Zane Made REAL Progress (New Pics Pg 99)!RIP Lorelei...

speckledhen

Intentional Solitude
Premium Feather Member
17 Years
Feb 3, 2007
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Blue Ridge Mtns. of North Georgia
Zane, my Barred Rock cockerel, who is 19 weeks old, is seemingly depressed. He's not himself at all. Three days after Hawkeye's death, he seems lost. He isn't ill, nothing has changed except that his father is gone. All day long, he's laid on the ground in one place then he'll move to another. He has not crowed all day. He just seems lethargic and tired. My DH bent down today, held out his hands and Zane, as he often does, walks right between his hands to be picked up. He dozed on my husband's chest for 15-20 minutes on the hammock today, not caring about the girls at all, didnt react much to anything around him. He honestly seems depressed, like he's just noticed that his dad isn't here and probably isn't going to be here anymore. They would always stand side by side and even on occasion, roosted side by side.
This evening when the girls were back in the pen and winding down, eating, getting ready to go to roost, I saw Zane sleeping on the ground at the top of the pen. We walked down to the pen and when he saw his human daddy, he perked up and ran to him to be picked up and held. I'm not sure what to do about a depressed rooster, poor baby. He seems just lost without Hawkeye.
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Animals grieve for their losses just like we grieve for our own. You said you weren't sure what to do for a depressed rooster: do what you'd do for a depressed friend. Be there for him, give him extra attention & cuddles, talk to him and let him know he's not alone. He will still feel his loss, but the time you spend with him will help him deal with the loss and make the adjustment. I've been through this many times as we'd lose one of our cats or one of our inside birds. We've had cats to literally cry tears when they'd lose a buddy they were especially close to. I'm sorry for your loss, and I hope Zane appreciates how much his human-folk care for and about him!
 
Aww...poor Zane. He misses his daddy. It's so sweet that your hubby spends that time with him. What a guy! And that's all you can do....be there to comfort him.
 
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Oh Zane! The poor baby! Remember my Potpie was the same way when Nugget passed? I spent extra time with Potpie, giving her scambled egg and talking to her. It was a couple weeks, if I remember correctly, before she got back into the "swing" of things. I'm sure Zane is grieving, and he may be feeling a bit overwhelmed, don't you think?
The poor thing... he knows you love him, and his daddy loves him... Hopefully a few days of extra love and extra hammock time will help him through.

Another thing... Do you think he feels your grief?
 
He probably does feel our grief. It seems like a thick blanket over this place right now. Zane is such a special young guy, my husband adores him and we'll both spend lots of time with him. Not a chore at all. I think Zane is missing his only real friend besides us. Hawkeye accepted him as "second in command", never chased him at all, really treated him like he knew Zane was his son, it was the oddest thing I'd ever seen, but wonderful. The girls run from Zane or are hostile to him still, but his father was his companion.
 
What an emotional couple days this has been. Cyn, this brought tears to my eyes. I think what everyone is saying is to true. Have lots of hands on time with him during the daytime. I have Shih-Tzus and they cry real tears when upset. You can see them run down their face..makes me so sad so it only makes sense that chickens feel sad too. You know Hawkeye was one in a million but something tells me that Zane is going to be one of a kind also. It will be interesting to see him mature. Please do lots of posting on Zane. I have a real good feeling about him now.
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I'll keep you posted on Zane's progress as the new head of the laying flock. And please keep your fingers crossed that all four of Hawkeye's babies hatch that are in my bator; they go in the hatcher on Monday. I can keep as many as two cockerels with the number of girls I'll have, so hopefully, I'll be able to keep all four of these BR chicks. Zane and his brothers can take care of the girls together, I hope. That seems fitting to me.
 
Ya' know Cyn,
I've always heard that something good always comes from any given situation no matter how bad things might seem to be at the time. We don't always understand why something as bad as losing Hawkeye has to happen. And I can truly appreciate your loss. But it is my firm belief that some how, some way, that someday something very special and good will come out of this loss.
Hawkeye left behind a legacy that is not to be soon forgotten. Who's to say that Zane will or will not overshadow his dad. For certain Hawkeye was one of a kind but I truly believe that Zane has something special in him for you.

Kindest Regards:
Yogiman
 
Also, with halkeys passing and Zane being second in command the it has to be overwelming to be such a young roo and have to now be the main man. Hes lil more then a baby himself. Lots of extra cuddles and what works here for my boys is lots and lots of ego stroking telling him what a pretty boy he is. My roosters love that smushy talk lol . Am sorry for your loss
Allie
 
I do believe Zane is feeling a bit overwhelmed right now. He is barely more than a baby himself, that's true, and now he's been thrown into a leadership position suddenly. I think the weight of it probably just hit him in his little rooster brain somehow. I promise, there will be plenty of smushy talk and cuddles for my sweet baby Zane and maybe he'll come out the other side of his dark tunnel soon. I agree, Roger, that Zane is special in his own right, too, and as he matures, we'll see just how special he really is.
 

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