Today, our Barred Rock 3y/o hen Sally Ride lost her battle with both lash egg and an infected water belly. She's laid three lash eggs in the last five months and went from a healthy heft to rail-thin, and a week ago began exhibiting water belly. She fell from the upper roost bar in the night and broke her neck.

Sally was a cantankerous but good chicken. She made her place in the upper echelon of the flock quickly and was good friends with Eve, Big Twin, and Ruth. She absolutely did not like being handled and would run or squat deeply when we made moves to catch her. Her favorite foods were watermelon, grubs, and dandelions. And dirt. She had crop surgery at about 1 year old because she decided to indulge in clay.

The day before her death, we were free ranging. Sally could barely walk. We had been feeding her raw egg (which was the only thing she would eat) laced with NutriDrench, oregano, and cultured yeast. She made her way to a hut my brother had constructed months earlier as a shelter from predators and laid in the corner. The other three chickens, one at a time, spent several minutes sitting or standing by her side. All of them were fairly quiet. I think they knew. One of her last acts was to eat dirt from a planter.

Sally passed April 14, 2021. She will be missed.