POL stopped laying?

[chrismahon]

It gets harder as time goes on Cab, not easier. As you begin to appreciate the personalities and characteristics of chickens you become more attuned to nature in total and killing anything is difficult. Then we started looking at our Carbon footprint and realising how much damage we were doing to the planet. And now we are over here saving rainwater to flush the loo! There was an article on the radio recently that supported that by saying small scale livestock keepers were generally the people most in tune with nature.

 

[Cab]

If it doesn't sound too crazy, I'm finding it depends on the chicken!

Parting with Vicky my old Sussex was very had. I knew that she had to go - she was getting past her productive life and she was utterly unaccepting of the younger hens, bus she and Bess were my first chickens. Eventually she did have to go and I found that incredibly difficult. I knew that it should be me to do it - she should go from alive and well to dead without being bundled into a carrier and taken elsewhere. But its so very different to killing an animal I haven't lived with - say, an animal injured on the road or a rabbit with myxomatosis.

Lizzie was easier. She wasn't just useless, she was becoming a bully, and while she was a great little character I wasn't as attached to her as I was with Vicky. When it was clearly for the good of the other birds I think I found it much easier.

I dread the day that Bess gets ill or just old and miserable - she's such a good natured creature I just don't know how I'll be able to do that!