Sad Day on Allotment

[Sue]

At the bottom of my allotment there are some hens including some recently introduced babes, about 10-12 weeks old I guess and all today one has been hunched in the corner, eyes shut, and then it was laying down, its little legs outstretched, just a few feeble squeaks when her sisters trod on her.
It was so sad, don't know what was wrong, Couldn't get in - the cage is locked, I don't have a contact number so could only watch the poor little soul fade away.
I know people say where there's livestock, there's dead stock, but always hard to see at first hand. When I left tonight she seemed barely there but three of her sisters were sitting in a ring close to her, don't know if they were doing it for the warmth or out of fellow feeling.
Sue

[mandyballantyne]

Sue,

How sad, it is just horrid to see anything suffering. The owners should be round to check and feed them at least once a day so maybe the visited after you left?

Hope everything turns out for the best, Mandy

[moggssue]

Oh Mandy, how upsetting. It's sad enough to see something die, but to watch it suffer and not be able to help is awful. Hopefully the owners will turn up and sort it out.
Take care.

[mrs potato head]

Prehaps you could offer your surport to them along with your number, they may do the same. Then situations like this one don't need to happen again.
Hope it all turns out well.
L

[Sue]

Mrs Potato Head
We were getting along fine until I asked him if he wouldn't mind providing more water for them, as I was having to fill up their empty water pots which I could drag with a cane to the edge of the pen. As I was have to take all drinking water up to the allotment, it mean't I was carrying up to 5 litres a day - not good with a bad back.
He got the hump and relations have been strained ever since - but the poor things were thirsty. But at least they do have more water now.
Sue

[yoanbob]

you could always report them to rspca, they really do need to be checked daily and if they arnt doing this then they need a chook sitter, maybe you could offer to watch them if they go away then you would have a key.

[daisychook]

Hi Sue

Shame on the owner, and how kind of you to try and help them.
The laws on animal welfare were tightened up from March of this year, so do think about ringing the RSPCA. The system is better now. I once reported a neighbour, who thought more about her stillettos and dressing up than she did about the basic needs of her dog which was bought as a cute puppy and then turned into (quelle surprise) a dog which needed walking etc. It was locked in a run 24/7 never taken for a walk, and I could see from my bedroom window ow it used to pace up and down its run, it was left for hours and hours, and then just having its dinner chucked in the run. He was desparate for attention, and when he jumped up once she slapped him down. Scared though I was, after that episode, I rang the RSPCA who did nothing cos his 'basic needs of food, water and shelter' were being met.

Broke my heart, even offered to take him off their hands some time later, imagine the response.....they were absolutely indignant. Apparently they loved the dog...... he used to escape into our garden (their house backed on to ours, and was a real cutie - all he wanted was some attention/affection). They moved later and that was the end of the sorry tale.


Anyway my point (and there is one!!!) is that those chooks DONT have their basic needs taken care of (enough water) so if you or someone else does report this the RSPCA probably will be more likely do something, because of the new laws that came in.

Of course its not an easy step to take I know, and you do have to feel extremely brave , and feel confident that you wont be revealed as the reporting person, because of the repercussions.

So good luck whatever you do, and I do feel for you watching that poor chook not being able to do anything.

Tracey.

[Sue]

Oh, I feel bad now, I don't see mine everyday - because of work I can only get to them every other day but they do have a huge water thingy and food ad lib. I think he doesn't leave them ad lib food because rats can get through the wire, whereas I've got weldmesh to keep them out. They have got more water pots now, but the pen has got wire on the bottom, it's not level and when they walk on one bit, they tip the wire up on another bit and it knocks the water over...
Perhaps this is the spur I need to invest in an electric bike so I can get to see my three every day. A bike would mean I could get up there morning and evening outside work hours. At the moment I have to get the bus and it takes too long.
Sue