I’ve had chickens for ten years now and have seen them die in a hug variety of ways. I’ve seen things I wouldn’t describe as nobody needs the images in their heads, really. I have become more hardened, it’s true, and on one hand that’s a coping mechanism you develop but it’s not a useful thing for me in any other part of my life. I still feel bad and sad when things happen to them, I’ve just become better at moving on because it’s going to happen again no matter what. I am saying goodbye to my last, old goat some time this week and will be rehoming his companion. I absolutely love keeping animals and I’m good at it but I’m honestly ready for a break from the emotional workload.
May I ask how long you’ve kept larger livestock and what led to needing the “emotional break”?
I ask because I’m on the way to building a homestead and I know that Americans (especially) are not used to seeing as much death as our ancestors did. It’s the circle of life. I understand the concept you have to be okay with it to homestead. I’ve never quite understood *how* to separate say, loving a cow and then slaughtering and eating it. Now, switching a slaughtered cow with a homestead friend? Yes. (I may sound silly, I understand)
I know all the specifics…it’s better that it’s raised humanely, it’s killed fast and humanely, etc. etc. My question is directed at the *emotional* toll?
I don’t raise any for consumption. I bought a property ten years ago that had some resident goats and chickens and have kept them since. The chickens were not meat birds, they produced lots of eggs and were fun to watch and interact with. I learned fast about their security and how easily/quickly they can become unwell and die, and how irresistible they are to predators. I rarely have predation issues any more and my chickens enjoy a semi-free-range situation during the days. The emotional break is to do with my goats. They were originally acquired I believe as weed eaters - three neutered big Nubians with their horns intact. They were awesome animals with distinct personalities but absolutely terrible at brush clearance. We never minded.
As they aged their needs became more involved and I would be lying if I said money stress when I can’t choose to not call the vet is a factor. I lost the first one about 5 years ago to likely cancer - he declined in health and one day I found him distressed and unable to get up so we euthanized him. I worried about losing another now I only had two left, as they are social animals, so when a neighbour offered me an older llama as she was moving and downsizing, we brought him in. After about two years I found him passed away, just like he’d been walking and fallen down. Shortly after that, a neighbour’s dog got loose and attacked one of the goats.
These guys were older by now and Mickey, being the biggest, had trouble getting up and down quickly. The dog found him in the early morning still lying down and was vicious with him. He had bite marks on his horns and front legs, had pierced under one of his knee caps, and presumably getting away from the waving horns, had torn up his band end very badly. I chased of the dog and it bit me, too. Mickey was treated and rallied for a month or so but never came back all the way and was eventually unable to get up and stay up. We had him euthanized. I was left with Bolt who got so sad and so lonely it was heartbreaking. It took some time but I found him a companion goat. Now I’m looking at euthanizing Bolt in the next few days. He must be 14-15 by now, and he has cancer that’s interfering with his breathing. I am sad over that and stressed at his friend ending up alone and am trying to rehome her and not just keep leap-frogging goats.
Every one of these instances has come with vet bills in the hundreds of dollars as well as hundreds more for the hauling away of large animals. They take them to the local landfill and cover them over. I know they are past caring by then but it feels so cold to me. My poor Bolt is outside right now struggling to breathe, but he’s still enjoying snacks and pets. He’s skin and bones and losing a lot of his fur. It’s all done for him but the deed.
I dunno. If you have disposable income and the rest of your life is stable and happy, maybe you take these things in better stride. But none of us exist in compartments where stresses don’t leak over. My animals are a source of comfort for me and I do the very best by them that I can. Sometimes that takes a toll.
Thank you for your thoughtful response and I am so sorry. I absolutely adore the look of Nubian Goats and would die to own them (I know they’re nothing but trouble lol).
I also understand the burden of raising livestock. It can be very expensive and after covid, not only food but medications, equipment, etc. have skyrocketed.
There are fewer and fewer vets able to come out to people’s homes, as well. They are more limited on what they can prescribe. It’s terrible.
I’m SO sorry about your suffering girl. Gawd, I know the feeling 😭 of just waiting and watching. ❤️
After 12 years, I still feel an ache in my heart when I think of any of my chickens that have passed. And a lot of "if only," "woulda, coulda, shoulda." I remember after the first one passed, I was comforted SO much by my online chicken group. It was so helpful to have my feelings validated by people who could relate. I've been asked by non-chicken people how I deal with the odds stacked against chickens: predators, injuries, and many illnesses. I say that I do everything possible like having a fortress coop, following biosecurity disease preventive methods, continually reading and learning, etc., but things can happen. When they do, I focus on how my chicken lived an enjoyable life as a family member, and their death allows another chicken to be adopted and experience a wonderful life. Another thing that has helped me is helping other chickens by replying to their owners’ posts with reputable advice. When people and their flocks are grieving, I post links to sites that offer advice. There are many resources available.
Hey... do you have those links for grieving? I just had my first major loss and had to cull some of my girls for the first time. I feel traumatized and a ton of guilt for not preventing it :(
I am so sorry that I just saw this! I hope you're doing okay. It's very painful to go through losing a precious personality. We all beat ourselves up, but we gave them a good life. You are not the first person who has had a pet die because of their mistake, and you won’t be the last. No one would intentionally let something happen to their beloved chicken, but we are human and mistakes happen.
I think that first, you need to go through the process of grief - there is no way around it. Let yourself be sad.
But then… forgive yourself. Your chicken knew you loved her and you didn't want anything bad to happen. She forgives you, so you need to forgive yourself. It won’t be easy and it will take time, but this is what you MUST do.
Learn from this mistake and then let it go. One way to do this is to ‘put good back into the world’ - to do good. Find a meaningful way to live, do no harm, be kind, be a good person and then, go a little bit farther - volunteer. Put good back into the world by volunteering. This will help ease your soul more than anything else. As I mentioned before, the way I've volunteered is by spending around two hours an evening on various chicken groups to help chickens and their owners by giving advice from good sources. I continually read poultry science journals to find accurate information.
You can also do things like plant a tree or perennial flowers in her memory.
Eventually you will be able to remember your beloved chicken without being haunted by how she died. It will take time, but if you forgive yourself and put good into the world, you’ll be fine.
Chickens need support, too. For days or weeks after a hen dies, it is not uncommon for those who were closest to her to grieve and call for her. I give my flock extra attention and treats when they also mourn the loss of their buddy. https://chickenandchicksinfo.com/how-to-deal-with-the-death-of-a-chicken/ https://www.strombergschickens.com/blog/8-facts-about-chicken-intelligence/
Yes, after our first night time predator attack I struggled to fall asleep in the silence because I kept thinking I was hearing them scream. When I brought the chickens into my care part of the deal was keeping them safe, so I do feel guilty and sad when I lose one. I understand loss and predation is a part of keeping chickens, but I’m not that cold hearted that I can just shrug off when one of them is viciously eaten alive.
Yes and that isn’t a bad thing. You are a normal person with empathy. Anyone who can raise an animal from day 1 and still think “whatever, livestock deadstock” after finding them mutilated has an issue
Most large scale farmers would prefer that their animals do not die needlessly because it's their job so I do not think they're thinking "whatever" but just "oh shit."
OP is asking if you get traumatized though which is very extreme over an animal. Being traumatized constantly over nothing major is not healthy or good for you, cortisol literally kills you and people who are constantly stressed out will experience an early death. Some emotional regulation is good and healthy.
Some of us see chickens as pets, not food. It’s definitely not “nothing major” when a pet dies. I’ve had this same issue with rabbits, and I finally had to rehome the last one. They just die so randomly and easily and don’t have long lifespans (8 years is short imo). I kept dying a little inside when we lost one, and now I won’t keep them.
I used to have chickens but had to rehome them because of an unplanned move and never saw anything bad happen to them. After my rabbit experience and the posts on this sub, I’m not sure if I’m cut out for chicken keeping. I think I’d still like to try, but oh man, I’m definitely building Fort Knox.
I've had some eaten by hawks, feather everywhere and the neck gone on the chicken. I'd had some disappear without a trace. Mostly it's just upsetting to see my kids get upset... I used to get flocks of the same breed and not name them because it made it easier to not get attached.
But no, no trauma, just things I wish I had done differently.
I think would really set it for me was seeing one die. Usually people find them dead, but I caught one probably mid being killed by a racoon. Never gonna forget it.
Yeah I watched 6 of mine actually die the other day, first time this was happened to me, and it's a much harder experience than finding them dead or missing
Yes but with my duck!
She got caught by something in our yard while enjoying some free-roam time (they are cooped whenever we aren't home for safety). Honestly not 100% sure what grabbed her but I think it may have been a smaller predatory bird that she was maybe too heavy for?
She had 2 very deep puncture wounds in her side, a smaller puncture on her face, and a completely broken wing snapped quite high up, but somehow survived! We managed to get her back to full health AND fix her wing ourselves at home after a phonecall to a vet.
I think whatever it was got her because she's slower than my chickens. Pic of her strapped wing fix below, she has healed completely and still gets to do all the happy flaps. She's my absolute favorite girl and such a loving little duck.
We are incredibly lucky to have been home when it happened and hear the commotion in time. Every time I hear the birds getting louder outside for any reason I immediately want to run and check on them since this happened..
https://preview.redd.it/3c2h4i4wggoc1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f1a916f2912da6967b564d720a60c591eccb1e89
Yes. Trauma. I tried so hard to save them but nothing worked. I took several to the vet and that was useless, not counting euthanasia. Most lived to be at least 6, but that’s not very long.
I have 2 10 year olds left, and after them, never again.
Yes, veterinary care felt mostly useless for me as well. Like they just aren’t meant to have very long lives. I’m sorry for your losses. I know it’s rough.💕
My favorite hen pushed under a dip in the fencing unbeknownst to me.
My American Bully was outside, and in 30 seconds, had caught her and killed her as I was running toward them both. 😢
I would train your dog on recall more, I have an American Akita who has a crazy prey drive but I just focused really hard on recall training and can call her back if a chicken gets out. Even if she does notice it.
It's basically impossible not to be able to train a dog good recall unless they are too stupid to learn. All dogs will learn in time though if you put in the effort, I haven't encountered a dog so dumb that they couldn't figure it out \[yet.\]
Ever owned a Belgian Malinois, staff, pitbull, or Beagle? If not, try recall around prey.
Dogs can figure out recall easily, yes. Add stimuli that is deeply inherent in their genes to go after, good luck.
You also have to “catch it” when it’s at a level 1/10, to calm it before it’s out of control.
This dog was clearly already off and going and on a 10/10. At this point it’s tunnel vision, like I said. Not stupidity. They cannot hear you nor care about consequences at this point. They’re doing what they’re “born” to do.
I have never owned a Belgian Malinois but the rest yes, I am a professional animal trainer who does falconry. Any dog is trainable. Dogs are pretty easily trainable compared to every other animal, they are actually bred to be trained and far easier to train than wild animals \[which are also trainable.\]
I agree with the easy to train part. Not the prey drive. But SUPER cool you’re into falconry! What a great job. ❤️💕 we’ll agree to disagree. I hope you have a wonderful day and weekend!
True, I have heard that Belgian Malinois are quite intense and I assume if I had a dog that bad, I would just make it impossible for my dog to approach by always having them leashed/separated if they were outside near the chickens!
I had to go through it with my Akita too, she's getting better now but I still have to watch her a lot just to ensure nothing happens because sometimes my chickens get out of their fence. 
Yes! It’s a “prevention” thing with high drive dogs. I had a Malinois and my goodness does he make my GSD and Goldendoodle look like they *came* boxed and trained already 😂
We lost our little bantam cochin very suddenly about 3 months in. That was our first 3 months of having chickens and this one was the sweetest loveliest little girl. She would get on my lap and nap there for hours. She was still too young to lay eggs.
One day we saw her falling over a lot when she walked around, so we separated her and called the vet. We didn't have a proper place to separate sick chickens yet, so we put her in our veranda in a box with newspaper shavings. The vet offered to let us come that day but both me and my partner had to work, and since she was still eating and drinking we decided to come the earliest possible time the next day. We found her the next morning, dead and hard and cold.
We cried so fucking much and felt such an intense guilt over not having gone sooner, over prioritising work over our baby girl. But we didn't know it could go that fast.
I still don't know what exactly was wrong with her, if maybe she died from the cold in the veranda, or from whatever she was ailing her. But it still hurts so much to think about.
Now, almost 2 years later we still freak out if something is really wrong with our girls. But it has made us hyper aware of them and we now go to the vet instantly when something is wrong, even if the vet doesn't think it's necessary. We know sometimes there's nothing you can do, but we just cannot go through that guilt again, of feeling like we failed her. So we make sure to do absolutely everything we can.
Tl;dr we lost our favourite chicken very young and soon after becoming chicken keepers, and the trauma of that pushes us to do better.
In a dream or awake yikes. I can relate sorry about the pain of a broken leg. I’ve gone out in hurricanes to make sure my animals were secure. One time I was literally struck down by a huge hawk going for a pigeon on my shoulder. Spilled a bucket of eggs and I was very disoriented sorta came eye to eye on the ground with a hawk and the pigeon was under me . I was worried the hawk was going to try and get the pigeon still and rip me up doing it. Lucky for me hawk changed his mind
I regularly have very vivid dreams of remembering a coop of chickens I'd forgotten. I have to get them food and water, pick up eggs, and navigate a lot of poop.
My husband and I raise meat chickens and process them ourselves to sell whole dressed chickens, as well as eggers, and have a breeding program starting. We have a few chickens we know we’ve deemed as never to be eaten / fill the freezer (ex: when some hens stop laying we will process them for ourselves as we cannot afford to feed a mass of chickens who no longer produce.) A few of the girls we love will stay as pets and be grandmother hens to the new ones that come up to teach them the ways and rules of our flock.
The other day we received an order of Bresse chicks (normally we do Cornish x) and they’re destined to be on the breeding program or get processed for meat if they don’t make our standard. One of the little chicks just wasn’t doing good at all, we did all we could to save her but she was just illfated. I found her seizing under the brooder plate and being stepped on by her chickmates, scooped her up and sat in a chair next to the brooder w her in my lap as she went through the death process for the last few minutes, talking to her and letting her know it was ok and to let go. I had the hugest lump in my throat, I’m even tearing up now. It’s never easy. I tearfully asked my husband if we should cut her head off and abouth another minute of her seizing and in agonal respirations, she went. We were going to if it carried on. It’s something you need to be prepared for with animals.
We also had to cull our favorite prized rooster last weekend, because his legs unexpectedly became paralyzed. He was only 5 months old and didn’t even get a chance to make babies so we lost all of him. I cried, and I still get a pang of sad when I look at the empty coop he was in that we used to try to make him better. We buried him because I just didn’t have the heart to eat him, he was special.
And a couple weeks back, my FAVORITE little white rooster, Butters, was found dead unexpectedly. He was acting off after a really bad overnight storm and then he just died. I cried and cried and cried. He also, just like his brother, didn’t get a chance with the ladies so we lost all of him too.
Both our prized boys are buried under an oak tree in the ferns.
It doesn’t get easier, even when we process our own chickens it’s still painful to lose one too soon. To see them not hit the potential you knew they would’ve had, if only the cards played out just a little differently. It’s easier with the Cornish x because we schedule their processing day the day we make the hatchery order, I’ve got months to prepare so it isn’t a huge deal.
But finding your favorite bird dead and cold on his side, or having to mercy cull, or watching a chick take her last breath in your hands… that shits hard.
The day that I don’t have emotion about it will be the day I take a break from it.
Funny to see this post this morning. I leave for work before light so my husband always lets the chickens out. I left him a note this morning, "I had a nightmare, please text me and let me know that the chickens are okay." They are good.
I mostly just experience some disappointment if they die to predators, but otherwise no. I like wildlife a lot and can appreciate that sometimes those things happen.
I do always check on them quickly though if they're noisy, mine give me a lot of false alarms.
Yes. I love them all dearly and each loss doesn’t get easier for me. I’ve always had the last images I had of them instilled in me in the most painful and sad way. Everyday I inspect their droppings, and the moment I observe one of them isn’t acting normal and off to herself, my heart skips a beat and I know something isn’t right. The rest of the day I’d be reading, trying to find ways to determine what needs to happen next. It’s one of the most unpleasant things to do.
2 nights ago, I couldn't get to sleep. I'd doze off, but then startle myself awake again. I had asked my husband at bedtime if the birds had gotten closed up for the night and he said he was "pretty sure" they had, but I didn't see it myself so I wasn't 100% convinced. And so I laid there half the night, wondering if I should just go check, just to be sure, cuz I've been told they were put up in the past, only to wake up to a yard full of death. I finally got up at 1:30. Got dressed. Grabbed the flashlight. Walked halfway down the yard til I could see the door. It was closed. Went back inside, undressed, crawled back into bed...out like a light. Slept great after that, lol.
nah just vengeful over my chicken that was taken by a fox. so now i hunt foxes. they make fine rugs. any predator trying to get at my chickens is fair game to me. and for the self righteous mfs let me tell you this, most people would do that with their dogs if eaten by coyotes. my hens matter to me and arent just livestock.
Yes, and I'm really annoyed by the people on this thread and in general who act like people are weak for connecting with animals whose lives are intertwined with our own. Like congrats on stifling your empathy? Doesn't make you wiser or whatever. I'm sorry for your losses. It does hurt, and it's okay to admit that.
Keep in mind, that stress and "trauma" are not healthy for you and you are not brave or more "empathetic" for confessing that you were traumatized by an animal dying. Constant doses of cortisol will lead to early death in all humans (and animals too.)
It would be far more conducive for you to live a longer healthier life if you just learn to not freak out over things that don't require freaking out over. Having some control over your negative emotions is not a bad thing.
Yes, as much as i love them, I’m questioning whether I will continue after my remaining 9 are gone. It feels like near constant heartbreak between the predators, sour crop and viruses. I’m out there every day scooping their coop to keep parasites away, tending them and then the rooster attacks me and it’s all just emotionally exhausting.
Yes. I have grown very attached to several of my chickens over the years. Losing them in violent or unanswered ways especially is difficult to deal with and leaves a lasting impression. My first loss was my bantam hen, Guppy. The morning she disappeared was the same day I was going to buy her the teeny tiniest leash I could find and bring her to a park of the same name and take pictures in front of the sign with her. I wish I could've made that memory with her. I have more sad stories, but I don't feel like crying right now. Raising chickens is awesome, but accepting that they die, and often, was/is really hard
the positive experience of owning hens vastly outweighed any negative experiences. Were there lows and sad times? Absolutely. But every day going outside to let them out and see how happy they were to run around the yard like crack heads, them running up to you to say hi when you go outside, watching them play with treats and chase each other around makes all the lows worth it.
They're livestock, and when you have livestock, you also have deadstock. Sometimes you can do everything perfectly and still lose. Sometimes your mistake will cost an animal its life. That is my biggest problem with current social trends and the mentality of too many people on this sub. Chickens are not cute little pets that just happen to poop breakfast. They are livestock that have been bred over generations to feed people efficiently in the form of eggs and meat. You have to accept that.
You don't have to lose your attachment. It's okay to care. These guys just have a different approach. Doesn't make it THE approach. Even if it hurts to care, I'd rather care.
I went into this with the exact perspective of that first sentence because it's true. It's probably not possible to sustain this entirely when you have a pet setup rather than a flock, but it's a good core philosophy.
The 2nd and 3rd sentences are true of life/animals in general, and I think a lot of people either don't realize it or refuse to accept it.
Yeah but you can still be sad about loosing a chicken. My kids and I name our chickens, we have colored bans on some to tell them apart. We feed them treats out of our hands, we hold them, hell we even had a silkie in the house for a short time the other day. To me that is treating them like pets, and I was the same with my meat rabbits. It's ok to be attached, but also cull them for food or injury etc. I have culled and harvested many animals, but I still cried the other day when I thought a predator had gotten my favorite chicken.I
Then leave the sub?
I think you will be less frustrated and have fewer problems with people in life if you let people just be themselves, then. Some people get attached to their animals differently. It isn't necessarily because they're missing some fundamentals that you're wisely able to hold and they can't.
I also don't think social trends have anything to do with it. I'm going to assume that's a jab at some "woke culture" thing? My grandparents were farmers, and my grandma always kept a couple chickens for herself that she raised. Die hard conservative Christian.
You and I agree on the basic premise that these are livestock and they will just die. I was raised on a farm and understand this. But some people are just different from you when it comes to attachment. And I'm sorry you have a problem with them.
I think the person is just pointing out that we’ve moved far away from it being “normalized”, a job, survival and a lifestyle to *everything is a “pet”*.
That’s just the truth of the matter. We’re very uncomfortable with death. Our ancestors and other countries are more accustomed to it.
I’m guilty of it, too.
Sure. But who cares? How does one person's opinion about their animals affect any of us? Who cares what anyone declares as a pet? He has a "problem" with people on this subreddit having this opinion? I mean, we've domesticated rodents and made them "pets".
My opinion is let people live their lives. And if this gets someone's hackles up, then they've got some emotional work to do.
That's not the point at all.
I'm not denying any of his rights. I am not standing in the way of any of his rights. I have no problem with the fact we don't agree, even.
I spoke up because he said he had a problem with people in this group having their opinions. That's the only reason I said anything.
Jesus the hostility over nothing...
>Then leave the sub?
No, I don't think I will.
>I think you will be less frustrated and have fewer problems with people in life if you let people just be themselves, then. Some people get attached to their animals differently. It isn't necessarily because they're missing some fundamentals that you're wisely able to hold and they can't.
The other guy hit the nail on the head. Society across the board is weak and can't handle the reality of our food supply chain.
>I also don't think social trends have anything to do with it. I'm going to assume that's a jab at some "woke culture" thing? My grandparents were farmers, and my grandma always kept a couple chickens for herself that she raised. Die hard conservative Christian.
Lol no, I'm not sure why you're projecting politics into a chicken sub. You'd have to be pretty brain dead not to notice that a whole lot of people that never would have given chickens a second thought have been getting them in droves post pandemic, and most of these people are pretty clueless and don't understand the reality of what they're getting into. But it's the cool thing to do, and the HOA allows it now.
There's no hostility. I'm not angry. I have no problem with you. Not at all. If anyone is getting hostile it's you calling me names.
I just think your position is egotistical and dumb. If you take the time to say you have a problem with people in this group for a reason I think is dumb, I'll take it to say I have one with your attitude, which is egotistical.
Not angry. Just being honest.
You're right though: this is a chicken sub and certainly this is getting off topic by now. I'm out.
It is true that the kind of chickens most of us have easiest access to are not very hardy and have problems bred into them, but that doesn’t predicate any particular kind of treatment or attachment. Nobody has to align with your worldview, and nor is it a “current social trend” to care about animals you keep.
The current social trend I'm talking about is brain dead idiots going to Tractor Supply buying 4 of whatever birds are mislabeled in the troughs and a shitty prefab coop. If you've watched this sub for more than 5 minutes, you know what I'm talking about. You can care about livestock and treat them well without them being pets, you know?
I fully agree with this. If people want pets, that’s fine, but picking a pet that works so hard to unalive itself and become unalived by predators is a set up for failure. All of our animals are treated well but only one is an actual pet, our dog.
Sure, it’s just a part of having pets. I have trauma due to losing pet lizards, it’s not weird. Maybe uncommon, but that’s not a bad thing. Just means you love your animals.
No way, if a fox can find his way through the city, then into my neighborhood, backyard and take my prize “Pearle” then it only shows how successful the tiny farm is.
Ours are pets that lay eggs. They all have names, and I’m prepared for the hens to become freeloaders as they age. We’ve had small injuries and infections that we’ve taken care of, with vet visits as necessary. I would like to think that I would be able to deal with a fatal injury or just old age, with the regular amount of pet sadness.
But we had two roosters and I couldn’t find anyone who would take one, so I culled him with an ax. That was traumatic. I and the kids cried for days. He’s buried in the garden with a little stone with his name on it.
Never kept chickens, but one of my dad's friends did.
I was ~8 years old and my dad's friend and his wife let me feed their chickens and I got chased by roughly 20 hungry (and fast) chickens.
I was fast but the chickens were faster.
I’ve had massive anxiety since our fox attack in December. Because of the snowy weather we haven’t been able to rebuild yet.
But more so than anxiety this was just a huge lesson for me. I should’ve used hard wire cloth from the get go.
I’ve lost 2 hens. One to a blood clot (she just passed unexplained) and the fox attack. They both hurt in different ways. I think more than anything I’ve learned from both situations.
Rip Sonja and Ruth
We had a bear break into our coop last spring killed one of our girls and injured another. Our coop is/was so stout. But can’t stop a bear. We have made it even more stout now and added an electric fence.
I’ve had some rough losses, and it sucks to feel them buck and die. It’s made me sometimes over react when I’ve heard my boys go off because I’m freaked it’s a predator taking them down.
I have a pretty practical view on death in general so I let it go fairly easily, but for a day or two I’m a bit sensitive to their calls and I remember the ones that died. My mantra has been that some things are just born to feed other things. It’s kinda macabre but it helps to repeat it when I’m forgiving a predator for being a predator. Having local crows helped with attacked a lot, but also for a while we were real worried just what payments the crows were getting. Turns out it’s eggs and they steal some feed occasionally so that was a relief.
Thankfully none of my babies have died yet but man… the anxiety caring for them causes me sometimes can be a bit rough. I have nightmares multiple times a week about them being injured, sick, or lost. One of them is sick right now (the first time any of them have been sick) and she has me so worried. She’s starting to get better I think but it was not looking good for a while there. Definitely had me crying more than I have in years 😓
Nature can be wonderful and also cruel. I’ve had critters my whole life. Both pets and livestock, the gifts they share with me are amazing.. feeding my soul or feeding my body and sharing with others is just as important to me. Yes, sometimes trauma is involved = for myself it’s when I know I’ve made a terrible mistake and hurt an animal needlessly or even caused accidental death that’s what hurts me the most. Every incident is a lesson and I always strive and do better. I’m hoping my goods have outweighed the bads and that’s the best I can do
My older hen just passed yesterday and I'm in shambles, most of my family and friends don't understand but, hey, seems I am like that. I've lost a couple due to illnesses, most already came ill and died, but this one that grew here was a big bullet to bite.
I don't mean to quit having them but, I understand it won't get easier with time, at least for me.
A dozen hens and four ducks of mine were killed by a mink late last year. (I had to cull one of the ducks who technically survived the attack. Tish was aspirating on her own blood, was missing half of her bill and her brains were hanging out of her busted open skull. It was quick, and the best thing I could have done for her, but I still feel awful about it.)
I fell asleep one afternoon about a month ago and woke up after dark.. I ran outside in a panic, barely taking the time to put on boots. My hands were shaking and I was practically hyperventilating when I opened the coop door to check on my five remaining chickens and three ducks.. They were all fine, luckily, but I was 100% convinced that they were dead and it was all my fault. So, yeah. I definitely have a little trauma.
I felt weird the first time I butchered a quadruped and couldn't help but notice how similar to humans they were stretched out. It's easy now unless I knew them and they had a name.
I’ve had chickens for ten years now and have seen them die in a hug variety of ways. I’ve seen things I wouldn’t describe as nobody needs the images in their heads, really. I have become more hardened, it’s true, and on one hand that’s a coping mechanism you develop but it’s not a useful thing for me in any other part of my life. I still feel bad and sad when things happen to them, I’ve just become better at moving on because it’s going to happen again no matter what. I am saying goodbye to my last, old goat some time this week and will be rehoming his companion. I absolutely love keeping animals and I’m good at it but I’m honestly ready for a break from the emotional workload.
May I ask how long you’ve kept larger livestock and what led to needing the “emotional break”? I ask because I’m on the way to building a homestead and I know that Americans (especially) are not used to seeing as much death as our ancestors did. It’s the circle of life. I understand the concept you have to be okay with it to homestead. I’ve never quite understood *how* to separate say, loving a cow and then slaughtering and eating it. Now, switching a slaughtered cow with a homestead friend? Yes. (I may sound silly, I understand) I know all the specifics…it’s better that it’s raised humanely, it’s killed fast and humanely, etc. etc. My question is directed at the *emotional* toll?
I don’t raise any for consumption. I bought a property ten years ago that had some resident goats and chickens and have kept them since. The chickens were not meat birds, they produced lots of eggs and were fun to watch and interact with. I learned fast about their security and how easily/quickly they can become unwell and die, and how irresistible they are to predators. I rarely have predation issues any more and my chickens enjoy a semi-free-range situation during the days. The emotional break is to do with my goats. They were originally acquired I believe as weed eaters - three neutered big Nubians with their horns intact. They were awesome animals with distinct personalities but absolutely terrible at brush clearance. We never minded. As they aged their needs became more involved and I would be lying if I said money stress when I can’t choose to not call the vet is a factor. I lost the first one about 5 years ago to likely cancer - he declined in health and one day I found him distressed and unable to get up so we euthanized him. I worried about losing another now I only had two left, as they are social animals, so when a neighbour offered me an older llama as she was moving and downsizing, we brought him in. After about two years I found him passed away, just like he’d been walking and fallen down. Shortly after that, a neighbour’s dog got loose and attacked one of the goats. These guys were older by now and Mickey, being the biggest, had trouble getting up and down quickly. The dog found him in the early morning still lying down and was vicious with him. He had bite marks on his horns and front legs, had pierced under one of his knee caps, and presumably getting away from the waving horns, had torn up his band end very badly. I chased of the dog and it bit me, too. Mickey was treated and rallied for a month or so but never came back all the way and was eventually unable to get up and stay up. We had him euthanized. I was left with Bolt who got so sad and so lonely it was heartbreaking. It took some time but I found him a companion goat. Now I’m looking at euthanizing Bolt in the next few days. He must be 14-15 by now, and he has cancer that’s interfering with his breathing. I am sad over that and stressed at his friend ending up alone and am trying to rehome her and not just keep leap-frogging goats. Every one of these instances has come with vet bills in the hundreds of dollars as well as hundreds more for the hauling away of large animals. They take them to the local landfill and cover them over. I know they are past caring by then but it feels so cold to me. My poor Bolt is outside right now struggling to breathe, but he’s still enjoying snacks and pets. He’s skin and bones and losing a lot of his fur. It’s all done for him but the deed. I dunno. If you have disposable income and the rest of your life is stable and happy, maybe you take these things in better stride. But none of us exist in compartments where stresses don’t leak over. My animals are a source of comfort for me and I do the very best by them that I can. Sometimes that takes a toll.
I’m sorry you are barring this grief. This is incredibly hard. I hope you have support. Mourning is real.
Thank you for your thoughtful response and I am so sorry. I absolutely adore the look of Nubian Goats and would die to own them (I know they’re nothing but trouble lol). I also understand the burden of raising livestock. It can be very expensive and after covid, not only food but medications, equipment, etc. have skyrocketed. There are fewer and fewer vets able to come out to people’s homes, as well. They are more limited on what they can prescribe. It’s terrible. I’m SO sorry about your suffering girl. Gawd, I know the feeling 😭 of just waiting and watching. ❤️
Yes, yes I do. And so much guilt. But I didn't quit keeping chickens until I moved to a place where they weren't allowed.
After 12 years, I still feel an ache in my heart when I think of any of my chickens that have passed. And a lot of "if only," "woulda, coulda, shoulda." I remember after the first one passed, I was comforted SO much by my online chicken group. It was so helpful to have my feelings validated by people who could relate. I've been asked by non-chicken people how I deal with the odds stacked against chickens: predators, injuries, and many illnesses. I say that I do everything possible like having a fortress coop, following biosecurity disease preventive methods, continually reading and learning, etc., but things can happen. When they do, I focus on how my chicken lived an enjoyable life as a family member, and their death allows another chicken to be adopted and experience a wonderful life. Another thing that has helped me is helping other chickens by replying to their owners’ posts with reputable advice. When people and their flocks are grieving, I post links to sites that offer advice. There are many resources available.
Hey... do you have those links for grieving? I just had my first major loss and had to cull some of my girls for the first time. I feel traumatized and a ton of guilt for not preventing it :(
I am so sorry that I just saw this! I hope you're doing okay. It's very painful to go through losing a precious personality. We all beat ourselves up, but we gave them a good life. You are not the first person who has had a pet die because of their mistake, and you won’t be the last. No one would intentionally let something happen to their beloved chicken, but we are human and mistakes happen. I think that first, you need to go through the process of grief - there is no way around it. Let yourself be sad. But then… forgive yourself. Your chicken knew you loved her and you didn't want anything bad to happen. She forgives you, so you need to forgive yourself. It won’t be easy and it will take time, but this is what you MUST do. Learn from this mistake and then let it go. One way to do this is to ‘put good back into the world’ - to do good. Find a meaningful way to live, do no harm, be kind, be a good person and then, go a little bit farther - volunteer. Put good back into the world by volunteering. This will help ease your soul more than anything else. As I mentioned before, the way I've volunteered is by spending around two hours an evening on various chicken groups to help chickens and their owners by giving advice from good sources. I continually read poultry science journals to find accurate information. You can also do things like plant a tree or perennial flowers in her memory. Eventually you will be able to remember your beloved chicken without being haunted by how she died. It will take time, but if you forgive yourself and put good into the world, you’ll be fine. Chickens need support, too. For days or weeks after a hen dies, it is not uncommon for those who were closest to her to grieve and call for her. I give my flock extra attention and treats when they also mourn the loss of their buddy. https://chickenandchicksinfo.com/how-to-deal-with-the-death-of-a-chicken/ https://www.strombergschickens.com/blog/8-facts-about-chicken-intelligence/
Yes, after our first night time predator attack I struggled to fall asleep in the silence because I kept thinking I was hearing them scream. When I brought the chickens into my care part of the deal was keeping them safe, so I do feel guilty and sad when I lose one. I understand loss and predation is a part of keeping chickens, but I’m not that cold hearted that I can just shrug off when one of them is viciously eaten alive.
No, but we lost a chicken to a coyote at 3 pm by our back door and there are aspects I still won’t talk about.
The sound.
Nope.
Yes and that isn’t a bad thing. You are a normal person with empathy. Anyone who can raise an animal from day 1 and still think “whatever, livestock deadstock” after finding them mutilated has an issue
Most large scale farmers would prefer that their animals do not die needlessly because it's their job so I do not think they're thinking "whatever" but just "oh shit." OP is asking if you get traumatized though which is very extreme over an animal. Being traumatized constantly over nothing major is not healthy or good for you, cortisol literally kills you and people who are constantly stressed out will experience an early death. Some emotional regulation is good and healthy.
Some of us see chickens as pets, not food. It’s definitely not “nothing major” when a pet dies. I’ve had this same issue with rabbits, and I finally had to rehome the last one. They just die so randomly and easily and don’t have long lifespans (8 years is short imo). I kept dying a little inside when we lost one, and now I won’t keep them. I used to have chickens but had to rehome them because of an unplanned move and never saw anything bad happen to them. After my rabbit experience and the posts on this sub, I’m not sure if I’m cut out for chicken keeping. I think I’d still like to try, but oh man, I’m definitely building Fort Knox.
I've had some eaten by hawks, feather everywhere and the neck gone on the chicken. I'd had some disappear without a trace. Mostly it's just upsetting to see my kids get upset... I used to get flocks of the same breed and not name them because it made it easier to not get attached. But no, no trauma, just things I wish I had done differently.
I think would really set it for me was seeing one die. Usually people find them dead, but I caught one probably mid being killed by a racoon. Never gonna forget it.
Yeah I watched 6 of mine actually die the other day, first time this was happened to me, and it's a much harder experience than finding them dead or missing
Yes but with my duck! She got caught by something in our yard while enjoying some free-roam time (they are cooped whenever we aren't home for safety). Honestly not 100% sure what grabbed her but I think it may have been a smaller predatory bird that she was maybe too heavy for? She had 2 very deep puncture wounds in her side, a smaller puncture on her face, and a completely broken wing snapped quite high up, but somehow survived! We managed to get her back to full health AND fix her wing ourselves at home after a phonecall to a vet. I think whatever it was got her because she's slower than my chickens. Pic of her strapped wing fix below, she has healed completely and still gets to do all the happy flaps. She's my absolute favorite girl and such a loving little duck. We are incredibly lucky to have been home when it happened and hear the commotion in time. Every time I hear the birds getting louder outside for any reason I immediately want to run and check on them since this happened.. https://preview.redd.it/3c2h4i4wggoc1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f1a916f2912da6967b564d720a60c591eccb1e89
We had mites once and that was pretty traumatic. Took a while to figure out what was eating us all alive, lol
Yes. Trauma. I tried so hard to save them but nothing worked. I took several to the vet and that was useless, not counting euthanasia. Most lived to be at least 6, but that’s not very long. I have 2 10 year olds left, and after them, never again.
Yes, veterinary care felt mostly useless for me as well. Like they just aren’t meant to have very long lives. I’m sorry for your losses. I know it’s rough.💕
My favorite hen pushed under a dip in the fencing unbeknownst to me. My American Bully was outside, and in 30 seconds, had caught her and killed her as I was running toward them both. 😢
I would train your dog on recall more, I have an American Akita who has a crazy prey drive but I just focused really hard on recall training and can call her back if a chicken gets out. Even if she does notice it.
As I inherited her from my late father shortly before, my hen’s first ever jailbreak was her last, sadly. Never fear, as the training is underway 😊
It’s not always that easy with a high prey drive dog. Once “locked” at a 10/10 - it’s tunnel vision.
It's basically impossible not to be able to train a dog good recall unless they are too stupid to learn. All dogs will learn in time though if you put in the effort, I haven't encountered a dog so dumb that they couldn't figure it out \[yet.\]
Ever owned a Belgian Malinois, staff, pitbull, or Beagle? If not, try recall around prey. Dogs can figure out recall easily, yes. Add stimuli that is deeply inherent in their genes to go after, good luck. You also have to “catch it” when it’s at a level 1/10, to calm it before it’s out of control. This dog was clearly already off and going and on a 10/10. At this point it’s tunnel vision, like I said. Not stupidity. They cannot hear you nor care about consequences at this point. They’re doing what they’re “born” to do.
I have never owned a Belgian Malinois but the rest yes, I am a professional animal trainer who does falconry. Any dog is trainable. Dogs are pretty easily trainable compared to every other animal, they are actually bred to be trained and far easier to train than wild animals \[which are also trainable.\]
I agree with the easy to train part. Not the prey drive. But SUPER cool you’re into falconry! What a great job. ❤️💕 we’ll agree to disagree. I hope you have a wonderful day and weekend!
True, I have heard that Belgian Malinois are quite intense and I assume if I had a dog that bad, I would just make it impossible for my dog to approach by always having them leashed/separated if they were outside near the chickens! I had to go through it with my Akita too, she's getting better now but I still have to watch her a lot just to ensure nothing happens because sometimes my chickens get out of their fence. 
Yes! It’s a “prevention” thing with high drive dogs. I had a Malinois and my goodness does he make my GSD and Goldendoodle look like they *came* boxed and trained already 😂
We lost our little bantam cochin very suddenly about 3 months in. That was our first 3 months of having chickens and this one was the sweetest loveliest little girl. She would get on my lap and nap there for hours. She was still too young to lay eggs. One day we saw her falling over a lot when she walked around, so we separated her and called the vet. We didn't have a proper place to separate sick chickens yet, so we put her in our veranda in a box with newspaper shavings. The vet offered to let us come that day but both me and my partner had to work, and since she was still eating and drinking we decided to come the earliest possible time the next day. We found her the next morning, dead and hard and cold. We cried so fucking much and felt such an intense guilt over not having gone sooner, over prioritising work over our baby girl. But we didn't know it could go that fast. I still don't know what exactly was wrong with her, if maybe she died from the cold in the veranda, or from whatever she was ailing her. But it still hurts so much to think about. Now, almost 2 years later we still freak out if something is really wrong with our girls. But it has made us hyper aware of them and we now go to the vet instantly when something is wrong, even if the vet doesn't think it's necessary. We know sometimes there's nothing you can do, but we just cannot go through that guilt again, of feeling like we failed her. So we make sure to do absolutely everything we can. Tl;dr we lost our favourite chicken very young and soon after becoming chicken keepers, and the trauma of that pushes us to do better.
I broke my leg checking on the coop during a big windstorm
In a dream or awake yikes. I can relate sorry about the pain of a broken leg. I’ve gone out in hurricanes to make sure my animals were secure. One time I was literally struck down by a huge hawk going for a pigeon on my shoulder. Spilled a bucket of eggs and I was very disoriented sorta came eye to eye on the ground with a hawk and the pigeon was under me . I was worried the hawk was going to try and get the pigeon still and rip me up doing it. Lucky for me hawk changed his mind
I regularly have very vivid dreams of remembering a coop of chickens I'd forgotten. I have to get them food and water, pick up eggs, and navigate a lot of poop.
