Chicken update: R.I.P. Karen

After becoming extremely lethargic over a period of two days, Karen passed away. The vet suspected an infection in her oviduct which we learned is a not-uncommon sequela for chickens who have undergone a traumatic experience. We hope she did not suffer too long, but we learned additional lessons from the last time she was ill. 

The vets we visited did not suggest euthanasia for our sick chicken, nor did they inform us of the potential complications of treating her original issue. Had we known that she was likely to endure further suffering in the remainder of her life, we feel it would've been more humane to euthanase her then. We don't believe in putting a hen through the trauma of vent feeding, daily force-feeding of medication, ultrasounds, surgeries, and whatnot, to satisfy selfish human desires to believe we are looking after our animals by prolonging suffering. 

We bid our farewells and thanked her for everything she gave us. She was our favourite, one of our first chickens, the first to be sick and die, and hopefully the only one who would leave us this legacy of chicken health and death awareness. RIP dear Karen.

A young Karen on my left, 22/09/2022.