On Tuesday we had to say goodbye to our sweet girl Henrietta. He sister Della is the last remaining of the 3 original hens. They were together from the day we brought them home 3 years ago. As they matured their pecking order emerged, but they always remained sisters.We have raised our chickens as pets and not livestock. We’ve grown close to them because we spend so much time with them in the yard, and we see them each as individuals with unique personalities. So it’s no surprise to me how hard it hits us when we lose a hen.We’ve come to appreciate that chickens are certainly aware of themselves – more so than a non-chicken owner would realize. It’s also easy to anthropomorphize your chickens when you get close to them as pets. (A mistake perhaps?) This brings up my question for others here. Do chickens feel the loss of another hen?This morning we heard Della make a vocalization we’ve never, ever heard. It was like a warning call, but the pitch was high then low. None of the other hens reacted to it at all which makes me believe it was definitely not a warning call. Could it have been a call out for her sister Henrietta?Chickens are creatures of habit & routine, and they notice change. Especially when something new is introduced into their environment. But how much do chickens notice when something has been removed? For example, how much do they notice when a member of their flock is gone?Thankfully Della still has plenty of company with the 3 other grown up hens she raised for us. She'll be in good company hopefully for a long time.Here's the 3 originals: Della and Henrietta and Nikki. Della is the white hen, Henrietta is the GLW, and Nikki is the BSL.