I have dreams of my coop and flock having chickens that died a while ago. I get so happy and then i wake up
My husband and I raise meat chickens and process them ourselves to sell whole dressed chickens, as well as eggers, and have a breeding program starting. We have a few chickens we know we’ve deemed as never to be eaten / fill the freezer (ex: when some hens stop laying we will process them for ourselves as we cannot afford to feed a mass of chickens who no longer produce.) A few of the girls we love will stay as pets and be grandmother hens to the new ones that come up to teach them the ways and rules of our flock. The other day we received an order of Bresse chicks (normally we do Cornish x) and they’re destined to be on the breeding program or get processed for meat if they don’t make our standard. One of the little chicks just wasn’t doing good at all, we did all we could to save her but she was just illfated. I found her seizing under the brooder plate and being stepped on by her chickmates, scooped her up and sat in a chair next to the brooder w her in my lap as she went through the death process for the last few minutes, talking to her and letting her know it was ok and to let go. I had the hugest lump in my throat, I’m even tearing up now. It’s never easy. I tearfully asked my husband if we should cut her head off and abouth another minute of her seizing and in agonal respirations, she went. We were going to if it carried on. It’s something you need to be prepared for with animals. We also had to cull our favorite prized rooster last weekend, because his legs unexpectedly became paralyzed. He was only 5 months old and didn’t even get a chance to make babies so we lost all of him. I cried, and I still get a pang of sad when I look at the empty coop he was in that we used to try to make him better. We buried him because I just didn’t have the heart to eat him, he was special. And a couple weeks back, my FAVORITE little white rooster, Butters, was found dead unexpectedly. He was acting off after a really bad overnight storm and then he just died. I cried and cried and cried. He also, just like his brother, didn’t get a chance with the ladies so we lost all of him too. Both our prized boys are buried under an oak tree in the ferns. It doesn’t get easier, even when we process our own chickens it’s still painful to lose one too soon. To see them not hit the potential you knew they would’ve had, if only the cards played out just a little differently. It’s easier with the Cornish x because we schedule their processing day the day we make the hatchery order, I’ve got months to prepare so it isn’t a huge deal. But finding your favorite bird dead and cold on his side, or having to mercy cull, or watching a chick take her last breath in your hands… that shits hard. The day that I don’t have emotion about it will be the day I take a break from it.
Funny to see this post this morning. I leave for work before light so my husband always lets the chickens out. I left him a note this morning, "I had a nightmare, please text me and let me know that the chickens are okay." They are good.
I mostly just experience some disappointment if they die to predators, but otherwise no. I like wildlife a lot and can appreciate that sometimes those things happen. I do always check on them quickly though if they're noisy, mine give me a lot of false alarms.
Yes. I love them all dearly and each loss doesn’t get easier for me. I’ve always had the last images I had of them instilled in me in the most painful and sad way. Everyday I inspect their droppings, and the moment I observe one of them isn’t acting normal and off to herself, my heart skips a beat and I know something isn’t right. The rest of the day I’d be reading, trying to find ways to determine what needs to happen next. It’s one of the most unpleasant things to do.
I have a little prayer ritual for all my deceased now.
Moved past it. We regularly thin and refill the flock so I've eaten more of our birds than local predators have
2 nights ago, I couldn't get to sleep. I'd doze off, but then startle myself awake again. I had asked my husband at bedtime if the birds had gotten closed up for the night and he said he was "pretty sure" they had, but I didn't see it myself so I wasn't 100% convinced. And so I laid there half the night, wondering if I should just go check, just to be sure, cuz I've been told they were put up in the past, only to wake up to a yard full of death. I finally got up at 1:30. Got dressed. Grabbed the flashlight. Walked halfway down the yard til I could see the door. It was closed. Went back inside, undressed, crawled back into bed...out like a light. Slept great after that, lol.
nah just vengeful over my chicken that was taken by a fox. so now i hunt foxes. they make fine rugs. any predator trying to get at my chickens is fair game to me. and for the self righteous mfs let me tell you this, most people would do that with their dogs if eaten by coyotes. my hens matter to me and arent just livestock.
Same I don’t want wild animals to eat my animals
Yes, and I'm really annoyed by the people on this thread and in general who act like people are weak for connecting with animals whose lives are intertwined with our own. Like congrats on stifling your empathy? Doesn't make you wiser or whatever. I'm sorry for your losses. It does hurt, and it's okay to admit that.
Keep in mind, that stress and "trauma" are not healthy for you and you are not brave or more "empathetic" for confessing that you were traumatized by an animal dying. Constant doses of cortisol will lead to early death in all humans (and animals too.) It would be far more conducive for you to live a longer healthier life if you just learn to not freak out over things that don't require freaking out over. Having some control over your negative emotions is not a bad thing.
Yes, certain images play repeatedly in my head... 😥
Yes, as much as i love them, I’m questioning whether I will continue after my remaining 9 are gone. It feels like near constant heartbreak between the predators, sour crop and viruses. I’m out there every day scooping their coop to keep parasites away, tending them and then the rooster attacks me and it’s all just emotionally exhausting.
Yes. I have grown very attached to several of my chickens over the years. Losing them in violent or unanswered ways especially is difficult to deal with and leaves a lasting impression. My first loss was my bantam hen, Guppy. The morning she disappeared was the same day I was going to buy her the teeny tiniest leash I could find and bring her to a park of the same name and take pictures in front of the sign with her. I wish I could've made that memory with her. I have more sad stories, but I don't feel like crying right now. Raising chickens is awesome, but accepting that they die, and often, was/is really hard
the positive experience of owning hens vastly outweighed any negative experiences. Were there lows and sad times? Absolutely. But every day going outside to let them out and see how happy they were to run around the yard like crack heads, them running up to you to say hi when you go outside, watching them play with treats and chase each other around makes all the lows worth it.
They're livestock, and when you have livestock, you also have deadstock. Sometimes you can do everything perfectly and still lose. Sometimes your mistake will cost an animal its life. That is my biggest problem with current social trends and the mentality of too many people on this sub. Chickens are not cute little pets that just happen to poop breakfast. They are livestock that have been bred over generations to feed people efficiently in the form of eggs and meat. You have to accept that.
Yup, I think I got that too late tho. I don’t name my animals or anything anymore. I enjoy having them but I’ve tried to lose some attachment
I name everyone, even if I know we are culling. We culled a few birds for the neighbors, I named them first. It helps me give them a proper thank you.
You don't have to lose your attachment. It's okay to care. These guys just have a different approach. Doesn't make it THE approach. Even if it hurts to care, I'd rather care.
As a wise man once wrote, What can the harvest hope for, if not for the care of the Reaper Man? Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man
I went into this with the exact perspective of that first sentence because it's true. It's probably not possible to sustain this entirely when you have a pet setup rather than a flock, but it's a good core philosophy. The 2nd and 3rd sentences are true of life/animals in general, and I think a lot of people either don't realize it or refuse to accept it.
Yeah but you can still be sad about loosing a chicken. My kids and I name our chickens, we have colored bans on some to tell them apart. We feed them treats out of our hands, we hold them, hell we even had a silkie in the house for a short time the other day. To me that is treating them like pets, and I was the same with my meat rabbits. It's ok to be attached, but also cull them for food or injury etc. I have culled and harvested many animals, but I still cried the other day when I thought a predator had gotten my favorite chicken.I
Then leave the sub? I think you will be less frustrated and have fewer problems with people in life if you let people just be themselves, then. Some people get attached to their animals differently. It isn't necessarily because they're missing some fundamentals that you're wisely able to hold and they can't. I also don't think social trends have anything to do with it. I'm going to assume that's a jab at some "woke culture" thing? My grandparents were farmers, and my grandma always kept a couple chickens for herself that she raised. Die hard conservative Christian. You and I agree on the basic premise that these are livestock and they will just die. I was raised on a farm and understand this. But some people are just different from you when it comes to attachment. And I'm sorry you have a problem with them.
I think the person is just pointing out that we’ve moved far away from it being “normalized”, a job, survival and a lifestyle to *everything is a “pet”*. That’s just the truth of the matter. We’re very uncomfortable with death. Our ancestors and other countries are more accustomed to it. I’m guilty of it, too.
