My
Sweetheart died today. Sweetheart was a chicken; one that I have had since she
was an egg around nine years ago. She was born outside of the coop, inside of
the backyard. The coop is now in the backyard but it wasn't then and most
"out-nests" did not/do not survive the nighttime monsters, like
opossum and raccoons. She and her broodmates survived though. She didn't grow
as well as her broodmates though and when she was about 4 or 5 weeks old I
noticed her beak was too long and she was having trouble eating. I clipped her
beak and she started growing but also became very personable, very pet-like. So
her behavior named her, Sweetheart. She was very sweet. She also remained a bit
of a runt though her eggs were medium sized just like most of the other hen's
eggs. Her offspring are all over the place. She survived all the great chicken
catastrophes; last years being the bobcat wiping out 3/4 of the flock (it is
really more like a herd), and the horrid time when the 'coons discovered before
we did that the back of the old coop had rotten wood, she survived the year of
the hawks too. She was not a good mother-hen but she was a good
"aunt-hen" to chicks; and her eggs were often raised by other hens.
And she was still laying eggs until just shy of three months ago. Between her
age and the heat we have been having this year I didn't think much of it but
she was apparently getting sick. I am not sure if it was a tumor or an abscess
gone too long. About a week ago I went out to open the coop and she was already
out--meaning she hadn't gone in--very strange; and strange I had not noticed
she wasn't in there, I almost always looked for her as I looked around before
closing it up. I guess I wasn't feeling well myself. Anyway, she was obviously
not feeling well and she had this "thing" on her back. I put her in a
cage with water and food and stated treating her with antibiotics but she just
kept getting worse and the heat was horrible and not helping. She was not going
to make it. She died early evening in her beloved backyard in a spot that was
very close to the place she was laid, brooded, and hatched. She was a good egg.
2 comments:
I'm so sorry. She does indeed sound like she was a really neat chicken. *huge hugs* This was a beautiful eulogy. Gave me goosebumps.
Thanks Todd.
She was older than most people realize chickens live and she gad a pretty good life. We had a special fire to burn her and salute her life and service to our family.
It was a bit weird going out there today and her not being there; she was with us for a while. It is sad.
She had a unique position in the pecking order of the herd too. It will be interesting to see if any of them try to take that position. At some point yesterday, all the chickens had stopped by her cage and hung out a bit; they knew. No one stepped up as head rooster last year after the bobcat got the "old man" (and the next few in line). But there are three who were broodmates that seem to be the head ones now. Sweetheart was very different though.
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