Another hen passed. She was looking quite ragged and tired, but didn’t seem distressed. She was with the flock eating and drinking, until she couldn’t. I gave her access to one last grubbly treat, and helped her access water, then let her lay in the coop where she grew up, surrounded by her sister hens. It is a hard call, letting go or assisting. Since she wasn’t in obvious pain, I chose to let her slip away on her own time. I’ve done the final scramble before, with force feeding and medicines and stress, both for me and the hen, and it really isn’t dignified, and completely unnecessary to put her through that in her last days. Hatchery quality hens only have a life span of about 4-7 years, and she was there. May her next life be as peaceful.

Magic the hen is having her recurring pain flareup. I think it has something to do with a leg joint. She hurts it, then has trouble walking, loses weight, it heals, she puts on weight, then she hurts it again. It is about a six month cycle. She is in the stage where she can’t jump up onto the roost at night, so I built her an elevated nest.

The other chickens had to check out what I did as well, but Magic was the first.

This is the corner Magic huddles in when she can’t roost. She appreciated the elevation, and I feel better about her not getting bombed by the other hens in the morning.

I do have to rebuild the corner in the morning, because the chickens kick away the shavings looking for bugs, but I think this is less stressful for her than when I go in and place her on the roost at night.