# Lost our first chicken today



## Wilbur's Mom (Aug 10, 2017)

We have no idea what happened. This morning hubby checked on the girls and they were all fine and squawking... he went out to get the eggs and one of the barred rock was in the coop, gasping for air. He got her out and set her down, and she just sat there and gasped. Comb looked purple and she didn't lay today. My youngest met me at the garage door with this look, we moved her into the garage and tried to massage her throat and tummy. don't really know what we were doing other than trying to see if it made her better. We left her alone for a bit, then she started flipping around and then she was gone. 

All the other girls are fine, healthy looking, laying and eating good. I just cried....


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

There is a possibility it was heart failure. I had one rooster that when the temp was really high would struggle, his comb would turn so dark it was black, struggled to stand. I could put him in AC and he'd be fine. It finally killed him some months later.


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## Wilbur's Mom (Aug 10, 2017)

I hadn't thought of that. No other signs of illness, just sad. Is heart failure common??


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

I agree with Robin. A purple comb, gasping for air; heart problem or heart valve. There's nothing you couldve done. Sorry for your loss.


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## Wilbur's Mom (Aug 10, 2017)

Thanks ya'll I didn't expect it to bother me so badly.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Hate to tell you this but years from now you're going to feel the same way. It hurts to lose them every darned time. 

I've been trying to prepare myself for my nearly 12 year old bird to leave me. I already know that it's not going to happen.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

WM,I'm sorry for your loss!Robin,chickens can live 20 yrs or more with the right conditions.You're so right,too,it never gets easy to lose them.


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## Wilbur's Mom (Aug 10, 2017)

well ya'll know how we lost one of the girls last week, well before she passed we were getting 5 eggs from 6 hens a day. After she passed, the next day we started getting 5 eggs from 5 hens! The last hen that I was worried about being a late bloomer, started laying. So sweet I thought.


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## SonoranChick (Oct 23, 2017)

I am sorry for your loss. I am far more attached to my hens than I ever expected to be, and I understand how sad you must feel. I will be thinking of you and hope you find peace in your flock. They are always great therapy.


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## Wilbur's Mom (Aug 10, 2017)

Thanks Sonoran!


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## chickenstricken (Oct 22, 2017)

I am sorry to hear you lost a chicken. Everyone here is right, it never gets easier. By now I own over 170 chickens, yet every time one disappears or dies (I had a cochin die from heat one summer) that seems to have been that special one. 
Sometimes you just have to accept that you cannot do anything about it.


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## Sara Silver (Nov 27, 2017)

I'm sorry about your girl. When we first went to get our chicks, we only wanted two... So the breeder told us to take 4 because so often, little bitty chicks don't make it. He was correct. We did everything the breeder, the books, and our mentor said. But it was just the same as you experienced- one minute fine, the next...gone.

When we went to get our next chosen breed of hen, we followed the same rule of thumb and got 6 instead of the 3 we planned on. This time, they got to the point a lot of their feathers were even in and all was still ok- we thought we could breathe easy and had even started instead, to stress over what we were going to do with double the hens we'd planned on... Then one day, my husband heard an odd noise from one. She seemed to be sitting low and her breast heaving a bit. We didn't get a chance to do a damn thing. She blinked slowly a few times, fell over on her side and was gone. Birds are just so delicate, especially when it comes to disease and their respiratory systems.

At least she was the only one to pass. And we were fortunate enough that a neighbor who'd been wanting her own coop for a long time wanted to adopt 3 of the survivors, so we weren't over-crowded!


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## mickster71 (Nov 15, 2017)

Wilbur's Mom said:


> We have no idea what happened. This morning hubby checked on the girls and they were all fine and squawking... he went out to get the eggs and one of the barred rock was in the coop, gasping for air. He got her out and set her down, and she just sat there and gasped. Comb looked purple and she didn't lay today. My youngest met me at the garage door with this look, we moved her into the garage and tried to massage her throat and tummy. don't really know what we were doing other than trying to see if it made her better. We left her alone for a bit, then she started flipping around and then she was gone.
> 
> All the other girls are fine, healthy looking, laying and eating good. I just cried....


Sorry to hear that, must have been horrible to see and watch her struggle till she died, luckily the rest of your girls are fine , you did your best and you gave her a home, keep you're chin up


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