We had to say goodbye to Nikki today.
Never thought it would be possible to fall in love with chickens but what a lesson I learned. We talked it over for a few weeks and in April 2016 took home 3 chicks from the feed store. They were only 4 days old.
We named then Nikki, Della, and Henrietta. We gave them lots of love, and pretty soon we bonded to each other like glue.
They lived inside with us until they were old enough to move into the coop.
The backyard was their domain.
They took lots of dust baths together, chased bugs, and scratched for worms in the grass. When I would lean down to pet Della, Nikki would jump on my shoulder. She knew she wasn’t supposed to but she was the jealous type.
They grew up to be beautiful hens, and it was a pretty darn good life.
One day this week Nikki looked like she wasn't feeling good. A couple of days later we took her to the vet and they drained her belly. She had a big tumor that was causing fluid buildup. We took Nikki home for one last night. We knew she might not make it through to morning. Once home she stopped drinking but she did get a couple nibbles of her favorite treats. Sadly, it was just too late for her.
In the morning it was time. She couldn't open her eyes anymore and we knew she was in pain. When it came time we did what was right and asked the vet to put her to sleep. We stayed with her until the very end, supporting her head and whispering to her what a good girl she was. We sat with her for a while and said goodbye. No more suffering.
Della and Henrietta are still going strong but it just doesn’t feel the same now without Nikki. We all miss her so much. We'll spread her ashes in the backyard so she can always be near her sisters.
Never thought it would be possible to fall in love with chickens but what a lesson I learned. We talked it over for a few weeks and in April 2016 took home 3 chicks from the feed store. They were only 4 days old.
We named then Nikki, Della, and Henrietta. We gave them lots of love, and pretty soon we bonded to each other like glue.
They lived inside with us until they were old enough to move into the coop.
The backyard was their domain.
They took lots of dust baths together, chased bugs, and scratched for worms in the grass. When I would lean down to pet Della, Nikki would jump on my shoulder. She knew she wasn’t supposed to but she was the jealous type.
They grew up to be beautiful hens, and it was a pretty darn good life.
One day this week Nikki looked like she wasn't feeling good. A couple of days later we took her to the vet and they drained her belly. She had a big tumor that was causing fluid buildup. We took Nikki home for one last night. We knew she might not make it through to morning. Once home she stopped drinking but she did get a couple nibbles of her favorite treats. Sadly, it was just too late for her.
In the morning it was time. She couldn't open her eyes anymore and we knew she was in pain. When it came time we did what was right and asked the vet to put her to sleep. We stayed with her until the very end, supporting her head and whispering to her what a good girl she was. We sat with her for a while and said goodbye. No more suffering.
Della and Henrietta are still going strong but it just doesn’t feel the same now without Nikki. We all miss her so much. We'll spread her ashes in the backyard so she can always be near her sisters.
as in the other hens adjust and so do you
