Beloved Leann
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Today is a sad day. Leann is no longer with us. She died this morning.
There was no warning. There was no sign of illness. This morning I went out to open the hatch into the run as I do every morning. Everyone ran outside while I checked their water and food. I picked up Reba because she’s always at my feet and loves to be patted and cuddled. Then a commotion out in the run caught my 
eye. Leann had fallen down and was stretching out her neck with her beak open wide. It almost looked like she was choking. Then she convulsed and flipped over on her back. She was gone just like that. I took her out of the pen right away so the other chickens wouldn’t molest her.
The kids are mildly sad. They understand death and want to bury Leann in the backyard. I think I’m having a harder time with it because I take care of the chickens. Did I do something wrong? Could I have prevented this? Is there a threat to the other chickens?
I’ve already emptied the coop of old shavings and put down fresh, clean shavings. I cleaned the waterer and re-filled it. I went into the run and found some things that the chickens had unearthed that could be harmful if it was ingested. I removed them and will be checking frequently.
Death leaves a dark, morose feeling that lingers in the atmosphere like the rain clouds that we’ve had to deal with for two weeks now. The seven day forecast is more rain. I knew that fatalities were a real possibility when I got my chicks. I’ll have to accept it and move on. It would just be easier if I had some sunshine.
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