I can't quite believe I'm having to say this, but just three weeks after we lost Mildred, Maud has gone too. Gentle, kind Maud. I never once saw her peck anyone, or anyone else peck her. It was like she was outside of the pecking order, and the others followed her lead because she was so sensible, not because they had to (although a swift peck from Mildred was often forthcoming if they didn't). Maud never pestered for food, never pushed to the front, she understood there would always be enough. Our little flock gravitated around her, always heading back to wherever she was. She was the least treat-oriented chicken, eating a balanced, sensible diet at all times - although this did mean she could not be easily bribed, and between us we have spent hours trying to reason with her when she didn't want to go back into the run. Like Mildred, she didn't like being picked up, and unlike the younger chickens, wouldn't usually jump on your knee in the hope of an apple core. But if you sat on the grass in the sunshine she'd often join you for an afternoon nap and a bit of a preen. I have barely any pictures of her without Mildred. The two were inseparable after the stoat attack that killed our other two original chickens. We nursed them back to health, and while they eventually accepted the three new chickens, they spent most of their time together. When Mildred was ill, Maud spent all her time sitting by her side, and looking back we wonder if she just didn't feel too good herself. She's always been slower than the others, more sedate, less likely to run at you from the other end of the garden. Whenever we brought Mildred into the house, Maud came too and the pair of them could nap in the living room for hours at a time towards the end, occasionally waking up for a bit of food. Chickens are good at hiding when they're ill, and for a week or two after Mildred died we thought she was just sad at the loss of her old friend. Eventually though we took her to the vets, who confirmed our suspicions that she was ill herself. She didn't respond to steroids or antibiotics, and slowly got more and more sleepy as (we think) her liver failed. On her last evening, after a day in the house with us, being plied with treats (most of which she ignored, but she did perk up for a bit of yogurt), we took her up to the run with the others. They went over to greet her, and she had a bit of a peck around with them, and then took herself off to her favourite spot in the hen house. When I went to close the door an hour later, she was still there, head under her wing (with one eye peeking out at me), the others surrounding her in a cosy feathery pile. She didn't make it through the night, and I found her in the same place in the morning, head resting on the wall. We buried her under the fruit trees near Mildred, Hermione and Luna, all four of our original chickens back together. It's strange being down to three chickens. The hen house feels very empty, and I keep casting my eyes around looking for the rest. When we first got our new ladies, five seemed so many more than four, and so much harder to count, but three seems such a small number.
I think we'll get more when the British Hen Welfare Trust starts rehoming again, whenever that might be. Yes, we get upset when they go, and yes, it would be nice to go for an impromptu weekend (or even week!) away like the old days, without worrying about them. But the amount of fun we have getting to know their little beaky personalities and their favourite treats, knowing we've given them a chance to know a different life to the one they've had before, outweighs all that. In the meantime, the three remaining chickens have been informed that they are not to get ill, as we just can't take any more chicken tragedies right now.
2 Comments
Mum
3/5/2020 10:22:16 am
Oh that’s sad 😞. You and Peter gave her and her friends a wonderful life and this is a fitting tribute to Maud! x
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TDQKaren
8/5/2020 06:10:56 am
What a beautiful tribute xxxx
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Hello!Sit down and make yourself comfortable. I'm Jenni, and I write here about our new foray into country living, which includes growing food, knitting, baking, wandering around the fields, and seeing which local cafe serves the best cake. Categories
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