A Cold Morning On The Farm
It was one of those cold mornings that make you hug your jacket tighter.
Niss woke up refreshed. She’d slept deeply, peacefully. Nothing special had happened, but she felt calm inside — ready for another day on her layer poultry farm.
She went to her storage room to measure feed for her 22-week-old layer chickens. The morning was quiet.Too quiet.
Even as she neared the chicken house, not a single cluck or flutter broke the silence.
> “They must have slept well… just like me,” Niss thought with a smile.
But her smile faded. Her birds were never this quiet during feeding time.
Her heart began to race.
A Silent Chicken House
After disinfecting her shoes, she opened the door…..
and froze.
Inside, her chickens lay still on the litter.
Not one moved.
Not one made a sound.
She felt dizzy. Her chest tightened. She reached for one bird — cold. Another — the same.
All gone.
623 layer chickens. Silent. Dead.
Tears rolled down her face.
She had done everything right — all vaccines, feeding schedules, and hygiene routines.
There hadn’t been any sign of a disease outbreak nearby.
When Everything You Did Right Still Fails
Niss called the vet, her voice shaking. He arrived quickly, calm but serious.
> “Did you notice any signs of disease?” he asked.
“No,” Niss said. “They were fine last night. Though they didn’t finish their feed… and one bird looked sleepy, but it woke up.”
The vet took a few samples for postmortem testing and left her with words she would never forget.
Lessons No One Talks About
You have to be ready so you don’t give up.
✅ Diseases still attack even when birds are vaccinated.
✅ Vaccines are not 100% effective — always watch your flock closely.
✅ Isolate any sick-looking bird and call a poultry vet immediately.
✅ Never eat dead birds — you don’t know what killed them. It’s not safe for you.
✅ Sometimes, even when you do everything right, bad things just happen.
That day broke Niss’s heart.
But it also reminded her that farming isn’t just about feed and vaccines.
It’s about expecting for the worst and being ready, patience, discipline, and resilience.
Just like DR.STARR.
Because sometimes, you can do everything right… and still lose.
What matters is what you do next.
💬 Your Turn
Have you ever lost birds suddenly on your farm?
Share your experience in the comments — your story might help another poultry farmer avoid the same pain.
👉 Get a Free copy of my Layer Poultry Farming Guide and regular Layer Chicken Digest Tips here👇🏿
See you next Wednesday!
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