Honestly, between how comprehensive this is and the heavy use of citations I'm surprised this article has so few ratings. It should be one of the best on the website.
I guess I was expecting more medical information on common geriatric chicken ailments, cures, links to treatments, what to expect in the way of joint/eye/hearing degeneration, etc. with older birds. It's got a nice sentiment regarding the emotional aspects of chicken keeping, however.
What a great story. I often hear the claim that if we all had to process our own animals for food so many more people would be veg*n... But I genuinely believe that instead it would set so many more people's minds at ease instead. There are plenty of chickens out there deserving of love... And plenty that end up simply being problems. In the wild, problems get solved with predation and I think a knife is much kinder. Congratulations on your learning experience and accomplishing your goals.
