3 Little Indians

 Sunday night, Henny Penny passed away.

At first she seemed to be improving,but Sunday she was quiet and lethargic.

I knew it was going to be the end.

 I buried her down in the pasture in the "Pet Cemetery"

(really, there's a horse, 3 dogs, 2 cats, 2 rabbits and a turtle there)

She was the coolest chicken I've ever met

and I doubt I'll meet another one as cool as she.

I'm now down to three chickens:

1 Speckled Sussex, 1 Jersey Giant and Zombie who is a Brown Leghorn I think.

Zombie is the only one old enough to lay eggs and she isn't.

I've been checking them daily for signs of illness and so far so good.  

Though part of me right now wonders if it's all worth it. 

I now have 5 chickens to replace and I'm guessing the cost could

be $50+.

I'm supposed to be heading to the Maryland Poultry Swap in a week and a half,

but my heart just isn't in it.

The Last Brown Egg

Yesterday I dosed Henny Penny 

with antibiotics and Nutri Boost

and she seems to be slightly improved.  

The rattling in her breathing is gone and she is eating and drinking

all promising signs.

I also managed to get home and clean and sanitize the coop and accessories.

Earlier in the day
I let the chickens out.
They were out for maybe 15 minutes
and in that time, Blaze Starr disappeared.
My brother searched the fields for any signs of her or feathers or anthing
but there was nothing.
Could have been the fox,
though my brother and I are leaning towards alien abduction.
So I collected the last brown egg
until the pullets start laying
(Zombie lays white eggs)
So I got the coops all cleaned and all the stuff sanitized.
While I was at it, I kept an eye on how the 3 chicken in the coop were behaving.
All 3 got along.
Zombie didn't chase or peck anyone,
and all 3 were able to eat together at the same time.
Something that never happened with Blaze
who did nothing but terrorize the smaller chickens.
So, while I'm sad I'm a chicken down,
I'm not sad she's gone.
Seriously thinking her bullying behavior created the stressful environment
that allowed this illness to take hold.
 

The Ongoing Saga of Henny Penny

I seriously feel like I'm in a chicken soap opera.

It's been a rough 24 hours with the chickens.

I noticed something wrong with one of the Jersey Giants
yesterday evening but because of a scouting event I was required to attend,
there wasn't anything I could do.
At 10pm when I got home,
I found the sick pullet near the end
and she died in my arms in the rain by the light of my head lamp.
It was at that moment that I discovered Henny Penny also showing signs of illness.
This meant a sleepless night for me
as I researched the possible causes (respiratory infection)
can treatment.
In the morning, Penny was looking worse.
I wasn't sure she'd even make it long enough for me to treat her.
So I ran out to TSC to get what I needed
and set up the "chicken hospital" in my parents' basement.

When I got to the house at lunch,
she was thankfully alive.
I took her inside and began administering the drugs.
Ever give a chicken a shot?
You need at least 2 more hands.
Penny promptly bit me once I finished with the injection.
Then I had to pry her beak open to give her some Nutri-Boost.
The Nutri-Boost is supposed to help with dehydration, boost the immune system and help the antiboptic work more effectively.
I think I wore more of the foul smelling and looking stuff than I managed to get into her mouth.
When I was through and put her back in her cage,
she immediately started eating.

I'm hoping that's a positive sign.
I get to give her 2 more injections today.
I'm hoping to see signs of improvement this evening.