I lost my hen, Moira today. What started as vent gleek turned into sour crop. I tried everything I knew to do for her. I've only had chickens for 4 years and this is my fourth loss. I've lost 2 to predation and now 2 to illness. I just feel like I'm doing something wrong. My chickens free range which I know comes with added risks. Something could get them, they could get into something or eat something they shouldn't. But I want them to be happy and have space to explore and forage and I always considered quality of life more important than quantity. But I feel so guilty that I've lost so many. I'm just tired that of there being only one vet in town that sees chickens and you can never get in with them, I'm tired of having an arsenal of meds and treatments and still not being able to save them, I'm tired of feeling like a terrible chicken keeper. Please someone tell me I'm not alone here, that these kinds of loses happen.
Feeling defeated, Lost another hen today.
- Thread starter JessMcg
- Start date
You are definitely not alone.
How many birds have you had over the last 4 years?
Just 4 losses seems very small to me, especially considering that they free range so I personally think you are doing very well.
I've had chickens for 4.5 years and have lost 11 birds. I've had 2 predator losses, 2 birds that seemed to have flown into a wall and broken their necks, 3 euthanized from reproductive issues, one died that I was trying to treat but never really knew what was wrong with her, one euthanized that the vet diagnosed as cancer, one from a prolapsed vent that wouldn't stay in when laying resumed in the spring and one from complications to vent gleet. Every loss is painful. Some more than others but I have come to accept it. EVERYTHING that is born or hatched will eventually die and we never now when or how.
They are chickens. They don't live long. You need to come to terms with that.
It sounds like you are giving them a great life. Mourn them but don't let it overwhelm you. None of us are getting out of this alive!
Just 4 losses seems very small to me, especially considering that they free range so I personally think you are doing very well.
I've had chickens for 4.5 years and have lost 11 birds. I've had 2 predator losses, 2 birds that seemed to have flown into a wall and broken their necks, 3 euthanized from reproductive issues, one died that I was trying to treat but never really knew what was wrong with her, one euthanized that the vet diagnosed as cancer, one from a prolapsed vent that wouldn't stay in when laying resumed in the spring and one from complications to vent gleet. Every loss is painful. Some more than others but I have come to accept it. EVERYTHING that is born or hatched will eventually die and we never now when or how.
They are chickens. They don't live long. You need to come to terms with that.
It sounds like you are giving them a great life. Mourn them but don't let it overwhelm you. None of us are getting out of this alive!
Last edited:
These things happen its not your fault! It's happened to me many times. I have lost half of my original flock to various diseases and predators. I can't prevent it and neither can you! Your definitely not a terrible chicken keeper. I'm so sorry for your losses.
Tonyroo
Free Ranging
I've lost 14 chicks a couple of years ago because of a bobcat. I was devastated but time and planning healed the wounds for me.
- Thread starter
- #6
Oh, that would be so hard. I had friends who lost their entire flock to a stray dog. Those larger predators can do so much damage.
- Thread starter
- #7
Thank you for saying that. It is so tough and hard not to feel responsible.These things happen its not your fault! It's happened to me many times. I have lost half of my original flock to various diseases and predators. I can't prevent it and neither can you! Your definitely not a terrible chicken keeper. I'm so sorry for your losses.
I have been in similar situations many times. It was really hard, but I had to tell myself it wasn't my fault.
Sometimes I think people with great sensibilities should not keep chickens. Chickens are just not real long lived animals. I know people post with some real old birds, and I have no idea how they get them to live that long.
Are you giving them food, and clean water, and a reasonable shelter? If the answer to that is yes, well then you have no reason to feel guilty.
Try keeping a flock, knowing that birds will come into it, and leave it. I love to let mine out, but doing so, I loose one once in a while, when I do, I lock them up for several days or weeks. Then I let them out again.
We each do things differently, I have never taken them to the vet. Something very sick, I give the coup de grace, and end the suffering.
As my very pratical granddaughter says, "Well that sucks...but now we can get chicks!" It is a pretty tight circle of life.
Mrs K
Are you giving them food, and clean water, and a reasonable shelter? If the answer to that is yes, well then you have no reason to feel guilty.
Try keeping a flock, knowing that birds will come into it, and leave it. I love to let mine out, but doing so, I loose one once in a while, when I do, I lock them up for several days or weeks. Then I let them out again.
We each do things differently, I have never taken them to the vet. Something very sick, I give the coup de grace, and end the suffering.
As my very pratical granddaughter says, "Well that sucks...but now we can get chicks!" It is a pretty tight circle of life.
Mrs K
You are def not alone. As an empathy, I feel every loss much more deeply than I'd like. I have been keeping chickens for just over 4 years, and I've lost 3 hens and a handful of chicks. The hens were lost to illness. The chicks to shipping stress and failure to thrive.
I lost two of the hens this summer. One was a rescue chicken who was likely quite old. The other was one a broody had raised for me who was only about 3 years old. I also have a duck who lays internally and had to get hormone implants just a couple of weeks ago. I also had a shipped chick arrive nearly dead. I was able to save her after much, much effort, but she is now partially blind. And I adopted another chick who has a slipped tendon that never healed. All of this within about a month. It was overwhelming to the point that I have decided not to get any new chickens.
But everyone is right. Chickens are not long-lived. A lot can go wrong. They hide ailments until it's often too kate to save them. Everything wants to kill them. We can only do so much.
But I completely understand, 100%. It's hard not to blame yourself even though you are doing everything right.
I lost two of the hens this summer. One was a rescue chicken who was likely quite old. The other was one a broody had raised for me who was only about 3 years old. I also have a duck who lays internally and had to get hormone implants just a couple of weeks ago. I also had a shipped chick arrive nearly dead. I was able to save her after much, much effort, but she is now partially blind. And I adopted another chick who has a slipped tendon that never healed. All of this within about a month. It was overwhelming to the point that I have decided not to get any new chickens.
But everyone is right. Chickens are not long-lived. A lot can go wrong. They hide ailments until it's often too kate to save them. Everything wants to kill them. We can only do so much.
But I completely understand, 100%. It's hard not to blame yourself even though you are doing everything right.
Similar threads
New posts New threads Active threads
-
Latest threads
-
Do you raise Lamona chickens?- Started by CrazyChickenLady123
- Replies: 0
-
Sand or Deep Litter for Large Barn-style Coop with 70+ Chickens- Started by GiantChickensRock
- Replies: 0
-
-
-
Silkie color help- grey with black and white striped wings & white with black splotches on wings?
- Started by compostgirl
- Replies: 4
-
-
Threads with more replies in the last 15 days
-
-
-
Ended Official BYC Poultry Caption Contest 02-07-25 Pic by HoneyMoran- Started by TwoCrows
- Replies: 80
-
-
-
