Sunday 1 May 2016

Sad News - Goodbye Mother Goose


Mother Goose died during last night, peacefully and cuddled up against one of the large Black Marans in one of the nesting boxes.  Her friend did such a good job of keeping her cosy that even though her body was stiff it was still lovely and warm when Lovely Hubby gently removed her from the henhouse.

She came into our lives on the 17th June 2012, when we bought her along with her babies, the three goslings you see in the photo.  Rather strangely and something I have just rediscovered looking back through my diaries she was bought at the same time as the hen she cuddled up to last night.

When we got home with our purchases then we had 38 birds, now we are down to just 15  :-(



I wrote THIS post about her and her babies when they had been with us for a week.


Of course her babies grew much bigger than she was!!


She was a brilliant Mum to the geese and this is how she got her name.   I remember clearly the look of consternation on her face the first time they all dived into a big bowl of water and started splashing about.  She told them off in no uncertain terms but eventually got used to her huge wet offspring.  She also found it strange that she could never teach them to roost on the bars in the henhouse, but once again she soon got used to their strange ways and left them sitting near the door of the henhouse on the floor while she sat above them on the perch.


Last years babies were so much smaller ... she was Mum to Jack and Jill the Lavender Pekin bantams, a much easier little family to raise without the worries of her first brood.


We don't know how old she was when we got her, I guess she was at least two years old, so that would make her in the region of six years old, not too bad an age considering the high stress life she led.  She was always 'in charge' even the cockerels saw her as 'head chicken' and would leave her well alone, she bossed everyone else around at feed times and bedtimes and generally was on the go from first thing in the morning until I shut the door on the henhouse each night.

She spent Friday in the polytunnel with me, warming her old bones and feasting on worms and spinach and then yesterday she was back with the flock basking in the afternoon sunshine over in our new chicken world in the orchard.  At one point I thought she had keeled over and died, and I went into her but she was merely lying down with her wings outstretched gathering all the heat of the sun, I felt so guilty for disturbing her.

Another sad day but she lived life to the full surrounded by her chickeny friends and had a wonderful last few days.  So in total  during the month of April we lost three of our girls. Enid, Daisy and Mother Goose.  Chicken Land is a quiet place today, for once Jack isn't to be heard crowing in answer to the neighbour cockerel, and the girls are mooching about in a really calm, quiet and unusual way ... I think they are feeling the loss as much as we are.

RIP Mother Goose - you were a unique and very special hen, it was a privilege to have known you.

Sue xx

19 comments:

  1. It's always sad to read when you've lost an animal Sue, but the way you write about them is so loving and respectful. I guess no one said farm living would be easy. xx

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  2. Aww, she had a lovely life with you and died peacefully in her sleep. That's all we can wish for our furry and feathered friends xxx

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  3. I know it should't be so sad when one of our animals dies after a long and happy life, but dang it, it is. RIP Mother Goose.

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  4. sorry to hear about your losses (just caught up with previous posts) hard when you lose a few of them, as others & you have said, they have had a wonderful life there with you & died peaceably
    thanx for sharing

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  5. This could be a sad post, but it isn't - she lived a good chicken life, and died peacefully at an old chicken age. I enjoyed reading abut it.

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  6. The circle of life for chickens is all too brief

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  7. O no Sue..must admit we had a little tear when Daisy passed and now Mother Goose..all i can say is that she was absolutely the best..such a mother and loving to the goslings..we would look forward to the little videos you put up..she was loved by her babies and you..
    sara,fer,iris

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  8. Ah, a sad loss. She sounds like a real character and such a delight to her different broods and other feathered friends, and you. Run free Mother Goose x

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  9. Gone to the hen house in the sky now. What a lovely life you gave her. x

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  10. Your tribute to Mother Goose was lovely.

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  11. So sad. But so fitting that she would pass today - May 1st is Mother Goose day.

    https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/mother-goose-day/

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    1. I didn't know that!! How weirdly coincidental.

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  12. I had to read the first part twice, but yes it's a hen called Mother Goose. What a lovely tribute to an extraordinary hen.

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    1. Haha, yes our furry and feathered family members get names unique to them and their foibles :-)

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  13. What a sad but lovely post.
    I wondered how she got her name and had to look at the first few photos twice.
    She is a lovely chicken and all of her babies were so cute.

    cheers, parsnip and thehamish

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  14. Sorry to hear that Mother Goose has passed away.

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