Petunia

by Jayme
(Wyncote, PA)

Petunia was a sweetheart! When she was only about three months old, she developed a chronic issue with her legs, and she could not walk very well, so she used her wings to support her.

Even though she wasn’t as fast as the other chickens on her feet, when it was feeding time, she always made herself first in line.

Because she was immobile, she was sometimes sitting alone, while the others were out exploring, however, her good friend Hellen would often come and sit with her, so she wasn’t alone.

Because she was immobile, my daughter used to massage her legs every day on our outside patio couch. It was funny to see her sit there and close her eyes as Abby worked out all the knots and striations in her legs. She would always walk better for a while after these rubs.

Petunia would often sit on the couch with me, and watch TV. It was great to see her close her eyes and relax because she was so comfortable, and funny to see her eyes open, and her head jostle when something loud came on the TV.

Today a red tailed hawk came down and ended her life while I was in the house taking care of some chores. It broke my heart, but I know she had a good life.

She was only hatched this past spring, she was a gray sapphire, and she never failed one day to lay egg once she started.

She was a good and kind chicken, and she will be missed! Rest in peace, baby!

RIP Brownie Girl

by Karen
(Pennsylvania (USA))

We got 8 chickens in August because my 12 year old is obsessed with chickens.

Brownie was a brown Leghorn and the smallest and lowest on the pecking order and she had my heart. She would run between my legs and chirp at me until I picked her up. Then she would jump down and want to be picked up again.

My husband found her dead in the coop when he went to open the coop this morning and my heart is broken.

It's hard to go back out to the coop and not have her waiting there to see what treats I might have and to sit in my lap and be carried around.

Dezna, my sweet sweet baby girl.

by Kaine Garcia
(Bay City, TX)

My sweet baby girl, it was three years ago this month that I found you. You were so comfortably nestled on my car windshield and I was both in awe and confounded by how you got there.

I remember how I smiled when I found you, something I did not do often during those times. I remember wrapping you up and taking you in along with your sister. I sat there for hours and mesmerized by how still you both were and felt lucky to be the one that found you.

Although I originally intended to give you to a shelter, I could not bear the thought as I had became attached rather quickly, something that is also uncommon for me. I did not know at that time how much joy you would bring me and will never forget or take for granted you being with me during some of the worst times of my life.

Tomorrow, it has been three months since I lost you and I still think about you quite often, sometimes as much as once a day.

I will never forget the awful feeling that coursed its way throughout my body the minute I found out I had lost you. I will never stop missing your mesmerizing little walk, the way you would drink your water, or how I would aim you towards the sky as though you were Simba from The Lion King.

Most of all, I will miss the dirt baths you would take against the fence in the backyard and lay there for hours afterwards.

I miss you, so much, and I always knew I would have to let you go eventually, but damn I wasn't ready. I have had few joys in my life, but you were among one of the greatest.

My sweet baby girl, I wish you never left me.

Rest in Peace, Betty

by Anonymous

I lost my hen, Betty yesterday after a dog attack, and I am kind of unable to properly articulate how sad I am.

It's the sort of thing that most people don't understand unless they have once had a chicken, and I am struggling to deal with this grief, although my friends don't understand.

Betty was such a sweet little hen. She was the sweetest Gold-Sex-Link, and she loved nothing more than to follow me around and watch me while I worked in the chicken coop. She always had wanderlust, which was her greatest attribute, but ultimately led to her untimely death.

Unfortunately, I was at school at the time of her passing, and I feel so guilty that I wasn't there for her in her time of need.

I loved her so so much, and she didn't deserve her premature passing. In fact, she had just laid her first egg yesterday.

I hope where ever she is, she can wander safely, and scratch happily.

Thank you for providing a space to share her story, it felt nice to write it down.

Lightening the Wonder Chicken

by The Benerito Family
(Little Rock, AR, USA)

2/21/2022-9/17/2023

Lightening came to live with us at 1 day old and was a wonderful backyard chicken. She was a leader right from the beginning and was top chicken in her flock of 6 Jersey Giant hens.

She grew quickly and was the biggest and friendliest hen. She lived a very happy chicken life and had many people care for her, even when she died.

She is most remembered as the best chicken at “worm football” where she would run as fast as she could with all of the out her hens chasing her so she could eat the worm.

She was also the most talkative and greeted us when we came outside.

We wish she could have lived with her sister chickens and us longer.

For the Eye of the Chicken

by Lili Kennedy
(Georgetown, TX, USA)

Last year I decided to adventure myself to learn how to take care of chickens and rip the benefits of these beautiful birds.

I started with 10 Easter Egger chicks (I mean when I said chicks, 1-2 days old). I was so proud of them after a few months when I saw them growing and developing. Please take into account my property is 2.5 acres and fenced.

I heard from neighbors that once in a while they will see a raccoon, fox and opossums coming by. My inexperience came into a nightmare when I found all my chicks dead. A raccoon attack in the middle of the night.

I got incredibly discouraged and cried for days after all my hard work and worries taking care of these chicks were brutally stopped.

But I am a very determined woman so I got another 10 chicks, same kind, now with the knowledge of how to keep them safe at night. All are loved but there is always one or two that are special. I had one super special named “the eye of the chicken” and I tell you why...

After a few months passed, our chickens got attacked once more by a raccoon (caught red handed). I lost one, and Eye was severely injured. I took her, cured her wounds and put her back together again. She survived the attack – that is why we named her the eye of the tiger, but in this case the Eye of the Chicken!

She did not give up, and she was able to hatch three of her own chicks, giving beautiful olive color shell eggs. And this is the hard time for me. She was a chicken that I could call and she would allow me to pet her and carry her around. Very sweet.

