- May 27, 2008
- 29
- 1
- 24
Hi all!
Well, I have some very sad news...my favorite RIR hen, Brownie (kids named her!), was found dead in the coop this morning.
Some of the older/regular members might remember me mentioning how she survived a massive dog attack years ago - her whole back was literally ripped off!
That tough girl survived and quickly became our family's favorite.
Over the past month or so I noticed she had a bit of a pasty butt. Even after cleaning her, it progressed to clear, watery (no blood) diarrhea off and on for weeks.
She hadn't laid an egg for months, which also gave me a clue things were beginning to change. I tried my usual cure-all, yogurt with oats, boiled eggs and it made no difference.
This past week I wormed everyone, just in case it was part of the problem. Her comb was never blue..and did I mention, she just turned 5 years old two weeks ago?
About 2 1/2 weeks ago I did purchase layer mash from a different feed store, but to be honest, she was showing signs of irregularity prior to that.
She was a chick as part of my first flock, so I've never experienced how long a hen can actually live.
Any thoughts would be most appreciated....everyone love your older cluckers today, because you never know!!
Well, I have some very sad news...my favorite RIR hen, Brownie (kids named her!), was found dead in the coop this morning.
Some of the older/regular members might remember me mentioning how she survived a massive dog attack years ago - her whole back was literally ripped off!
That tough girl survived and quickly became our family's favorite.
Over the past month or so I noticed she had a bit of a pasty butt. Even after cleaning her, it progressed to clear, watery (no blood) diarrhea off and on for weeks.
She hadn't laid an egg for months, which also gave me a clue things were beginning to change. I tried my usual cure-all, yogurt with oats, boiled eggs and it made no difference.
This past week I wormed everyone, just in case it was part of the problem. Her comb was never blue..and did I mention, she just turned 5 years old two weeks ago?
About 2 1/2 weeks ago I did purchase layer mash from a different feed store, but to be honest, she was showing signs of irregularity prior to that.
She was a chick as part of my first flock, so I've never experienced how long a hen can actually live.
Any thoughts would be most appreciated....everyone love your older cluckers today, because you never know!!
Last edited:
