WetheringHeightsFarm
In the Brooder
- Dec 8, 2023
- 8
- 8
- 14
Hi, last week we got 3 day old chicks to fulfill a bantam’s broodiness. We replaced her “yolkers” with 3 lavender orphingtons. One got an eye injury and we are nursing that and keeping a close eye on it. However, another little chick has some serious injury to her leg. This morning (chilly with rain) we found her on the outside of the nesting box, sprawled out barely alive, cold and gasping for breath. She must have been like that most of the night. Yesterday, she was just fine - or so we thought. I grabbed her cupped in both hands (mine were warmest) and brought her in, held her and blew my warm breath on her for about 30 minutes. She started breathing regularly, then chirping, then opened her eyes. So we put her in the brooder’s box to keep an eye on her. She seemed to be doing okay so I brought her back to mom. I checked an hour later and again, she was on her side, screaming and getting cold. I brought her into the brooders box. Gave her electrolyte water from an eye dropper and checked out why her leg was so weak. I thought maybe it was because of her lack of oxygen and heat overnight. I discovered that she has an open gash, under her leg thigh where her leg and breast bone is. I mean it’s open. You can see the chicks meat. I was able to put antibiotic salve inside but I’m not sure how to dress the wound or if she’ll even survive. I don’t even know how that tore. She's always the “shy” one, smallest one but she would go off the nest with her mom and walk around eating and drinking. She does eat a morsel of food and dips her beak in the water dish, but then she falls asleep. Could be the trauma from last night that she’s tired, or she could be getting sick. I need to know what I should do for her. Will she heal? I don’t want to prolong her misery but I hate to lose a little one so I’ll do what I can. I need to know how to dress the wound or do I just let nature takes it course?