We lost Rosemary

[VirginVegGrower]

Last night we lost our Rosiemary as the kids called her. She was scratching in the garden only two days ago. I noticed her comb and wattles first looking pink and the comb was shrunken. She was quiet and standing with her head tuckef into her body. I knew it was not a good sign but did not know what it was. So we got her to the vet who said she was not well, crop nearly empty, not eggbound, no mites/lice, a sticky eye which I hadn't noticed. We were given antibiotics which we got into her but she still passed away. Could we have done more.
It's horrible, my OH is in bits - he's crying, the two children still asleep will be devastated and I am just numb. Mr VVG is cremating her as I read Snadger did this but I think I'll have to go and do it as he is not coping well at all.
What was it and what signs could I have picked up please?

[VirginVegGrower]

I forgot to add my three others are watching and I believe know she's passed away. How do you comfort them or do hens get over the passing of another?

[Suechooks]

Oh dear - so sorry to read this VVG. Its so awful to lose any girls but the first is always really dreadful. Sadly hens do hide their illness until its often too late for us to do anything to help. Most of us will mourn the loss of our pets as they are part of our family so all of you need to grieve in whatever way is right for you. Maybe you could bury Rosemary in a corner of the garden and plant a shrub over her? Massive {{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} x

[zazen999]

I agree, plant a Rosemary bush over her?

Much love from the Z household hon. xxx

[VirginVegGrower]

You have both made me cry again. I feel I should have noticed earlier. I am stunned we can lose her in two days. She was so good at taking her antibiotic too. I feel cr@p and will definitely plant her ashes with a Rosemary next to her. She was a lovely girl too - always first out and to the new food.

[VirginVegGrower]

Should have said thanks to you both - sorry.

[Suechooks]

Please don't beat yourself up about it. As I said before hens have a built in self preservation so that no one will notice they're sick. In flock culture the weak ones are picked on for the safety of the flock. You did all you could and she has had a good life with you. x

[Nicos]

Aww- sad news indeed.

I think we all want to do the best by our chooks.
You certainly did your best by taking her to your vet.
Could you have done something earlier??- I very much doubt it- as Suechooks says- they're superb at hiding anything in their behaviour which lets a predator realise they are the most vulnerable member of the flock.

Big hugs to all your family- tis good to know you are very caring .

The chooks will notice she's gone cos their pecking order needs re-establishing- and they'll be wondering for a few days if she'll suddenly reappear.
Just give them a few treats- that'll make you - and them feel better!

[VirginVegGrower]

Am throwing myself into coop cleaning. Have burnt the bedding too. Madeline is not eating this morning so I am feeding her let down pellets in water to make a mash. But she is semi interested in the porridge bowl. I am determined I am not having another go down. Have rang vets this morning and told Sue, the hen vet. She has said to give Madeline the remaining antibiotic and she will be up later.

[VirginVegGrower]

Scratch that Madeline is VERY interested in the porridge bowl.

[Glutton4...]

Sorry to hear of your loss. Birds are strange things, and can go downhill very quickly, as they have a tendency to just give up. I've had ex-Batts that are fine one day, and dead the next morning. Very sad.

[VirginVegGrower]

I still can't stop thinking about her and her favourite dinty hole in the garden is still there. I have decided that's where I will put her ashes.I have spent eight hours along with Mr VVG cleaning and replacing everything, woodchips etc. I have given the girls treats, cucumber, popped corn and some spinach. Madeline looking a lot brighter...don't thinkI could face losing two.

Thanks to you all for your help and comfort x VVG

[frias]

Sorry to hear about Rosemary. As the others say, it can happen very quickly with chooks. I nearly gave up my first year because of losses. My vet assured me I was doing nothing wrong and it just happens like that sometimes.

[nellie-m]

Poor Rosemary...

I'm sorry to hear of your loss! As others have said, it's sometimes difficult to tell that something's wrong before it's too late :-(

Over the years, you'll learn to read the more subtle signs of a chicken's discomfort. They will sometimes still scratch and try to hide it, but during those periods of relaxation, while the others take a sunbath, a sandbath or preen their feathers during a rest, the sick chicken may simply "stand around" as I call it. Sometimes they just lower their wings a little more, or their feathers are a little more fluffed up than usual, or they carry their tail a little lower. I keep a close eye on such a bird! If they even start closing their eyes while "standing around" (even if not for long, and even if they return to scratching with the others later) I have no doubt there's something seriously wrong!

It's a good idea to pick such a bird up at bedtime.
Basically, there are two questions to ask yourself. Is it a recent infection? Then the comb may be rather dark than pale, and the chicken will not have had time to lose much weight. Quick medical help may often save this bird.

Or is it a chronic disease? - in that case the comb will be small, sometimes pale, and the bird will already be thin. The thinner, the worse... of course it's always worth a try, but if after a few days I feel the hen is still going down in spite of treatment, I feel it is my duty not to let it suffer. In the wild, they wouldn't have to suffer long, either...

So, when I think something might be wrong with a chicken, I pay it a visit in the evening when I close the coop (so as not to upset it without need by chasing it around, unless I want to take it to the vet's of course, or if I think it might be injured)

Some points to consider:
Are the breast muscles still strong? Or can you feel the breast bone protrude more than before? That's never a good sign. (Compare with a healthy bird of the same breed if in doubt). Can you find anything wrong with the nostrils? Any discharge? Give them some slight pressure with your finger to be really sure everything's dry there. When you open the beak, is everything inside nice and clean and pink? Can you hear any sounds from the air passages? Any swellings around the eyes, any discharge there?

What does the bottom look like - is it nice and clean and fluffy?
Have a good look at the bird's skin, even if it's sometimes difficult to get through all that lovely warm underwear ;-) Blood sucking red mites won't be ON the bird, though, and they can kill birds if the infestation is really bad. One thing that is often forgotten is liver failure in overfed birds (or rather, a rupture of blood vessels in a fatty degenerated liver) - birds appear happy and well and then die in no time.

During my first years of chicken keeping, if one of my birds died I took it to the vet's and had him open it. I watched him do it and he explained to me what he saw. I learned a good deal about chicken anatomy that way - and about diseases, too...

Yes, our poor chooks can suffer from all sorts of strange illnesses, not all visible or detectable from the outside. Let me repeat what others have said, don't blame yourself, you took her to the vet's as soon as you realised something was wrong, and believe me, even if it's sad, it happens to even the most experienced and careful chicken keepers - more often than not we can't save them. Antibiotics often do help - but they don't kill viruses, they don't take away tumours nor do they filter out poisonous substances or get rid of parasites.

Seems a miracle how some hens manage to survive so long - but I have two here who will be twelve next spring! I'll keep my fingers crossed for the rest of your flock, may they scratch happily for many many years to come!

nellie

[its hilly]

Sorry to hear this VVG. It's an awful moment when you lose one.
But for goodnesses sake stop feeling guilty. We all wonder if there was something we could have done different, or something we should have noticed sooner. No matter how many we have, or how long we have kept them for, or how much we know. It's because we care. But as said by others, hens are incredibly good at hiding any signs of illness, even extremely skilled long term keepers can be fooled. And often even vets can't say what is wrong, or do anything to help.
You've done the right thing by clearing out the coop and disinfecting it. And by keeping a close eye on the others. Bury her ashes in the confidence that you've done your best.
Big hugs for the family xx