(I guess there was some confusion on my post yesterday, when I called this chicken our lone survivor, I meant she was the lone survivor of the 4 who were attacked. We still have 18 other chickens in our flock, it’s just that most of the young members are now gone.)
As you can see our chicken is still alive but make no mistake, she is still in serious condition. Very serious condition.
Her legs are getting stronger and she can hold the weight of her body up when braced. But if I let go of the support, she topples. I’ve learned to prop her up against a wall of the rabbit hutch at night because when she tips over, she can’t get back up. It’s almost as if all sense of body balance has been taken from her.
There are a few other things going on as well.
Even though I go out several times a day to move her and try and get her to use her feet, she is still sitting – in the same position for long periods of time. Yesterday I heard a little whistle in her breathing (to be fair I did not hear it this morning.) Just like a human patient, you have to move air or it stagnates. And stagnation equals a problem.
She is eating, drinking and still pooping wet waste (which means she’s hydrated) – that’s all good.
She is starting to close her eyes and nap – and we know what that means. I would have expected that behavior when she was initially reacting to the trauma, but to see this 4 days out could mean that she is losing the battle.
Her bum keeps twitching. She laid an egg 2 days ago. I’m not sure she has the strength or energy to pass another egg. A bound egg right now would be problematic.
Bu then, yesterday when I positioned her for the night, I gently moved her feet so they were not at an angle and when my fingers were under her feet, she must have assumed they were a roosting bar and she wrapped her toes around them.
Just like all my babies wrapped their fingers around mine shortly after birth.
Nope, not ready to give up on this chicken yet. She’s got my care until she doesn’t need it any longer.
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Note: I am a full believer in putting a chicken that is in severe pain down. It’s the responsible thing to do. I am closely monitoring this chicken and while we are all rooting her to survive, when and if, I felt she was suffering, I would put her down.
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Wendy Thomas writes about the lessons learned while raising children and chickens in New Hampshire. Contact her at [email protected]
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