Dawn was, to say the least, the leader of the pack. While Buffy was indeed the head hen, Dawn was our head “rooster” once we gave back our actual roosters. Even when she got sick a few months ago the other girls left her alone. Gotta love the chicken hierarchy known as the pecking order.
However, this last week she’s been looking dreadful, and the last few days I’ve been having to take her into the henhouse at night. Last night we thought it would be best to leave her out in the run and hope that nature would take its course, but we couldn’t do it. I put her back into the henhouse anyway, even though I thought she was indeed dead before picking her up. Indeed, death wasn’t far behind.
This morning my husband went out to check on her and came back inside to get a bag. It had finally happened. Letting go is difficult, but really? A chicken? I suppose if we only kept them for eggs and/or meat I would feel different, but we treat them like pets and so they’ve become such. At least I was able to hold her one last time before she died, but part of me wishes we’d have put her out of her misery long ago. However, she’d be sick then seem to recover and yo-yo back and forth until right before we moved when she could no longer lift her back end because she was retaining so much fluid in her vent. The last couple days on the other hand had me seriously considering culling her myself in case she didn’t die on her own, but I don’t think I could go through with it. My husband’s mom, who just got into town last night and is staying for the weekend, offered to do it for us this morning while I was at work, but, her services will not be needed.
Alas, it is time to say goodbye to another hen. I suppose it is really just all a part of life with chickens. I guess this death was just a little more difficult because we’ve had her for three years versus a few months to a year on our other girls who’ve died. That and secretly she was my favorite… even though when she’d get all excited and start cackling I’d yell, “Shut up, Dawn!”
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