R.I.P. My Favorite Hen

One of our chickens died today. She was the fourth chicken that we bought at the animal farm, and my favorite one because she would let me pet and hold her without putting up a struggle like the other three.

This afternoon when I went to the kitchen to get a drink after taking a nap, I saw this scene through the double French doors. The chicken was laying on her side near the tree where the bird feeder is hanging.

As I wasn't wearing my glasses at the time, I hurried back to the room to get them. I went out to inspect and confirmed that one of the ladies had died. I told husband about it and he went to check it out. There were no apparent bite marks and all the feathers were intact, so we have no idea how she died. Yesterday she was just happily chowing down on grass, weeds and bugs, then today she is dead.

Husband buried the corpse under the garden bed. Daughter kept asking how the chicken died, and we couldn't tell her the exact reason. I think she is still too young to understand life and death, and so I didn't say anything else about it.

I am going to miss this lady. It will be a while before we get another chicken from the animal farm.