One of our bantams is in Chick-ICU.
Although our three “this-season-new” bantams seemed to be getting along with the rest of the flock, (they’ve spent nights in the coop and then during the day free ranged with the crew along with having access to their own private food and water) yesterday I discovered something that broke my heart.
The black frizzle and the blonde one (named “Simba” by my daughter) were untouched, but our gray feathered bantam, the leader of the mini pack was viciously attacked by the others. Resulting in her butt feathers being picked clean and her bum area bloody and raw.
Just like they did with Violet.
It’s difficult not to get angry at my flock for such violence.
It’s even more difficult for me to accept that this happened under my watch.
Again.
Yesterday I took this little one in, cleaned her up and we put her in a small box with a wire crate lid in order to curtail her activity. I figured that if we could get her to eat and drink and stay quiet, she might have a chance.
She was upright and alert during the day, but still, I went to bed last night, not knowing if I was going to have a repeat of Violet and wake to a chicken who had succumbed to her injuries.
This morning I came downstairs and our little trooper (who still needs a name) was alive and seemed to be doing well. Most importantly the bleeding has stopped and I saw poop in her box, an indication that the damage hadn’t scarred and closed off her vent.
I removed the wire lid (much thanks to our dog crates) to her box in order to give her a little more head room and left her alone with plans to continue to keep her confined within the box until she was ready to transition to a larger cage.
Well this one obviously has a mind of her own. Once I left the room, she flew out of the box and followed me to my office where she is now resting and roosting on a blanket I laid out for her on top of a high pile of books.
She’s watching me.
In between writing paragraphs, I watch her.
Although she’ll eventually be moved out when she recovers (I promise), for now, it’s nice to have a chicken in the house once again.
Of course, my other office-mate doesn’t’ seem to mind at all.
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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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