Elderly Chicken

My oldest hen is Pepper she’s around 9- 10 years old. She’s was flock leader. she was very friendly didn’t mind being old, but sometimes kind of a jerk. She loves to steal food. I got her when she was an adult and I had her for a few years now. The funny story was that she was not expected to survive the winter when I got her because she was already an old gal (7 years old), but she survived far longer than was expected. I noticed recently that she’s been slowing down. she still eats and waddles around and forage. She’s still very active and still does her funny little fat chicken run when I bring out treats. But she does like to sit down a lot more. But I think the reality is that I may not have another winter with her.

I don’t know how much I have with her left. I won’t give up on her. I am currently focusing on supportive care that was actually the best thing I can do. She’s not in any pain just old. Everyday I make sure she gets special treats and extra attention. She’s also been sitting on my lap more, which means not something she typically does a lot. I like to think it’s her way of her saying it’s time for goodbye soon. My favorite hen (Cinnamon)’s death emotionally wrecked me. Talking about death and the reality like this feels like is a way to help me cope when Pepper is gone. Having a community to talk about this too will probably help me manage my grief better. Pepper I don’t know how much time I have left with you, but I will cherish them.