Dory The Polish Illness Update -
Dory is now officially the most spoiled and well cared for bird in the coop. She has what we have identified as Chicken Botulism, caused by the constantly wet and rapidly warm changing weather, and a bought of moldy chick crumble.
Her condition is stationary at the moment, not getting worse, but not seeming to get any better. She is making noise, but can barely stand on her own, and is very unbalanced, falling over on her left side with a muffled wing flap and awkward cheep. I have to fill a syringe with water and feed it down her throat every 45 minutes, and literally place individual grains of crumble into her beak, so she can swallow them.
We have her drinking Save-a-chick Probiotics and Electrolytes, 400ui Vitamin E gel once a day, baby food, yogurt, and molasses mixture for sustenance and internal cleansing, and back to medicated chick starter. She sleeps all day, accept for when being handled, and can barely stay awake long enough to swallow then. She still has muscle control, and will try to stand on her own. She fights a bit when I try to water her or feed her, but she eventually accepts that i'm trying to help.
Is there anything I can be doing/don't need to be doing for her?
She is getting lots of water, and even pooped a solid thismorning after eating some strawberries and boiled egg yesterday.
Im gpoiong to try to get her to eat more boiled egg tonight, or even some scrambled. (We may end up sharing)
Also, Dory , if "she" survives this illness, will most likely be earning a new name, as after having held "her" close for the past few days, I have noticed some "he-ish" signs. Thats right, Dory may be a guy. So yes. "Dory" will be "Darius".
Thats about it for today. Trying to keep my hopes up. Prayers for dory, and a Happy4 of july!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the bright side, we have made some amazing Fruit Pizzas, and witnessed on the way to
walmart, the Colossal Cave Road 4th of July parade. Cute horses and boy scouts with thier balloon animal-hats.
Have some family coming over, and we will be setting off some fireworks. Will make sure the chickens aren't scared to death.
Will they become to stressed if we are lighting the kind that don't shoot off into the air?
(I know my dog hates them either way)
Half my neighborhood isn't developed & surrounded by hay fields & cow pastures plus the lot behind my yard & to the 3 to the right are empty. Might be worth a try to see if it'd lessen them. I found 1 of them in my coop 1 morning just hanging out like it was welcome.
