Sunday, May 30, 2010

A little bit of T~L~C

We have a sick chicken. Amber is probably the ugliest most stupid chicken of the bunch but she is dear to me for a few reasons. She came in the second batch of chickens we got and arrived without any feathers on her back. She was obviously the object of much rooster attention at the farm where she was :-)

She came to us very skitish and it has taken her a long time to trust us when we are in the garden while they are out. It has also taken her a long time to figure out the routine of getting in and out the coop.

Last week I noticed that she was looking very bedraggeled and thin. Today she didn't move out the coop and hasn't shown any interest in food or water.



So we have hospitalized her for a while. Our chook hospital is a small gray crate which is big enough for them to stand and turn. I place it in a warm spot and leave water and seed in there for the sick girl.

We have nursed a failing chicken back to health before and it really is just a little bit of TLC that I think she needs. If she shows no interest in food and water by this evening we will feed her water with a dropper and I will scramble and egg for her.

If it is nothing more serious than a bit of dehydration and lack of food (these chickens can be quite mean to one of the flock sometimes and keep them from their food and water) she should be back with the flock in a couple of days.

3 comments:

Tanya Murray said...

good luck with the chicken. i would really love to hear updates and developements about how she goes.

Lois Evensen said...

I hope your little patient is clucking and scratching happily soon. :) Your chicken hospital is quite impressive. :)

Lois

Urban Homestead South Africa said...

Hi Tanya and Lois

Amber didn't eat all day nor drink so we have been feeding her an electrolite solution every hour.

I have just checked in on her again and she is drinking on her own now. She even ate some sunflower seeds on her own.

I hope this keeps up! Thanks for the wishes.