White and Brown I hope yall are somewere better💞

by Rodriguez
(Dallas tx)

White chicken was the most comunicable and caring chicken. Same goes for Brown - we named them after their feather color :)....

The day they passed away we were building a new fence and they were sleeping - same goes for me - when all the sudden I heard white scream. 😖

She disappeared.....a dog came and took her away. Brown was sitting there, she looked frightened and sad.... (they were out in a freezing night). We took Brown somewhere outside, safe, but somehow they took her too....

We went looking for her minutes later, and found Brown in the road suffering and bleeding out from her behind.

White was never to be found😖😥

This was the saddest day. They both died alone in the worst way possible while freezing cold outside.

R.I.P White and Brown

My Sweet Daisy Girl

by Julie E.
(USA)

Daisy was a midnight Marans with the sweetest disposition you could ask for. I would sit in the coop and she would come up and get in my lap. When I would leave for work she would run back and forth 3 times in her coop, and did the same thing when I got home.

I will miss my sweet Daisy Girl.

Calamity Jane

by Edna Gilmore
(Tillamook OR)

She was the 1st layer in her flock of our second flock. Sadly, I didn't know about being egg bound as we never had an issue with our 1st flock. She was a friendly rebel that was gorgeous.

Rest easy girl. You will be missed.

Haily

She's the youngest of 4 hens but was the second to birth chicks.

But today 15th Jan 2021 I'm very sad so I came online in search of answers.

I woke up to feed my fowls & all met to greet me except Haily & her 5 chicks, so I wondered why, only to see her & all her chicks dead inside the hen coop.

There was no sign of attack nor struggle noticed.

I thought I was the only one who is pained when they die.

Goldie

by Marie Mc
(Virginia Beach, VA)

Goldie was part of my second batch of classroom chickens that was hatched during our yearly incubation with my students.

She was definitely the favorite in the class and because she was handled and loved on so often, she became quite used to being picked up and carried around. She loved to sit on my shoulder but even more to be snuggled. She would tuck her head in and pull her feet up and just go along.

She always was looking for a good snack and could frequently be found following you around looking for one. She was not at the top of the order, or the bottom, but was not mean in any way, but just sweet and docile.

She will be sorely missed.

Dear Artemis

by Rebecca G
(Southern California)

You were one of my first baby chickies and I loved you so much. We had been through a lot together with some of your brothers and sisters passing away before they were a few months old.

You were one of the stronger ones and it fit the name I gave you. I am not sure how you passed away but I am sorrowful to have lost you.

You were beautiful and sweet.

I will miss you a lot and so will Pidgy and Mosely. You were a good girl and I hope you know you were loved and I hope I gave you enough treats and warmth.

I will always remember you and I will try to take what you've taught me with me so I can be a better chickie mama.

Rest in Peace Artemis.

Ella-me-fella

by Pat
(Nova scotoia)

Ella was a so-called "meat king" and was supposed to have been a hen. I bought him and his sister Eileen from the Co-op when they were about 2 days old, last spring and kept them in the house for a couple of days until I was sure that they were eating and drinking.

Then I popped them, one dark night, under a determined broody hen whose eggs I kept removing.

Ella, in his two days in the house, seemed to decide that I was actually his mom and he was always very friendly to me. He liked to be carried around and petted, and he never pecked at any of the other chickens.

I have 4 other roosters but they never bothered with Ella-me-fella. In fact, I'm not sure they realized that he was a rooster, as I caught the boss rooster doing a flirty little dance for Ella one day.

But this morning I found Ella dead, on his back, no wounds on him. They have a very safe chicken house, and he had seemed fine yesterday, eating and drinking and thumping about (he got very big and was rather ungainly).

He was only 8 months old. RIP, Ella-me-fella. You are missed, my friend.

Raven

by Theresa
(Maricopa, Az)

Raven was a backyard mix. He was one of the first chicks a friend gave me to start my flock.

He was so cool. I would sit in the chicken run and he would come up and hop on my lap to get loves and cuddles. He was always right there ready for me to sit down so he could get in my lap.

Our Sweet Rose

by Kim
(Pennsylvania, USA)

We got Rose in April of last year as a day old chick, along with three others. She was a Buff Orpington. (Had submitted our chick story last year.)

She was all of our favorite. She was so sweet, always curious and liked hanging out with you while doing chicken chores. She was never mean to her flock mates. She and her sister Buff Orp were always together and shared a perch at night.

She had laid some soft shelled eggs. I had taken her to a vet to get her checked out. It was thought that she was just still young and needed some extra calcium. I wasn’t sure if she had started laying again, but I thought she might be.

A few days ago I found her in a nesting box and not looking well. I brought her inside. Her comb and waddle were pale. The vet was closed because it was Sunday. I did my best giving her vitamin water and a shot of penicillin, but she died later that day.

I suspect she had egg yolk peritonitis. It happened so quickly. I so regret not taking her back to the vet when I wasn’t absolutely certain if she was laying again. We have lost a few other chickens, but the loss of Rose was devastating to all of us.

