This is the most painful, ridiculous yet the most rewarding part of raising chickens. Painful because we are losing a loved pet/family member, because we seem them suffer, in their eyes we see the trust they have in us, yet at times our hands are tied and we feel as we failed them. Ridiculous in the sense that is the year 2014 and chickens are still considered "lower class citizens" they are seen as disposable item with no capacity for emotional bonding. Everyday we see vets treat anything from dogs to even exotic spiders and lizards, but to find a knowledgeable avian vet is literally a rarity, even more rare is finding a avian vet with knowledge and experience with poultry. Rewarding because you know that you are one of the lucky/special people on this earth. From the millions and millions of people, you were chosen to lived an experience of a lifetime, a friendship with an under appreciated creature that holds amazing levels of intelligence and the capacity to show emotions and to touch your heart and binding it to it's so even when no longer here, it goes on living in your memories and heart.