DH has taken the kids on holiday on the other side of the country. I stayed at home to take care of a sick chicken - she needs tablets and ointment twice a day and we didn't want to ask our animal feeder to do all that.
That chicken is doing fine, but my guinea hen was looking off for the last two days and she just upped and died while I was holding her. I'd been googling all evening to try and work out what was wrong - I'd no car to bring her to the vet, DH has it.
I'm here alone and I can't get an answer on DH's phone, and I could do with some unmumsnetty hugs if anyone has any to spare. She was a lovely little thing, very gentle, and when she was happy (which was most of the time), she made a noise like a creaky gate or a distant donkey. I'll miss her happy noises. She was always a flighty thing and never let us catch her, but today she let me cuddle her (she was obviously in a bad way!). She had gorgeous black feathers with little white polka dots. Her eggs were like small speckled rocks, you had to slam them on the worktop to crack them. I don't know how guinea chicks ever manage to hatch.
I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Spot.