She was our girl and we miss her so much. Watching her sister Buff was equally heartbreaking. She waited to go in the coop and kept looking for her. We miss her so much. She touched all of our hearts.

Thank you so much Cath for your wonderful website and for giving us not only valuable information, but for giving us a platform where we can express our joys and sorrows we experience.

It so helps to have a way to share our grief when losing what becomes a member of the family. People seem to understand the sadness of losing a dog or a cat, but they don't think losing a chicken has the same impact. We so appreciate it.

Goodbye Sweet Gracie Girl

by Lisa Vega
(California, USA)

Gracie was a sweet hen who was about 3 years old. She loved to “talk” to us and liked to be pet. She was beautiful and had the fluffiest feathers. We named her Gracie due to her color, but her nickname ended up being Goose. (All of our pets develop nicknames over time that don’t always make sense).

A few days before she died, she was sleeping more and had slowed down a bit. We spoke to a vet online who told us to try a dewormer and a generalized antibiotic. Within 24 hours, she seemed to be feeling better.

Two days later, we found her dead in the hen house with no sign of injury or trauma. This is our third flock and it sure doesn’t get any easier. It always seems like the one chicken that you love the most is the one that passes first.

RIP Gracie Girl aka Goose. You will be missed.

Smooster, my friend

by Jacqueline
(Fostoria, Michigan)

He was the most beautiful rooster. He came to us at six months old. A mix between Americauna and Aracauna. He had his hands full right away taking care of four hens.

My son originally named him Michelangelo and then changed it to a shorter name of Senor. For some some reason one day I called him Smooster and it stuck.

One day when the hens were squabbling, he jumped on my head thinking I did something to them. He never did that again.

The first time I wore my pink tennis shoes out to do chores he was so intrigued by them. He would follow me around pecking at them. Needless to say, I went back to wearing my chore boots.

He would strut around so proud of himself. He would make it difficult for me to pick him up. But when I did, he would cuddle with me and usually fall asleep. Whoever said roosters were mean didn’t know my Smooster. He loved being held onto.

I went out yesterday morning to do my chores and when Smooster didn’t come down from his chicken house like the other chickens I knew something was wrong.

During the winter I always give them a little oatmeal with their feed. He usually lets the hens eat first but he loves the oatmeal so much that I started calling it “Smooster’s oatmeal”.

I opened up the chicken house and he was lying there dead. He had been perfectly fine the day before. I checked him over and didn’t see anything wrong. I was extremely upset.
I had just lost a dear friend and didn’t know why.

When I went out that night, I opened up the chicken house and one of my chickens, Marigold, was sitting where Smooster had died with her head hung low. Marigold had always been Smooster’s favorite hen.

How easily we forget that animals mourn also.
In the spring I’ll get another rooster to protect my hens, but no one can replace my Smooster.

Roger and Elena

by Anonymous
( )

I never missed my first chickens so badly. Roger might been a bit aggressive but I loved him so much. I first got them at 4/22/20.

My neighbours reported us having them, (probably because Roger kept Cockle-doodle-doo) so we had no choice but to kill them.

My mom tried to call the animal shelter, farms, and more, but they were out. One day, when I was at school, my mom had to kill them without telling me.

I still miss them. I’m sorry if your chickens died to. God bless you pumpkins!

Love, mommy

Ruby, beautiful girl

by Pingala
(Thora, NSW, Australia)

Goodbye Ruby, the most beautiful and magnificent Isa Brown girl . . .

Don't know why she passed, we found her on her side under the house where it is cooler and she liked to go. It may have been a stroke from heat exhaustion or a snake bite.

Ruby would sit with me and have a lovely chat. She will be missed by all the family and her dear sister, Bella, who is now all alone. So sad. Though not alone for long, I plan to find Bella company soon.

Farewell, Ruby, you were loved so much and are very missed.

Memorial to Peepije

by Human Parents of Peepije
(Minneapolis, MN)

Peepije was the loudest of the lot as a chick. She was a beautiful Buff Orpington and laid pretty pink-ish eggs during the 9 months she was with us.

She had fluffy butt feathers and a lot of personality. She was always the first to come running for the meal worms.

She was our only yellow chick. She didn't like walking in snow, but she loved to eat it. She was very funny. We'll send a card to the other chickens of Peepije.

She will be missed.

Ethel/Russell

by JEA
(United States)

We picked up five chicks last spring. All were supposed to be girls. Not so, as two of five turned out to be roos.

Knowing what I now know about what happens to boys at the breeders, I’m so glad mistakes were made. Ethel (as he was originally known) became Russell when he started to crow. We spent much time playing with him, caring for him, and protecting him.

Today was devastating — Russell was fine this morning, enjoying some watermelon as a treat, and gone by mid afternoon.

Those who say he was “just a chicken” don’t understand. I don’t eat chickens, or any other animal. He was a part of the family which includes a variety of animals, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.