I am so sorry for what you're going through. My husband and I just went through a similar situation. We've only had chickens for a little over 2 months and when one suddenly became ill, this board was our only real source of information. After hours of searching on the internet and calling vet after vet, someone finally referred us to our state lab here in Virginia which, lucky for us, is only 30 min away. We were convinced that our 16 week Ameraucana couldn't possibly be so sick as to die, but as she kept going down hill, we were kind of at a loss as to what to do. I think we were in denial that she could decline so fast. Anyhow, I spent her last day alive with her (day off of work for me, a teacher, never easy) and as I watched her, the signs seemed to show she was heading towards the end. When my husband finally got home, it was too late to take her to the lab. She died quietly in the night. Yep, we had her in the bedroom with us, all wrapped up in a towel on a dog bed. Even though it was quiet, I have a sinking feeling that she suffered more than we realized. We will definitely be more prepared next time. I think we also hesitated so much because she was the favorite of both me and my husband. We took her to the lab where they would have euthanized her for free, but they also did the necropsy for free and just one day later we found out she had a fungal infection. Something that would not directly affect the rest of our gals (5 remaining 16 w/o Ameraucanas), but the vet explained that something would have stressed her system to allow the fungus to get out of control. So we're now re-evaluating everything we've been doing to make sure we're giving the rest of them the best chance at a long, healthy life. If you are anywhere near your lab, I highly recommend you take your bird there. And again, I am so sorry. Our gal just died Tuesday night and I am still completely broken up over it. I never expected to get this attached. Oh well. Big hug to you.
