[linzechris]

Hi,
Have left a post or two as my lovely hen was not right and had an upset tum and previously I  had posted about the fact she was pale and drinking excessively, and the others picked on her.
Well, she started falling over the last couple of days, even though she was still eating and today she died.
I can't believe how upset I am. I have three other chickens and they are the first I've had. Ex batts that I got in August. They are all named and more pets than anything, and Hattie, who died, was very tame, the only one to let me pick her up, and very sweet natured and funny.
I'm really going to miss her.
Am I crazy or do others get this attatched to their chickens?
I keep crying. How silly.

[Blarney]

I'm so sorry to hear about your Hattie.  You are not being silly at all.  You need to give in to it, pour a glass of wine and have a jolly good weep.  Try to take some comfort in the fact that you gave her some peace and a special place to live before she went to the big coop in the sky.  

I think many of us on here keep chickens as pets and the eggs are just a bonus.  They are lovely little things and people like you and I just get attached.  You are a special person taking on these hens so feel proud of yourself.

My beautiful cat April died last year and I still grieve for her now.  She was my little soul mate who gave her heart to me and I will never forget her.  I still cry now for her.  It doesn't make me mad, just typically English and I'm happy that I have so much emotion in me.

Give the others a special bowl of spuds or something - I'm sure you have leftovers from Christmas - that may help you see that they are happy chooks who are lucky to have a nice mum. xxxxx

[Jellyhead]

Aaaaw so sorry :cry:  Big hugs from over here.....and yes, we do all get as attached, its horrid losing them but at least Hattie had a few months of freedom and love thanks to you:wink:

[kimT]

So sorry and know how you feel as I lost one of my girls last Saturday. :cry:

[PagesPoultry]

Hi there,

This sounds like it could have been Mareks disease, did the chicken loose weight, have diarrhea and then go off its legs?

Keep an eye on your other birds for symptoms as if it is this it can go through the flock.

A useful book for people keeping poultry is The Chicken Health Handbook by Gail Damerow.

[Hawkins]

so soryy to hear of your loss, we all get very attached to our girls. I cried for hours the other day when a dog killed one of my ducks. It's only natural they are part of the family.

sending hugs from here

[mumsy]

Hi,  I know how you are feeling, lost my first one yesterday :cry:
Hugs from here too  xxxxx
Its nice that everyone on here understands ............

[linzechris]

Hi and thank you to you all for your kind words.
I will keep an eye on the rest and hope that it was nothing contagious.
Happy New Year. x

[Flyin Chickens]

This sounds like it could have been Mareks disease, did the chicken loose weight, have diarrhea and then go off its legs?

Keep an eye on your other birds for symptoms as if it is this it can go through the flock.

Just read this and am now really worried.  I lost one hen on Monday who I think had diarrhea and wouldn't stand up (i had not noticed any weight loss)

Have 2 girls left and feel that I am reading too much into every thing they do or don't do.

[Foxy]

This sounds like it could have been Mareks disease, did the chicken loose weight, have diarrhea and then go off its legs?

Keep an eye on your other birds for symptoms as if it is this it can go through the flock.

Just read this and am now really worried.  I lost one hen on Monday who I think had diarrhea and wouldn't stand up (i had not noticed any weight loss)

Have 2 girls left and feel that I am reading too much into every thing they do or don't do.

Dont worry too much-its perfectly natural to feel like that - and a bit scary to read about all the potential problems, generally speaking chooks are quite hardy - and most of us here have the odd problem now and then.

[PagesPoultry]

I know it can sound scary but most of these things can be treated. I have read a few posts on here where chickens could have been saved if treated early enough. If your not sure what is wrong and the chickens are showing symptoms that are not normal, ask a local breeder or ring the vet to ask.

[linzechris]

Hi, After reading Pages Poultry reply to my post I looked up Mareks and am now concerned that my Hattie may have had it. What stopped me thinking that was that she was ex batt and I thought they got vaccinated, and she was never off her food and although she did fall over a number of times in the last four weeks she also seemed quite strong at times, nudging the other girls out of the way when I gave them treats. She was not paralysed and has been clumsy since I got her, in fact she was always different from the rest which made her more special to me.
Also, how long does the illness last? She has had watery poos since I got her in August and I have tried so many different things in her diet and worming her but obviously nothing worked.
I feel really bad that I did not do more to help her like take her to the vet but thought as she was ex batt that might stress her more. I did not really realise quite how ill she was.
Could I have done anything that would have saved her?

[PagesPoultry]

Christine,
Its hard to say without seeing the bird and knowing more about the symptoms if you could have done anything. Don't beat yourself up, it may not have been Mareks,  sometimes birds to die from no good reason. Ex-battery, because of the life they have had, tend not to live as long as others and as you say it can be heart breaking when they die.

I do agree with you that seeing as she was ex-battery she should have been vaccinated for that, so I understand why you may not have thought it possible.

This is why chat rooms like this are great, we can all learn from experiences that others and ourselves have.