Hilda

Hilda came waltzing into our lives after likely being dumped in town. She picked the most friendly house she could find and walked right up their driveway demanding they feed her and find her a home. Hilda moved in with a confidence we have never seen and buddied up with Bam Bam the Rooster quick sticks. They were joined at the hip and remained best buds even as more hens started to call the Sanctuary home. Bam Bam would often put his wing over Hilda to protect her, something we have never noticed him do with another Hen to this day, they loved each other.

One evening at bedtime Hilda seemed a little quieter than usual, by morning we knew she was ill when she did nothing more than slowly peck at her favourite snacks without eating them. As the hen at the top of the pecking order, she would usually be chasing everyone else away and eating their share too. We examined her and noticed fluid in her crop and abdomen, a devastatingly common occurrence for hens who have been selectively bred to lay an unnaturally large amount of eggs.

Incredible avian vet, Doctor Ingrid, kindly fit Hilda’s appointment into her already jam packed day at short notice. We were hopeful that given she was still so alert and we were acting early we would be taking her home after treatment with some medicine, but sadly that was not the case. After Doctor Ingrid conducted all of her tests and scans, it became apparent that Hilda was not going to be able to recover, her genetically manipulated body was giving out on her.

After discussing all of our options in depth with the vet, we came to the heart breaking decision to assist Hilda to pass peacefully before her suffering increased over the coming days as her digestive system continued to fail and fluid fill her body.
7 months simply wasn’t long enough with Hilda, our first rescue hen. We hope she enjoyed her short time with us as much as we enjoyed her being apart of our family. She will be forever loved and adored.