I lost my favourite hen Esme yesterday, she was such a funny chook, completly oblivious to danger but so friendly, she would quite often show up in the kitchen trying to sit on the small holder we have for eggs on the worktop. I'd noticed a few days ago one of the hen's was laying in the compost heap so closed the lid, sadly Esme had tried to get to her favoured spot and got her head trapped in a small gap between the lid and the side wall of the compost bin, she'd slipped and been unable to free her head and strangled herself, I found her dangling over the side, her head still trapped. Feel so sad for her, somehow I don't think I'd have felt to bad about it if she'd been taken by a fox, but this seems such a stupid accident to have happened. RIP funny little Esme X

I am so sorry, and really feel for you.

I had a pet hen called Jane, so understand how attached you can become.

I was devastated when I lost my favourite bantam, a little hen called Percy (yes, I know!). She was really tame and would potter about the kitchen, and snuggle up with the dogs (who looked a bit startled) and would settle down on top of me when I sunbathed and would croodle an affectionate little song to me. Then one day she fell in the garden pond and drowned; I was really upset, so I understand how you're feeling now. :-(

That's really sad and I can quite understand why you'd feel differently if it had been a fox - that would, at least, have felt more natural or expected.

Poor Esme xxx

I had a Japanese Bantam hen called Fonzy (yep I know) but she had this punked up hair style.....lol.  I even took her to school and did my English CSE oral talk about her, I was absolutely devastated when she died :-(

poor Esme--I know how you feel. I hand reared a chick last summer--her mother was determined to kill her. My neighbour's children named her Fluffy Michelle :) and she was as tame as anything.

Sadly FM took poorly three weeks ago and I tried to convince myself that she might get better--I handfed her, made sure she was comfortable etc, but one day when I went into the pen she had a very sad and defeated look in her eyes and she could no longer walk at all. That was when I knew I had to let her go and it was all the harder because I had to do it myself, she would have been totally traumatised by a trip to the vet.

Good to know so many out there love their birds :)--I have a couple of dozen but every one is special (even the meanies).

Thanks guys x
Jay that must have been really hard, I'm afraid I'd have wimped out and gone to the vet, I used to be able to dispatch hens no problem when I was younger but for some reason I can't bring myself to do it now, I even had to get my nieghbour to "do" a phesant that I found injured on the road, poor things pelvis was smashed.

Hi Celli, it was a Sunday--isn't it always?--and she would have really struggled in the car to the vet. I have to say it was the least worst option for her: what was important was that she could be in the allotment in the grass, in a place she knew and feel at home, she could hear the other hens and she was so calm--it felt like she knew what I was going to do. I couldn't bear to see her in any more upset and misery, but even though it was very quick I will never be able to do it again.

Completly agree with you, I think it's far better for something like a hen not to go through the stress of a car journey and then a vets, just wish I didn't wimp out all the time.I think it's one of those things that once you lose your nerve it's hard to get it back.