Freddy

by Roy
(Liberal Kansas )

I had a bay chicken named Freddy and he was sick, so my grandma made him feel better. But I made a mistake and drowned him.

I punished myself by making myself feel really bad. My dad came and I cried in his arms telling him it's all my fault.

He tried to make me feel better but it didn't work.

I will always remember Freddy in my heart.

For Belle.

by Alison
(Pillemoine, France)

Just a small black chicken, so gutsy with her friend Joséphine, a rather ugly little speckled hen with hardly any comb.

These two were inseparable and in awe of Basil the Orpington cock who looked after them. They lived in a little chalet with a large run.

They were always prolific layers. Belle laid small brown eggs. Always one a day for me. They never went broody so efforts to raise chicks came to nothing.

Dear Basil died suddenly three weeks ago. From??? The chickens were like lost souls. But they had one another.

Then today I found Belle lying dead in the run. Her black feathers still so lovely and bright. So sad.

And poor Joséphine left by herself.

Just writing this has helped. Thank you.

Copsy

by Sarah
(Devon, UK)

Copsy hatched on 14th May 2020. She was an assisted hatch and very poorly, but she was a fighter.

I syringe fed her the first week until she gained some strength. When she was six weeks old she went outside with her friends. She then had a blockage which I cleared.

There were several beautiful sunny days where Copsy would chase her friends to catch them up. She was tiny but a real little fighter. She was happy.

Yesterday in the coop she had a funny turn but recovered enough to spend another day with her friends. This morning she ate her breakfast with everyone else although she was very delicate.

This evening I found Copsy passed away on the coop floor. I tried my best Copsy. Rest in peace dear. You were loved and cherished.

Love Mummy xxxx

Pepper

by Nilein
(NT, Australia )

It was a black chicken and it was the first I ever got.

About 5 month ago it was unable to stand up and it got worse gradually. We found that it was paralysed because it had eaten something.

However we gave him medicated feed and cared for him and about 3 weeks ago he got better. He started walking and moving around.

Today his head was out on the ground and he was barely blinking. He didn't eat or drink. I had to feed him and make him drink.

I let him rest and when I got back he was dead.

Reggie

by Ann
(London)

This week's update. Tomorrow Reggie would have been 9 weeks old but we found him dead yesterday.

We spend some time with them the evening before and we were feeding them food from our hand, they were getting so familiar with us. In AM he was dead.

We have no idea what happened but the most likely case is that he got pecked on although there were no signs of struggle or blood.

Sigma has been however pecking on chicks but they were too fast and always escaping her and Pi the mother hen was protecting them if it was too aggressive. Maybe she missed it.

We have a coop cam but of course between 9-AM it didn’t record anything so we can’t be sure. It was not too cold or hot, there was no way any predator got in, it could’ve been a disease but we would have seen that they are not well before.

We don’t know for sure but it seems that Pi was preventing Sigma from going into the coop last evening, I think to probably protect the other chick or the chick is ill too and they didn’t want to be near it however they seem to be ok being around it during the day so...

I’m sad. Life is fragile and Mother Nature is a b*%^*.

Our beloved Emma

by Bianca
(Sycamore IL)

Emma was a lavender Orpington. Emma was gray in color, didn’t quite grow her comb, yet, and never got to lay an egg. She loved her flock, and treats.

My sons and I loved Emma very much. She leaves behind 9 other lavender Orpingtons.

My husband forgot to count the 10 chickens before putting them to bed. She was left out, in the run. We have no idea if she was alive or dead before he locked the coop door, because he didn’t check on the run afterwards, to be sure no chicken was missed.

These fragile little lives depend on us. One casual action can mean their life. 💔 We suspect she died of a heart attack, away from her flock.

I can’t imagine how scared she must have been, what animals taunted her through the construction mesh how lonely she must have felt.

My heart is broken.

Rest In Peace, sweet lady Emma. We love and miss you so much.

Peggy

by Rosemary
(Oxford)

We sadly lost Peggy before she reached her first birthday.

She had been broody and had lost a lot of weight. We tried our best to keep feeding her and getting her to drink and just as she seemed to be getting better, she died suddenly one night.

She was a Golden Brahma and very beautiful - she had the sweetest nature and we miss her enormously.

She is irreplaceable and we will always remember her.

Hey hey

by Jennifer
(Baton Rouge Louisiana )

2 1/2 years ago on Valentine's Day my boyfriend brought home 6 baby chicks. We had nothing ready for these babies, but that changed quickly. Out of the 6 baby chicks, there was a rooster that I named Antonio.

My "girls" started laying eggs within a short time. Oh the chicken pen grew and changed and they have been loved and pampered everyday. They enjoy all of the goodies like frozen fruit during these hot July days in Louisiana.

I go out to their pen several times a day for various chores but mainly to check their water. This morning everyone was great.

I went out again at noon....everyone was fine...went out this evening and sadly found one of my girls had died. Suddenly. Just like that. She's the second one that I lost in the last 3 months with no obvious illness, no weight loss or change of habits and no warning.

So I feel pretty bummed about it and of course question myself.

If you give me something to love and care for ... with a heart beat....well I guess it's only natural to feel this sadness.

We'll remember you dear chick

by Frank Berenson
(Nebraska)

Today, 7/23/2020, one of our 7 chicks died. He was a lovely silver laced chick that was 1 month old.

He was growing like weeds, and was one of the largest in the group. Unfortunately, a rock fell on the poor fellow while he was digging for worms.

Just 6 chicks left now, sigh.

We'll remember you dear chick! Farewell I guess then. My other two chicks died because of coccidiosis.

Freddie’s memories

by Kristin
(Woburn ma)

I got Fred as a baby just a week old and had him for not even 2 yrs. he was very aggressive the only one that could get near him was my husband.

But I enjoyed him so much even just from afar watching him with his girls.

Miss Orange, Big Bird and Duckie

by Marshall Farm
(Camarillo CA, USA)

All three of these Buff Orpingtons were the best girls. Ms.Orange was our first and she laid several double yolk eggs for us in her short lifetime.

Our beautiful Big bird did the same. However she was picked up a couple times and dropped by a hawk and was never the same.

Duckie was the chicken that clucked like a duck-quack! I believe she was egg bound after a molt but not sure because she was so beautiful.

It was hard to tell after inspection and it was heartbreaking.

To our loving beauties, all gone too soon, RIP. Thank you for the joy!🧡🙏💛🙏🧡

RIP Chrissie

by Deb H
(Vancouver, BC)

Chrissie was a one year old white Leghorn - one of three girls I bought from a commercial farmer three months ago.

They are my first chickens and I have totally fallen in love with them - their fluffy behinds, their beautiful white plumage, their funny way of racing around, and their love of blueberries and cherries and basically any food.

Chrissie was top of the pecking order but she didn’t grow as much as the other two and yesterday I realized she was really sick. I let them out to free range while I watch them in the evenings and give them treats then give them oats by hand to get them back in the coop.

Last night, Chrissie just came and lay at my feet and I could tell she was very ill. Today, the vet said she had something seriously wrong with her liver and heart and said there was nothing we could do, so we had to put her down.

I’m worried the other two will be sad and I feel very sad myself, as well as touched by how much she trusted me at the end. Leghorns are known as flighty and hard to tame, but she was the friendliest of the three, and last night it felt as though she wanted to be close to me for comfort.

I did everything I could and now I guess all that’s left to do is thank you, Chrissie, for the yummy eggs and all the happiness I’ve had these past three months of the pandemic sitting watching you.

AI’ll miss you. ❤️🐓❤️