who have been acting very scared and been eerily quiet since Friday and couldn't find Rosie. She had been acting the strangest, off on her own and staying under structures during the day. I figured she was traumatized. I was out there early this morning and she was the same. This afternoon she was inside the coop and dead. I cannot see a wound, a bug, a maggot, or any reason at all that she died. I hadn't seen her eat since Friday, but I had seen her drink water.
Could my week get worse? Rosie, Shirl and Ethel were the 3 of my original flock from 4 years ago. The eagle killed Shirl Friday, Ethel isn't doing well, and now Rosie is gone. Some people might think it's good I didn't lose the younger prolific layers, but not me. I was so attached to those girls.
I'm so heartbroken I had to come here and share it. You are the only people who actually understand how I feel. Most people around here just raise dual purpose chickens and that's that. I may be in the country, and they may have a whole orchard to roam, but I am a backyard chicken gal.
Do you think Rosie died of trauma?
