Sweet girl Henny Penny with the crooked foot

by Sarah

Our girl Henny Penny was a gorgeous ISA brown with a crooked toe. She had the friendliest temperament and would always come up to us when we supervised her while she was out with her sisters scratching through the grass. She was the only one who didn't mind us patting her and carrying her. She was just lovely.

Sadly one morning just before the end of this year, Henny Penny was frightened by one of her sisters and flew over our fence into our yard where our two dogs and two visiting dogs were. The visiting dogs chased her and grabbed her. I ran into the yard in hysterics and was able to save her before they killed her, but she never recovered from the shock and trauma of the incident and died that evening.

I am totally heart broken and feel so guilty for letting her out of her coop that fateful morning. Rest easy, my beautiful Henny Penny. I miss you so much already.

Our Beloved Alberta

by Zoey
(Taylor Michigan)

We first got Alberta when she was just a little chick, me and my mom went to tractor supplies to get some feed for the chickens we already had. Even though my dad said no more chickens I just saw the cutest little chicks in the world and imminently got my and showed her the chicks.

It was love at first sight. Mom bought four new chicks to add to our family.

When we picked Alberta and she ended up being bigger than the other birds, we just thought she was older. But no, she was a Silkie!

We loved Alberta, she was one of the best chickens we've ever had.

Today when I went to check on the birds I saw Alberta just laying there lifeless. There were tears shed and parents should normally be the strong ones for the family, but my mom just held her lifeless body and cried.

I had to be the strong one, I had to support my family emotionally.

I'm 11.

Houdini

by Ann
(Diepenbeek Belgium)

She was a very smart and loving chicken. I loved watching her as a caring mother. ❤

A memorial to my lost babies

by Emma
(Iowa)

Coffee was a silkie rooster who I had for a long long time. He was the sweetest rooster in the world.I got him as a gift for my birthday when I was a teenager showing in 4-H.

His hens were named Sugar and Honey. They both passed away a few years earlier than him, one from coccidia and one from infection from fly strike. I fought hard to save them, but I couldn't. I miss those girls.

I got him a beautiful black hen named Lafawnda. She passed away from I think egg peritonitis. She had so much personality, she was amazing.

Coffee was alone for a long time, then I had the opportunity to rescue a couple red laying hens from slaughter and he had girls again. They reminded me of her. They had so much personality and were so much fun.

Then, one day, one of them got sick. I never got around to naming her, as she looked just like her sister and I could never tell them apart. She passed away shortly after that.

Then I found Coffee gone. I think I was so devastated by the hen I had tried to save's death, it didn't hurt me as much as I thought it would.

Then I had another opportunity to rescue 4 little banties. Two roosters, two hens. I finally recently named them after Regular Show Characters, Margaret and Eileen and the rooster Ben.

One of my roosters started dragging a leg. So I isolated him and took him to the vet. Mareks or a slipped ligament, the vet said. I think these guys are younger, but I wasn't sure. He's been slowly losing muscle and can't barely stand anymore.

I was so hopeful he'd be able to get around on one leg but since he's gotten worse I have a feeling something else is going on. I know I'm going to lose him.

Then today, Margaret died suddenly. I'm devastated and missing all my babies. I love them all so much, they meant so much to me.

Issa. Our most friendly and loved.

We hatched Issa. She had quirky head feathers and a real look to her that stood out amongst the barnyard mix. My daughter named her along with her sister Minnie.

Those hens were played with daily, sang too and Issa always came to greet us. She loved finding company and lead the flock.

Issa passed away by unknown causes. I am sad to tell the children of her passing...

Goodnight Issa...

Grieving

by Haley

Hello, it's nice to read everyone's stories here. It does give me some comfort knowing I'm not alone in my sadness.

Today, 12/17/2021, I lost 3 out of my flock. I was at work and received a call from my mom that Burt and Barbie were violently killed and Chia was missing.

Despite having 4 cameras to view footage to see how the events unfolded, the events captured were inconclusive to what killed them and how they died. I found it odd that our rooster, Burt, was out by the fire pit about 10 feet from our 6' fence where he usually stays inside. Barbie was inside the fence in the middle of the yard, dead. Chia was missing, we saw some remnants of her feathers in the SW corner of the fence. Pumpkin, the sole survivor, the smallest and weakest of our flock somehow survived the encounter, perhaps was able to hide out.

I struggle with anger over having no closure over the matter. And I can't definitively know if the extra fortifying of my fence is protecting my last girl from where the predator entered.

How could 4 cameras not pick up the motion during a chaotic encounter? I guess my wifi was down for that small window of time, but even yet, 2 of the 4 cameras are connected to my folks' wifi and they have a different internet provider. I doubt both of our internet went out at the same time. Nevertheless those cameras produced nothing either. It's all a big mystery and I can't take my mind away from it.

It angers me so much that I won't ever know truly how it happened, especially having the technology to help...

I won't be able to bury Chia because she was taken, and Pumpkin is now all alone. I will miss Burt's crowing in the morning, I will miss my tom girl Barbie and I will miss seeing their busy bodies around my window waiting for me to toss them some scraps.

It hurts, I'm angry about it.

Love you Burt, Barbie, and Chia. Rest in peace.

Chicken mom of now 1 :(

My lost Burger

by Gabby
(Raymond,ME)

Burger was a sweet Polish rooster. He loved and protected his ladies. He often would stay in the coop with the more shy or broody ladies.