Please know that they free range all my property.
Three weeks ago I could not find her... I cried. I went out and yelled her name, hoping to find her.

Next morning… I found her body! She did not survive the raccoon attack after all.

This was a painful loss. I miss you, Eye.

RIP, Fleck

by Susie
(Iowa)

On August 25, I got the heartbreaking news that my Light Brahma chicken friend, Fleck, was dead. She died very young, for she was only about two years old.

When I heard that my grandpa had found her dead on the floor when he went to feed the chickens that day, I nearly cried my eyes out.

I had raised her since she was brand new. She snuggled with me as a chick and always ran up to me whenever I saw her.

She died unfairly and for no reason whatsoever. She was too young and too sweet. I will miss her with all my heart.

RIP, Fleck.

Mabel and George, Silkies

by Mary Haugh
(Wallingford )

Mabel and George, the most delightful Silkies I could ever wish for.

Both had different characters. I had them given to me by my husband for my birthday last year. Every time when I opened the door they both greeted me by letting me pat them. That was each and every day, afternoon and night time.

Then in June this year I lost them both, within days of each other. First George. She was a sweet little girl and she actually let me pick her up.

So that night, I put the other two Silkies to bed first, then I put George to bed with her sister Mabel, not knowing if I was going to see her alive the next morning.

So next morning came. I went downstairs to feed my cat first, then I went out to the garden and to the coop. I opened the door and I found George laying motionless. So I got the other two into the run and closed the door. But as Mabel turned to George and saw her sister dead, it broke my heart.

So I got my husband to get George out of the bedroom area to be buried. The few days with Mabel left with other Silkie Betty. She wouldn't eat, but drank. So again I put them to bed on the Friday and next morning Mabel seemed not with it. I checked on her every hour. When I went to check on her, she too had passed away. So it left Betty on her own.

It was devastating to loose both Silkies within days of each other. I kept thinking did I do everything I could think of. I still blame myself for not doing enough.

George and Mabel never forgotten, but always in my heart. ❤️

Rocky Road - 2019-2023

by KT
(Maine )

My whole life, I wanted chickens, and when I bought my first home in 2019, I started with 3 Rhode Island Reds. My favorite of them was sweet, gentle Rocky. I was away on a trip when my husband called to tell me she had passed while sleeping in her coop.

I've had dozens of backyard birds come and go since that original three, but Rocky was my oldest bird and my sweetest. She would climb into my lap and fall asleep while I sunbathed. She'd gladly pal around with me in the garden. And she was the first to run to me when I called them home.

Of all the chickens I've had, Rocky genuinely liked being held, cuddled, and having her comb scratched. She was never the most ambitious, or the most naughty, or the most wilful - she was just a sweetheart who liked everyone. When there was a new bird who everyone bullied, she would be their friend. Whenever I needed to round up the other birds, I'd pick up Rocky and the rest would follow. She was a wise old matriarch.

You could usually find her sleeping in the sun in her favorite dirt patch or eagerly awaiting a free tomato from the garden.

I'll miss my little friend Rocky.

Music Lover Oscar

by Lin Lin
(Ithaca, NY)

Oscar was born on Ag,18 2021. I had him when he was only 3 days old as a pet. Oscar was a Silver Laced Wyandotte rooster and he loved to play the guitar.

When Oscar was a baby, he was very active and loved climbing up to sit on my shoulder. He loved to eat bread and sunbathed next to the sliding glass door when sunlight was shining through the glass.

Oscar grew up to become a handsome big rooster with a very gentle temperament. He had two very long beautiful tails, a big beautiful red triangle shaped crest.

Oscar loved to pick guitar to make his own music. Sometimes we would take Oscar for a walk in Campus with a leash and he loved to see different places.

Oscar was very close to me and was very protective of me. He would follow me in the house and would make sounds to ask for my attention. Sometimes he would stand in front of me watching me for a long time.

On June 29,2023, after eating and drinking, I sent Oscar back to his sleeping cage, he went on his perch to getting rest. But once he went on to the perch, he flipped his two wings for 2 times then he fell down onto the ground (there are 4 inches between perch bar and floor). I saw his neck became soft when he fell. He struggled for a second and died.

I tried to do the CPR but nothing helped. I sent Oscar to Cornell University, Vet School for a necropsy. Pathologists found Oscar’s heart had Chronic myocardial degeneration and fibrosis. He died of Congestive heart failure. I cremated Oscar and plan to find a good place to let him rest when I am ready to part with him.

Oscar was my 1st pet chicken. I never thought I was so attached to a chicken. I learned from Oscar that chickens are very intelligent, with different personalities like all dogs and cats. I have two cat pets. Clearly Oscar was the boss.

I miss Oscar very much.

Percy Thrower

by Sue Hucknall
(Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK )

He was a rooster 🐓, a very gorgeous little one with a rather cute call.

Blondie the easter egger

by Megan
(Michigan)

She was 22 weeks old. She had blonde and white feather and a gray bushy beard and muffs.

Olivia

by Ayla
(Eugene, Oregon)

My hen, named Olivia was a very happy girl who had a very good life. We got her at a farm store close to our house as a chick.

Her breed was Welsummer. We loved her at first sight. She was pretty shy though. She grew quickly, even though she was at the bottom of the pecking order.

Her favorite foods were greens and dried mealworms.

She died on the tenth of October, under the hunter's moon. It was full. She was only a few years old. She was killed by a wild creature, we don't know what type.

We all were very sad about her death. I myself cried for weeks. But she is in a good place now.