Dandelion looked so lovely yesterday so it was a shock to see her looking really poorly today. She was sitting in the run with her eyes closed and her chest was bobbing up and down with her breathing. Cinnamon was sitting with her keeping her company.
Cinnamon keeps Dandelion company
Dandelion has her eyes closed
After all the wrangling over the last few days about Dandelion’s future she has now made the decision for me. I think she was having an egg related problem.
Dandelion had laid eight eggs, laying every other day and was due to lay today. I don’t understand why she was having a problem because her eggs were tiny and had good shells but I have seen this with her enough times in the past to know that she was now having a problem.
If I had to have her put to sleep then I would rather do it while she was looking poorly like today than while looking great like yesterday. Fate seems to have intervened and made the decision for me. I rang the vet and booked an appointment as early as they could fit me in.
By the time it was our turn to be seen Dandelion was looking more stressed than I had ever seen her. Her breathing was rapid and her beak was open.
The vet was a different one to the one who had called me and who wasn’t back in until Monday. This vet was really kind and agreed that she thought it was egg related. She asked if I wanted to be present while Dandelion was put to sleep as not everyone does but I said that I would rather stay with her.
The vet got another vet to assist her. The other vet held her while the first vet found a vein under her wing to inject her. They were both so gentle and kind and I talked to Dandelion to try to sooth her. It was very quick and gentle and I stroked her and cried over her but I knew this was the kindest thing for her.
We have always said that Dandelion was the chicken with nine lives. We have been lucky to have her for three years. In her first summer she came back from laying soft shelled eggs, she has come back from myco during two winters and last summer was the only girl to come back from a prolapse. Dandelion was a fighter.
We are so sad to lose her and I feel for poor Cinnamon who will be lost without her. They were such a tight little pair from the moment they came into the flock. Cinnamon has been standing alone at the spot where they both were in the photos above.
I will be doing a tribute to Dandelion soon but at the moment I am too upset to say anything more.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
I am so sorry Carol – what a dreadful decision to have to make but as you say perhaps Dandelion did it for you! 🙁 xx
In the end Dandelion did do it for me. I am glad that it is over and we can start to move on. Dandelion won’t suffer any more and I won’t have to nurture her through any more winters. She won’t ever be forgotten. I do feel for Cinnamon at the moment. xx
Really sorry – such an awful situation. It shows just how quickly they can go downhill. Cinnamon will look lost; over the years, this has happened to several of my girls and they’ve been okay, but have never forged such a close bond with any other hen. Really feel for you.
Thank you so much for your support and understanding. It’s a shame that Cinnamon outcast herself from the other little girls and now with the loss of Dandelion, who had always been her sidekick, she only has the bigger girls to hang out with. Today she has been totally alone or sitting with the bigger girls. It is sad but like us all we have to adapt. I guess for now she will just hang out with the bigger girls.
So, so sorry, but how strange this happend when you were having to make such a difficult
decision. Let us all hope that the problem is now over. We are thinking of you, we know how very much you love all your girls.
It was strange that this happened now. She had looked a bit down before laying her last couple of eggs and whatever the problem was it had obviously got worse. It made feel better about letting her go although it didn’t stop me crying over her. I am glad it’s over, it’s been an awful few days.
I’m so sorry. I recently lost a hen too (Beyoncé) and it’s hit me hard as well. Not sure what she had, but she was a bit lethargic and not her normal happy self (and didn’t lay eggs, but it was winter so most of the girls didn’t). One thing though is how many great memories we have of our feathered friends, whether it’s funny, cute, sweet, naughty, or anything in between.
Sending love and pecks to you (from me and my flock)
I am sorry that you lost your girl too. You are right that we have our memories. I can still hear Dandelion’s lovely, bell like, voice and see her queenly walk. She won’t be forgotten.