Olive was one of four in the final group of pullets. She followed Elsie on each new escape attempt from the nursery, favoring the high ground on the lamp, which is where we'd find her when we came in to lock them up for the night.

She was quiet, never mean nor rude. She continued to like the high places where she can see. When I come into the coop, she'd jump on top of a door on their side so she can see over the wall at what I'm doing. When I cleaned the roost board, she was usually at my feet.

Olive was a mottled gray and black. She never had all her plumage at one time, due to disciplinary plucking of the little feathers behind her head. She was last to everything except out the door for free ranges, eager for worms and bugs. She never enjoyed the more exotic treats, favoring the dehydrated grubs we'd use to lure them in once free range was over.

A few days after Memorial Day weekend, she came out for a free range, but went inside after a while to go to bed. While she was lowest on the pecking order and thus never goes into the coop for bed first, it was sundown and we didn't think much of it.

Two days later, she was shaky on her feet, had vent gleet, and resistant to eating and drinking. We brought her inside so the others wouldn't pick on her. We kept her comfortable and occasionally got her to eat and drink a bit while we made an appointment at the vet for the next day.

We have a very nice vet, who regretfully informed us, after a thorough examination of Olive, that she had leukemia, and her increasing weakness was her finally unable to keep up the facade that she was okay. The vet assured us that it wasn't contagious to humans, that it was a genetic problem from her breeding, and so unlikely to cross into her eight sisters. The vet gave us some options. We decided to take her home instead of hospitalizing her or euthanasia.

We kept her comfortable, warm, and put her cage right by us. My brother set up a cot nearby to keep an eye on her overnight.

She passed at around 1:30 AM on June 2, 2023.

Olive was a great chicken. She was sweet and personable, and never appeared discontent about her lot in life. She will be sorely missed by us and her closest sister, Opal.