Comments on: A Chicken Update…and Some Bad News About Maxine

By: Maggie

Maggie — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:28:05 +0000

Last night I just recently lost my chicken, Lilian (Lily). In November I lost ALL 3 chicks that I got at the State Fair in August. Their names were Dakota,Luna, and Isabella (Bella). It made me VERY mad, becuz ALL of those chicks we’re pecked to death!!! Fortunetly Dakota was buried b4 all the snow came, but now I have Luna, Bella, and Lily in a box in my garege waiting for the snow to break!!!!

By: Cat

Cat — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:02:55 +0000

Ha! I noticed I wrote “coup” instead of “coop”…

By: Cat

Cat — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:02:01 +0000

Oh, poor Maxine! I had a friend in Oregon who enjoyed a flock of pet chickens, and oh my gosh the stories she used to tell! They are fun little creatures! We’ve thought about building a coup but we have visiting raccoons and our neighbor swears he saw coyotes in the neighborhood. I’m not sure we wouldn’t be creating a walk-thru buffet for the local wildlife!
Love your blog.

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:51:02 +0000

Sorry to hear about Maxine. Chickens love to eat just about everything, especially if it flies are crawls. My Isabelle, was chasing a small harmless snake that is about the size of an earthworm. I did not want her to kill the snake, but she managed to get it before I could stop her and swallowed it. Within a few hours, she had the same symptoms and also died. There really is not much one can do. I keep my penned because of coyotes, but still snakes and bug crawl into their grounds. Even butterflies can kill some birds. Not sure if this helped you much,….when I lose one of my chickens, it upsets me so. Blessings, Kathleen

By: Diana

Diana — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:49:12 +0000

I’m sorry to hear about Maxine. Poor thing. This is the first time I’m posting with you, although I’ve curiously checked in to see what’s going on occasionally. The name of your blog is what pulled me in, as I love bees, but I have to admit, I like the idea of chickens too. Although I always fancied myself more of a “duck type” of pet owner, if only I had the acreage and the blessings of neighbors. Good luck. I’ll keep looking in.
-D

By: Val at The Illustrated Garden

Val at The Illustrated Garden — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:28:06 +0000

My heartfelt condolences on the loss of Maxine. I, too, have experienced the helplessness of trying to find a chicken-friendly vet.

But I’m glad to hear that the rest of your flock is doing so well. And your photo is priceless. Is the glass of wine for you or for the hen?

By: Kate

Kate — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:48:34 +0000

Not that this helps you, but our vet also specializes in birds and will gladly see chickens and ducks. He gave us great advice when we had a sick duck in the past… Sorry about your loss. Poor Maxine.

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:22:03 +0000

I am so sorry to read about your lovely Maxine. She was a beauty and I’m sure she did enjoy a spoiled life while she was with you.

By: Rhonda

Rhonda — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 03:21:56 +0000

I lost one of my sweet hens this Spring in what sounds like a very similar problem. I was fortunate enough to have a vet from the state poultry lab come look at her. He prescribed a general antibiotic but it was not effective. She died a couple of weeks later and the vet conducted a post-mortem exam and found that she had a very large lump of undigested grass in her crop which would not allow food to pass into her system. He said he had never seen this before and that to remove it would have required a surgical procedure which she probably would not have survived.
Being a caretaker of animals definately has limitless rewards, but it also has its share of heart breaks. I am sorry for your loss.
Rhonda

By: Theresa/GardenFreshLiving

Theresa/GardenFreshLiving — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:12:03 +0000

Hey Robin,
So very sorry about Maxine.

Since I have been looking at getting chickens myself, I asked my local vet about where to take them if they get sick. He suggested a vet that specializes in exotic birds. I found an exotic bird vet and YES they will see chickens. I spoke to some other chicken owners and they all said the same thing…Exotic Bird vets were the only ones that will see chickens as pets — At least here in California.

Perhaps you can see if there is a vet like that in your area for any future sickness of your lovely chickens.