Sylvia was dead in the doorway of the coop.
I opened the coop from the back, and leaned in to move her. Rigormortis has set in. I went back in the house to get a towel to wrap her in, and to wake and tell my husband. Then I went back ouside, looked her over in situ and then lovingly wrapped her in the towel, and carried her in to the house.
Last night, she'd been sitting in the doorway and a couple of girls still hadn't gone to bed. My first thought was that she had got caught in the doorway when the auto door shut. This wasn't the case though - I'd gone out last night before bedtime, found Poppy still on the roosting bars, and had had to turn the lights on, get her off the roosting bar and I carried her round and put her in the pop hole. The coop door was completely shut, so I know that isn't what happened.
What I guess happened is that one or more of the girls who were outside probably trod on her to get in to the coop, and unfortunately probably trod on her neck on the edge of the doorway - dislocating or breaking it, and killing her.
Poor gentle little girl. Poor beauty.
Only one female silver laced barnevelder hatched, the other 4 were boys. One, the beautiful Shy Boy, went to start a new line with a breeder. They were all such lovely boys that we kept 2 boys, and were going to run a flock with two cockerels. Barnevelders are such a gentle breed that it's possible to do this, if the boys are raised together. And then the b*st*rds came and stole some girls, and we had to evacuate the rest. The poor boys couldn't be left on their own, so we had to cull them.
It's such a sorry tale. All that work, all that love, nothing left to show for it.
I can't help wishing it had been one of the troublemakers who had died instead.
| Sylvia, Silver Laced Barnevelder, sitting with Astrid & Sunshine |
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| Here's one of the few where she can be better seen, although as she was just starting stand up to ruffle herself, it's not flattering |
