Came home from the store yesterday to find the squad had made a new friend! First thought was “where on earth did that turkey come from?” Second thought was “Wow, Louis really is a large chicken because he’s the same size as that turkey.” A social media post quickly reunited her with her family; human and poultry (she’s the momma of chicken chicks she hatched out!). Their flock had been attacked by a fox. Poor girl ran far 
It’s about a mile as the crow flies from her house to ours.
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Looks like a Royal Palm turkey hen.
You are exactly right!
It took me a few days to feel up to announcing the sad news – I found our sweet Larry dead early Tuesday morning 
He was acting his usual self on Monday, and all seemed well when I glanced over at him sleeping when I left the chicken yard at midnight after administering meds to the babies. No external wounds & his spine & neck felt intact upon palpation. Based on the color of his comb I think he had a heart attack.
We humans are all seriously bummed. The remaining 10 from that foundational flock that was his chicken family seem to be grieving. Louis and Madison especially have been seeking out my company while I’m outside. I reread my favorite passage from the Bhagavad Gita, in which Krishna reassures a heartbroken Arjuna as together they survey the teeming battlefield of Dharma:
"You mourn that which is not to be mourned. Never was there a time when you and I and all the kings gathered here have not existed and nor will there be a time when we will cease to exist.”
I know he’s not really gone – that his soul, his bija – will return to us soon enough, when he feels the time is right. We will just have to watch and wait. Until then, we’ll hug the rest of the squad a little tighter 
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Oh, no! I’m so sorry. 
It may sound strange to most people I’m sure , and I never thought I’d say it, but he was a magnificent chicken.
Hugs from Colorado.
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I’m sorry about Larry. He sounded like a real character - not a thing you say often about chickens. RIP good chicken.
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Big tracks to fill, there.
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I’m sorry for your loss. I know you guys will miss him very much.
RIP Larry
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I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. Is a heart attack unusual for a chicken? Sending hugs your way. 
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Thanks, everyone It’s been hard watching his brother, Louis, in days since. I get the feeling Louis & Larry took a team approach to guarding the squad & Louis is having to adjust to not having Larry around. We have two other mature roosters, Pugsley & Gomez. However, they’re Svart Hona and much smaller.
@Fiesta01 heart attacks aren’t uncommon in chickens. While you see them more in meat birds in the hot weather, they’re not unheard of in normal laying breeds. These guys are so big that I wouldn’t be surprised if they were more susceptible as a breed to cardiovascular issues.
A cute picture from just now: after weeks of nothing we finally have hummingbirds visiting! And they were divebombing each other & causing a major kerfuffle. Louis is staring at the feeder trying to work out what the heck is going on in his yard.
- That dark blob behind the feeder is Pugsley the Svart Hona. He and Gomez get the short end of the stick in family photos.
They’re melanistic and absolutely spectacular looking in person but almost impossible to photograph. Every so often when the Golden Hour lighting is particularly good I go lie in the grass & take a zillion shots to end up with 1 decent one!
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Beautiful picture, a chicken’s dream! Lucky Larry to have the life he did.
Condolences on the loss of your friend.
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Hi All,
My new salmon Faverolles are getting bigger! Not quite full size yet. I’m hoping the pullets will be ready to show by our October show.
IMG_2791.HEIC (2.6 MB) IMG_2792.HEIC (2.7 MB) IMG_2793.HEIC (2.3 MB) IMG_2794.HEIC (1.6 MB)
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Poor Louis, he really is trying to puzzle out that feeder situation without the aid of his brother-in-arms. Hopefully he can adjust well. Thank you for sharing your handsome chickens with us.
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