This morning I heard panic cries from the nearly 3 week old buff orpington chicks. They are in a large wired dog crate with fiberglass screen wrapped around it and plasic to prevent drafts. (The screen is to prevent interested paws and noses from the chicks.) The top has the heat lamp and no other covering.
Ok, I looked in and a chick was frantically running, chirping and I saw a black thing flying around its head. She would stop and some of the others would rush forward and chase her again. The black thing swinging around her. I reached in and chirped she ran to my hand.
Checking her over I found she has partially swallowed a human hair! (mine) A piece of poo was stuck to the hair making an enticing toy for the other chicks. I opened her mouth, the hair was wrapped around the base of her tongue and it was slightly swollen. With the help of my Sister we worked the hair from her tongue using a toothpick and was able to remove it. A HAIR! I have dark brown hair and the piece she had was about a foot long, she had swallowed about 6 inches into her crop, the rest was hanging out of her beak.
She is doing fine now, swelling went down within 15 minutes so must not have been there for very long. I try to keep my hair in a ponytail when working with any of our chickens, so it isn't hanging in my face. A new reason to maybe wear a hairnet around the little ones.
Would or can a hen even thrive without a tongue? So glad I found it in time before circulation was totally cut off.
Ok, I looked in and a chick was frantically running, chirping and I saw a black thing flying around its head. She would stop and some of the others would rush forward and chase her again. The black thing swinging around her. I reached in and chirped she ran to my hand.
Checking her over I found she has partially swallowed a human hair! (mine) A piece of poo was stuck to the hair making an enticing toy for the other chicks. I opened her mouth, the hair was wrapped around the base of her tongue and it was slightly swollen. With the help of my Sister we worked the hair from her tongue using a toothpick and was able to remove it. A HAIR! I have dark brown hair and the piece she had was about a foot long, she had swallowed about 6 inches into her crop, the rest was hanging out of her beak.
She is doing fine now, swelling went down within 15 minutes so must not have been there for very long. I try to keep my hair in a ponytail when working with any of our chickens, so it isn't hanging in my face. A new reason to maybe wear a hairnet around the little ones.
Would or can a hen even thrive without a tongue? So glad I found it in time before circulation was totally cut off.