Today, he never came back to roost. I’m so sad. My husband texted me while I was at work and looked everywhere for him in the dark.

Burger, we miss you. We love you.

Rooster Cogburn

by JW
(NW Ohio)

I went out and my one year old Partridge Cochin Rooster Cogburn was just laying in the straw….he died over night.

I don’t know why….he was happy out free ranging with his hens just the day before and came in to roost at evening.

He was a gentle soul and so very beautiful. I’m so glad I hatched out a bunch of his chicks this fall so that his gentle spirit will be carried forward in his sons and daughters.

Fly free buddy!

We miss you, Mrs Redhead

by Beloved
(Sri Lanka)

Meet Redhead... She was our first hen-with our rooster Mr.Red.

Redhead was a very energetic and lucky and pecky... She used to peck other chicks,perhaps to discipline them. She was a healthy country chicken who gave us eggs for as long as I can remember, even the day before her death :(

She had seven chicks -- 3 months old when she died.She was with the chicks till they were ready to eat on their own, then she moved to our smaller coop(We had 2 coops: a BIG coop and a SMALL coop)

Today,she was weary and sleepy. We thought that she had gone broody. But she did not have any eggs at that time! By evening she was still at the same posture as we saw her in the morning.

In the evening,my younger brother carried her and came into her house, where we thought it was best to let her with other hens. But after sunset, mom found her dead on the grass, which made us feel bereft :(

We miss you, Redhead!

Fly high, Dyne

I got Nadyne on 31st October. Well, I got a flock of over 40 birds and so far I have lost 16.

Every single death was devastating, but it's Nadyne who I was honored to spend most time with personally.

Allow me to first mention that I know close to nothing about caring for chickens, and I spend a lot of my time researching online.

So Nadyne was (anti-social?). She just loved being alone but with her flock. She always found her way back to them.

So a week close to our one month anniversary I started to take her outside so she could have some fresh air and not be so fluffed up. She loved it.

Nadyne had the most beautiful black and brown feathers. I do not know what kind of hen she was, but she sure was beautiful.

She had her little friend Lysa who I was isolating too, since she was being pecked. Whatever Lysa did, Nadyne did too. Lysa encouraged Nadyne to eat and Nadyne encouraged Lysa to walk more.

At the end of November, Lysa disappeared and some of the other hens started to pick on Nadyne. I was sad to have lost Lysa on my birthday and I was too exhausted to take care of Nadyne. I thought I had lost her too.

Nadyne hated being cooped up inside and she always tried to move out, so I always had to make sure it did not rain on her, because she was going featherless from being picked on.

I tried so much not to have her picked on, I changed my whole sleep schedule and I do not regret it, she was worth it.

I tried to keep her in our house so that she wouldn't be pecked, but her place was with her flock and as I said, she always found her way to them. She made the saddest sound ever if she wasn't with them.

My girl was a warrior. I always doubted if she would be alive the next day and she always was. The odds were always against her but she was just as strong. She braved a whole month and a week and am super proud of her.

She hated being held or lifted, for whatever reason, she also didn't like taking water much but the day before she passed, I was honored to see her take water on her own for the first time.

She passed on Saturday 4th December and I miss her along with the other 15.

Good night Nadyne, mama loves you.I will think of you when it rains and every other moment.

Betty, my rooster, died suddenly this morning

by Sandra
(La Grange, Tx, USA)

I got Betty as a very young chick and named him before we realized he was a rooster. He was one of my first flock.

I tried to change his name, but we kept calling him Betty. He was a beautiful blue color and very protective of his flock.

Yesterday Betty appeared well. When I went out to the coop this morning he was crouched on the floor and would not come out. Thirty minutes later I went to check on him and he was on his back and had passed away.

I am so sad and will miss him greatly. Betty was a good rooster.

Earnestina

by Jennifer
(Hartwell, Ga)

Earnestina the Golden Seabright- was the sweetest little girl! In the month that we had her, she was very much spoiled and loved.

She had a happy life in spite of being abandoned by her mom.

I will miss her so very much!

Chewie the Walking Plush Toy

by Geoff
(Tennessee)

Chewie was a Silkie. She died last night in her coop, age 9 months.

The only Silkie in our flock, she was furry more than feathered. Watching her walk was often surreal as she more closely resembled a plushy toy.

She began life afraid of her own shadow but in the last few weeks she held an equal place with the flock, keeping her place at the treat bowl. She never was a lap chicken but she was always close to hand.

My little girl will always have a place in our hearts!

She died quickly with no discernible cause which is the hardest part of this. Now we look for ways to prevent more untimely death in our flock.

My 4 losses

by Madison Lawrence
(Saritoga, Utah, United States)

I lost 4 chickens to sickness and being egg bound.

First we lost Jinger - she was only a chick, but she
was the sister of the second chicken.

Then the next chicken was Snowflake. She was my joy and soul mate. Every time I came outside she would come to me and I would come to her.

Then I came back from school one day and my mom told me she was dead. I was devastated.

The third one was Butterscotch. She was just like Snowflake, but Snowflake had lived with us from an egg. But they had so much in common.

Then there was Blue Raspberry. She had the softest, cleanest feathers ever. Then one day I got back from lagoon and she was dead.

I completely lost it on all of the times they died.

We still have ten chickens now, and we are living happily with six teens and 4 grown up chickens.

So right now it's kinda peaceful.