A Family Guide To Keeping Chickens (59 page)

After a Loss

If you need to know why a chicken has died, the vet can perform a postmortem. This could be useful if you suspect a contagious disease but might not be conclusive.

Make sure the other chickens are healthy and that any problems have been fully resolved before buying new birds, although if you are down to just one hen she should be given a companion sooner rather than later.

Losing chickens is part of keeping them but there’s nothing ‘wrong’ with feeling sad when it happens. Give your chickens the best possible life and, when the time comes, you will be able to offer a good home to some more lucky hens.

Key Points

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Chickens can die suddenly without any obvious reason

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Try to identify any mistakes to prevent further losses

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Culling is preferable to allowing a bird to suffer – otherwise the vet must be consulted

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The vet can administer euthanasia by injection

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Never eat a chicken that has died unless it was a healthy bird slaughtered for the table

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Dead chickens should be disposed of in accordance with current DEFRA guidelines

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Chickens may live about eight to ten years, depending on the breed

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Make sure the other chickens are healthy before buying replacement birds

It’s sad to think about chickens dying, but you should know what to do when it happens. What did you learn from
Chapter 14
?

Question One

Which of these statements is wrong?

(a) Chickens are good at hiding illness

(b) Chickens will soon let you know if they aren’t well

(c) Regular checks can help you to spot problems

Question Two

If a chicken is too ill to get better what should you do?

(a) Leave her in peace to die with her friends around her

(b) Have her put to sleep

(c) Keep her warm and hope she will recover anyway

Question Three

What should you do with a chicken that has died of disease?

(a) Eat it

(b) Bury it in the garden

(c) Have the body incinerated at a registered premises

Question Four

What’s the average lifespan of a chicken?

(a) Two years

(b) Eight to ten years

(c) Twenty years

Question Five

When chickens die, what should you do in the future?

(a) Quickly buy some more

(b) Stop keeping chickens in case you have done something wrong

(c) Make sure there is no disease in the flock before introducing new hens

Answers

One (b); Two (b); Three (c); Four (b); Five (c)

You now know all about chickens from eggs to eggsit!

‘Walking on eggshells’: You would have to step very lightly to walk on eggshells without breaking them! This saying describes handling a delicate subject or situation. For example: ‘George was very sad when his favourite chicken died, and we tried not to upset him further – but talking to him was like walking on eggshells.’

What do you call a chicken ghost?

A poultry-geist!

Start a chicken scrapbook so you will always remember the chickens you have kept. Give each hen a page (or more if you like). Write the name of the hen at the top of the page and add her photo or do a drawing. Include details of her breed, colour, age, the colour eggs she lays, any unusual characteristics, the date you bought her and anything else you feel is important.

You could also attach some of the hen’s feathers or make a pattern out of pieces of her eggshells – wash feathers and eggshells with disinfectant before using them.

If you have never much noticed the varying seasons before, keeping chickens will change your perspective. Each time of year brings something different.

Spring