Wednesday, November 4, 2009

And then there were five .....

We said goodbye to tiger and boss chick last night, it was very sad and a very unpleasant job but they weren't getting better and their hock joints were looking very painful and swollen. It would be more cruel to make them suffer, and they weren't happy, they were just existing.

The five survivors .....




"No, I will NOT smile for the camera. This IS my best side!"

.... and Blondie's new trick - she jumps up so easily onto the top of the water bottle to get a better view! She is the smallest of the lot and the others look at her like "how the ? did you get up there?" LOL!




"Oh, I just KNOW I can fly out of here - if only she would leave the lid open...."




6 comments:

greenfumb said...

Sorry to hear that. You are very brave, I'm not sure what I would do, I can hardly kill bugs let alone put chickens out of their misery.

Hope the others are doing well :-)

Xena said...

Hope the rest do survive to be robust chooks.
I like the one in the middle of the first photo. If s/he is the one in the top right of the second one even more so. Looks like s/he is wearing eye liner like a hair metal band from the eighties.

mountainwildlife said...

Thanks, I should have said the 5 left are doing really well, look v healthy and strong.

greenfumb- I wasn't very brave, I sat inside crying while hubby took them outside..... :(
JJ - that is racer boy! (I think a boy) He has a go-faster stripe down his back, the 'hair-gel' look and yes, lovely eyeliner in the style of eighties rock-gods. Or Adam Ant.

If he is a he- watch this space, he may be on the market soon!

Toria said...

I'm so sorry, I would be crying if I had to do that as well. The others are all looking very healthy & lively.

dixiebelle said...

Oh, that is sad... hope the others go OK!

Chris said...

The downside is when things don't go well hey. I've got another story to tell about another batch of eggs I hatched. Same as the last, one developed crooked neck and I tried for a week to nurse them back to health.

The poor thing couldn't stand though or feed on his own. I decided I couldn't wait for Dave to get home in the afternoon, and did the deed in the morning.

I must have spent an hour talking to the little mite, explaining it was all for the best and the pain he was experiencing would be over soon. I cried and cried after it was done.

As hard as it was though, I'd do it all again if it came to putting them out of their misery. It is heartbreaking, watching them struggle to feed themselves and to stand.

But you always have the rest to snuggle up to when you remember the ones that didn't make it.

I love the pics of your chicks though, they remind me so much of my own wyandottes. So fearless at approaching the camera lens, LOL. I think it's curiosity more than anything. If you give them lots of cuddles and talk to them heaps, they won't lose that fearlessness either. You'll bond really close to the girls, and they you.

Looking forward to more updates as they grow! :)