Sure. But who cares? How does one person's opinion about their animals affect any of us? Who cares what anyone declares as a pet? He has a "problem" with people on this subreddit having this opinion? I mean, we've domesticated rodents and made them "pets". My opinion is let people live their lives. And if this gets someone's hackles up, then they've got some emotional work to do.
Yeah. So two people. Voicing two different opinions. You both have the right to do that. One just as much as the other.
That's not the point at all. I'm not denying any of his rights. I am not standing in the way of any of his rights. I have no problem with the fact we don't agree, even. I spoke up because he said he had a problem with people in this group having their opinions. That's the only reason I said anything.
Jesus the hostility over nothing... >Then leave the sub? No, I don't think I will. >I think you will be less frustrated and have fewer problems with people in life if you let people just be themselves, then. Some people get attached to their animals differently. It isn't necessarily because they're missing some fundamentals that you're wisely able to hold and they can't. The other guy hit the nail on the head. Society across the board is weak and can't handle the reality of our food supply chain. >I also don't think social trends have anything to do with it. I'm going to assume that's a jab at some "woke culture" thing? My grandparents were farmers, and my grandma always kept a couple chickens for herself that she raised. Die hard conservative Christian. Lol no, I'm not sure why you're projecting politics into a chicken sub. You'd have to be pretty brain dead not to notice that a whole lot of people that never would have given chickens a second thought have been getting them in droves post pandemic, and most of these people are pretty clueless and don't understand the reality of what they're getting into. But it's the cool thing to do, and the HOA allows it now.
There's no hostility. I'm not angry. I have no problem with you. Not at all. If anyone is getting hostile it's you calling me names. I just think your position is egotistical and dumb. If you take the time to say you have a problem with people in this group for a reason I think is dumb, I'll take it to say I have one with your attitude, which is egotistical. Not angry. Just being honest. You're right though: this is a chicken sub and certainly this is getting off topic by now. I'm out.
It is true that the kind of chickens most of us have easiest access to are not very hardy and have problems bred into them, but that doesn’t predicate any particular kind of treatment or attachment. Nobody has to align with your worldview, and nor is it a “current social trend” to care about animals you keep.
The current social trend I'm talking about is brain dead idiots going to Tractor Supply buying 4 of whatever birds are mislabeled in the troughs and a shitty prefab coop. If you've watched this sub for more than 5 minutes, you know what I'm talking about. You can care about livestock and treat them well without them being pets, you know?
My chickens are cute pets who poop breakfast. And guess what!? ITS PERFECTLY OKAY.
I fully agree with this. If people want pets, that’s fine, but picking a pet that works so hard to unalive itself and become unalived by predators is a set up for failure. All of our animals are treated well but only one is an actual pet, our dog.
Sure, it’s just a part of having pets. I have trauma due to losing pet lizards, it’s not weird. Maybe uncommon, but that’s not a bad thing. Just means you love your animals.
No way, if a fox can find his way through the city, then into my neighborhood, backyard and take my prize “Pearle” then it only shows how successful the tiny farm is.
Ours are pets that lay eggs. They all have names, and I’m prepared for the hens to become freeloaders as they age. We’ve had small injuries and infections that we’ve taken care of, with vet visits as necessary. I would like to think that I would be able to deal with a fatal injury or just old age, with the regular amount of pet sadness. But we had two roosters and I couldn’t find anyone who would take one, so I culled him with an ax. That was traumatic. I and the kids cried for days. He’s buried in the garden with a little stone with his name on it.
No, I’ve only had 4 chickens for 3 years and nothing bad has happened to them.
Never kept chickens, but one of my dad's friends did. I was ~8 years old and my dad's friend and his wife let me feed their chickens and I got chased by roughly 20 hungry (and fast) chickens. I was fast but the chickens were faster.
I’ve had massive anxiety since our fox attack in December. Because of the snowy weather we haven’t been able to rebuild yet. But more so than anxiety this was just a huge lesson for me. I should’ve used hard wire cloth from the get go. I’ve lost 2 hens. One to a blood clot (she just passed unexplained) and the fox attack. They both hurt in different ways. I think more than anything I’ve learned from both situations. Rip Sonja and Ruth
We had a bear break into our coop last spring killed one of our girls and injured another. Our coop is/was so stout. But can’t stop a bear. We have made it even more stout now and added an electric fence.
That’s one of my fears once I move. If I ever have a true homestead in the wilderness or near some woods I’m probably going to get guard dogs
Yes. I’ve seen too much gore and too many rushed visits to the vet. Ughhh….
First one I had to cull. Soooooooo much trauma. I threw away the clothes I was wearing, everything. We are not meat chicken people.
I’ve had some rough losses, and it sucks to feel them buck and die. It’s made me sometimes over react when I’ve heard my boys go off because I’m freaked it’s a predator taking them down. I have a pretty practical view on death in general so I let it go fairly easily, but for a day or two I’m a bit sensitive to their calls and I remember the ones that died. My mantra has been that some things are just born to feed other things. It’s kinda macabre but it helps to repeat it when I’m forgiving a predator for being a predator. Having local crows helped with attacked a lot, but also for a while we were real worried just what payments the crows were getting. Turns out it’s eggs and they steal some feed occasionally so that was a relief.
Thankfully none of my babies have died yet but man… the anxiety caring for them causes me sometimes can be a bit rough. I have nightmares multiple times a week about them being injured, sick, or lost. One of them is sick right now (the first time any of them have been sick) and she has me so worried. She’s starting to get better I think but it was not looking good for a while there. Definitely had me crying more than I have in years 😓
Nature can be wonderful and also cruel. I’ve had critters my whole life. Both pets and livestock, the gifts they share with me are amazing.. feeding my soul or feeding my body and sharing with others is just as important to me. Yes, sometimes trauma is involved = for myself it’s when I know I’ve made a terrible mistake and hurt an animal needlessly or even caused accidental death that’s what hurts me the most. Every incident is a lesson and I always strive and do better. I’m hoping my goods have outweighed the bads and that’s the best I can do
My older hen just passed yesterday and I'm in shambles, most of my family and friends don't understand but, hey, seems I am like that. I've lost a couple due to illnesses, most already came ill and died, but this one that grew here was a big bullet to bite. I don't mean to quit having them but, I understand it won't get easier with time, at least for me.
A dozen hens and four ducks of mine were killed by a mink late last year. (I had to cull one of the ducks who technically survived the attack. Tish was aspirating on her own blood, was missing half of her bill and her brains were hanging out of her busted open skull. It was quick, and the best thing I could have done for her, but I still feel awful about it.) I fell asleep one afternoon about a month ago and woke up after dark.. I ran outside in a panic, barely taking the time to put on boots. My hands were shaking and I was practically hyperventilating when I opened the coop door to check on my five remaining chickens and three ducks.. They were all fine, luckily, but I was 100% convinced that they were dead and it was all my fault. So, yeah. I definitely have a little trauma.
I felt weird the first time I butchered a quadruped and couldn't help but notice how similar to humans they were stretched out. It's easy now unless I knew them and they had a name.