- Apr 23, 2010
- 300
- 7
- 128
I am so angry right now.
I'm renting a house with a chicken coop and got 13 pullets in April. Our landlord, very particular and always quick to give advice, is a little meddlesome and has overstepped his bounds in deciding what is best for the chickens a few times now.
I came home the other day to find that he had moved the rock we were using to prop open the coop door back outside, and had tied the door open with plastic rope. I had a hard time getting it untied, so I put the rock back, pulled part of the rope down, and meant to come out with the scissors to cut it off. I left in a hurry this morning and forgot to take care of it.
I just came home from work to find my sweetest Light Brahma, Salty, hanging from the plastic cord which had become wrapped around her chest, both wings, and her legs. She was just hanging there not moving when I saw her, and I was sure she was dead. When I lifted her up she started making distressed sounds, but was very weak and didn't struggle much at all. It's in the low 90s here today (fortunately it didn't meet the 98 degree forecast) and the coop door gets full sunlight. I was finally able to get her untangled after several minutes, the rope was extremely tight and was around the base of both wings, her crop, etc. She was panting with her mouth wide open and looked very out of it and distressed, but didn't struggle against me at all.
The poor girl drooped right to the floor when I finally set her down, I lifted her gently and set her beak in the waterer, she drank a couple times and seemed desperately thirsty but barely able to keep her eyes open. She was able to stand on her own while I filled the waterer with cold water, and then started drinking on her own. At first she seemed very shocky, her eyes looked very out of it and kept drooping closed but she would perk up and drink a little when I stroked her back.
Right now I have her in a separate area of the coop with a waterer, she was on the ground sleeping (on her chest, not side) when I checked on her last, but she seemed alert and stood up when I talked to her. I offered her a little of their regular feed from my hand and she pecked at it a few times, and seems to be drinking on her own. But, when she stands both wings droop down at the same level. I am hoping she isn't badly injured and that she's just sore and exhausted - I certainly would be! I haven't checked her thoroughly for cuts b/c I wanted to give her a chance to have some peace and quiet and get rehydrated first. ETA: there was about a 1" stripe of pink on the rope, which I think might have been blood. I didn't notice any on her white feathers.
I'm going to try giving her some yogurt and egg yolk with vitamins to get some food in her, and put some electrolytes in her water. Is there anything else I can do for her? I have no idea how long she was caught, I'm hoping she wasn't without food and water for very long.
I'm just glad I found her before she died up there, but I am furious at our landlord (and at myself for not cutting the darn thing down when I first saw it). I just put a sign up on the gate to the run stating "NO trespassing or any other access without tenants' permission, violators will be prosecuted". As far as I am concerned, it is not okay for him to be doing "maintenance" on the coop on a whim and we need to have at least 24 hours notice as we should with the house, per our lease (we've had to talk to him about THAT one, too...). We can't have him putting up any more nooses!
I'm renting a house with a chicken coop and got 13 pullets in April. Our landlord, very particular and always quick to give advice, is a little meddlesome and has overstepped his bounds in deciding what is best for the chickens a few times now.
I came home the other day to find that he had moved the rock we were using to prop open the coop door back outside, and had tied the door open with plastic rope. I had a hard time getting it untied, so I put the rock back, pulled part of the rope down, and meant to come out with the scissors to cut it off. I left in a hurry this morning and forgot to take care of it.
I just came home from work to find my sweetest Light Brahma, Salty, hanging from the plastic cord which had become wrapped around her chest, both wings, and her legs. She was just hanging there not moving when I saw her, and I was sure she was dead. When I lifted her up she started making distressed sounds, but was very weak and didn't struggle much at all. It's in the low 90s here today (fortunately it didn't meet the 98 degree forecast) and the coop door gets full sunlight. I was finally able to get her untangled after several minutes, the rope was extremely tight and was around the base of both wings, her crop, etc. She was panting with her mouth wide open and looked very out of it and distressed, but didn't struggle against me at all.
The poor girl drooped right to the floor when I finally set her down, I lifted her gently and set her beak in the waterer, she drank a couple times and seemed desperately thirsty but barely able to keep her eyes open. She was able to stand on her own while I filled the waterer with cold water, and then started drinking on her own. At first she seemed very shocky, her eyes looked very out of it and kept drooping closed but she would perk up and drink a little when I stroked her back.
Right now I have her in a separate area of the coop with a waterer, she was on the ground sleeping (on her chest, not side) when I checked on her last, but she seemed alert and stood up when I talked to her. I offered her a little of their regular feed from my hand and she pecked at it a few times, and seems to be drinking on her own. But, when she stands both wings droop down at the same level. I am hoping she isn't badly injured and that she's just sore and exhausted - I certainly would be! I haven't checked her thoroughly for cuts b/c I wanted to give her a chance to have some peace and quiet and get rehydrated first. ETA: there was about a 1" stripe of pink on the rope, which I think might have been blood. I didn't notice any on her white feathers.
I'm going to try giving her some yogurt and egg yolk with vitamins to get some food in her, and put some electrolytes in her water. Is there anything else I can do for her? I have no idea how long she was caught, I'm hoping she wasn't without food and water for very long.
I'm just glad I found her before she died up there, but I am furious at our landlord (and at myself for not cutting the darn thing down when I first saw it). I just put a sign up on the gate to the run stating "NO trespassing or any other access without tenants' permission, violators will be prosecuted". As far as I am concerned, it is not okay for him to be doing "maintenance" on the coop on a whim and we need to have at least 24 hours notice as we should with the house, per our lease (we've had to talk to him about THAT one, too...). We can't have him putting up any more nooses!
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