Obiwan Henobi
Chirping
- Apr 28, 2023
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- 102
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Three years ago, when we purchased our first 6 birds, no one told us how heartbreaking it would be when one of our hens gets sick and dies, develops a medical condition, or is injured by a predator, etc. Even worse, no one pointed out that when (not if) this happens, we would pretty much be on our own since our local vet would not likely be specialized in aviary veterinary medicine, or even willing to see chickens. We live in a rural part of northwestern Ohio and the only aviary veterinarians I can find are in or near large cities at least 2 hours away in any direction. And based on what little reading I have done on the topic; it seems that most aviary vets work for chicken hatcheries and poultry farms.
Given the growing popularity of backyard chicken flocks I am wondering if anyone has tried to organize local groups of poultry hobbyists to pool resources and retain an aviary specialist within a given area? I do not know if this is feasible, or even possible. Is anyone aware of this being attempted or discussed?
Out of our original six girls, only two remain. Two suffered from irreversible vent prolapse, and two from an unidentified illness. I had to euthanize three of them, one died on her own. I know that they are “just chickens” as some will say. But as many on this forum understand, we get attached. I enjoy raising chickens (much more than I had anticipated) and we are looking to replenish our flock this spring. But it just seems irresponsible to continue raising these wonderful creatures without having the proper veterinary support. Could pooling resources to retain a specialist be an option?
Your thoughts?
Given the growing popularity of backyard chicken flocks I am wondering if anyone has tried to organize local groups of poultry hobbyists to pool resources and retain an aviary specialist within a given area? I do not know if this is feasible, or even possible. Is anyone aware of this being attempted or discussed?
Out of our original six girls, only two remain. Two suffered from irreversible vent prolapse, and two from an unidentified illness. I had to euthanize three of them, one died on her own. I know that they are “just chickens” as some will say. But as many on this forum understand, we get attached. I enjoy raising chickens (much more than I had anticipated) and we are looking to replenish our flock this spring. But it just seems irresponsible to continue raising these wonderful creatures without having the proper veterinary support. Could pooling resources to retain a specialist be an option?
Your thoughts?
