Thursday 28 April 2016

RIP Daisy, the Lavender Pekin Bantam



The night before we set off on our weekend away Daisy died.  

I was glad she chose that night to tuck her head under her wing and slip peacefully away because it meant I didn't miss a moment of her being with us.  She had no time when she was at home feeling even slightly unwell when I wasn't close by to watch over her.

As deaths go she had a reasonable chicken death, but as life's go she had a wonderful chicken life.


It started over five and a half years ago.  She's the little chick stood to the right of her Mum, in this their first ever family shot .... so she knew a good close chickeny family.


And she was close to her sister Poppy right until the end, although they learnt independence from each other when Poppy had a little vanishing time last year, disappearing each day for over a week and only coming home at bedtime.


She even had her very own Blog post a few months after we moved here.

See HERE.

She started to develop eye infections last Autumn and has been to the vets on a couple of occasions, much to the delight and amusement of the folk I met in the waiting room with their dogs and cats.  She would sit patiently on the vets table while she was examined and injected, with not a moments fuss, and then I had a supply of antibiotics at home for whenever it flared up again.

At the start of last week it did flare up again and I had just started her on another course of antibiotics.  She got used to the ritual of me washing her face when she woke each morning with her eyes stuck shut, in fact one morning I was a bit late and she had gotten herself to the fence and was sat waiting for me to arrive with the cotton pads and a bowl of warm water.  I was worried about going away and not being there for her, but I needn't have been .... the morning we were due to set off I lifted the nesting box lid to find her peacefully dead, with her head tucked under her wing as if to say  "I've had enough ..... it's time to close these weary eyes for the last time".

I don't mind admitting I shed more than a few tears over her sweet little body.

She and her sister Poppy are the last descendents of my original Lavender Pekin Bantams bought for my birthday when we moved onto our very first farm.  Her Dad, our original Caldwell was a magnificent and very brave cockerel, who laid down his life alongside his sons to protect his flock,  Her Mum was called Little Lucy, the sweetest of sweet Pekins, no wonder they produced this lovely girl between them.

This post contains some live action of them when Daisy and Poppy were just eight weeks old.

She lit up my life with her funny little antics and her lovely Pekin Bantam waddly walk, and even when the antibiotics worked the first few times and meant she led me a merry dance to give her her last injection I never got cross ... how can you when you are chasing a feathery bundle of fluff and they turn around just when they are out of reach and smirk at you.



RIP my little Daisy .... you were a very special little chicken, from your first days until your last.

Sept 2011 - April 2016

Sue xx


26 comments:

  1. What a little beauty, but it's obvious she had a good life and a peaceful passing.

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  2. Sorry for your loss, she had a good life with you xx

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  3. Hope her timely demise didn't upset your away weekend too much. She had a great life and I'm sure she knew it.

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  4. Oh this is so sad, bless her.
    We've taken a chicken to the vets before, the looks in the waiting room were quite comical, out little Ginger loved it, and sat on my lap clucking at the dog sat beside her, mind you the dog looked a bit wary haha.
    RIP little Daisy x x

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  5. I'm very sorry about poor Daisy. They all have their own quirky, individual little characters and even though there are some people who say they are 'only chickens', they are more than that and when we lose them, it's still sad and we do miss them. I hope her sister doesn't miss her too much x

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  6. Sorry to hear this. She obviously had a wonderful life.

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  7. Oh Sue, I remember her from when I stayed- she was a lovely, lively little thing :) She can join Sweetiepie in the great chicken run in the sky and they can get up to mischief together :)

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  8. She has had a long life for a bantam I think Sue. I bought a trio years ago of Pekin bantams - a cock and two hens. They were lovely, so friendly. You can content yourself with the fact that you made her life a happy one.

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  9. Rest in peace little Daisy, thinking of you Sue. What fond memories you have of her. Xx

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  10. How sad, but she had a good life. That's all that anyone can hope for. RIP Daisy.

    Joan (Wales)

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  11. She was a pretty girl. Very sad.

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  12. I am not surprised you shed a few tears. I would too.
    She was really gorgeous looking hen. xxx...x

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  13. I always thought she was the most beautiful hen!

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  14. So sorry to hear about Daisy. I am sure that she had a very good life living with you and her other chicken sisters.

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  15. A fine tribute to a beautiful girl...Sorry for your loss.

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  16. I feel very sad got your loss of the wonderful Daisy. She certainly had a wonderful life and a peaceful passing. It makes me happy to know that there are many chickens living happy life's. So distressing with all this intensive farming . Glad she had the best life with her family and the great life you provided for her Sue.

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  17. She had a great life. That's all any of us can ask. RIP little chickie.

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  18. So sorry for your loss, but it sounds like she had a lovely life.

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  19. It sounds like it was just about as good as it gets. I'm so glad she didn't go whilst you were away. I can just imagine how that would have felt. She had a good life with you

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  20. O sue..we are so sorry..bless her..she had a great life and was much loved..can't ask for more in life than to have a mum and family who love you and take care of you..
    sara,fern,iris

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  21. I am so glad you had a wonderful friend in her, she sounds like she had a lovely life with you and I am sending hugs.

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  22. I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm also very glad she had a happy life with you. :)

    These posts are so hard to write, I've done too many of them myself now. :(

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  23. Bless her sweet heart.
    xoxo

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  24. Oh no Sue I just saw your other post and now this. I'm glad to hear of another person taking a chicken to the vets and having a good cry when they die, it's a sign of a good person and restores my faith in humanity.

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  25. Sorry to hear you've lost Daisy. She definitely had a good life with you for an owner looking after her so well. Tge vets bit made me giggle though coz i bet you did get some funny looks from dog and cat owners lol. All you're animals are well loved and it shows in their pics :)

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  26. I'm sorry to hear that you've lost your little Daisy. I've lost one of my hens this week too. When you only have a small number of hens, you get to know them well and get fond of them. Sad : (

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