Chinese New Year Hatch/February 3 2011

[wolftracks]

It was CowgirlJules who had won the Marans eggs.

My mistake!

 

[RareBreedFancier]

Quote:
I love mine

I did notice it seemed to be a big gap for the tiny banties (I've never had bantie babies before) but I cheated and put shavings in with the cloth over the top so they had a flattish surface to walk on and they didn't fall into the shavings. Made the bit in the middle lower and the sides a bit higher so they can chose to snuggle closer to it if they want to. They really seem to love it, much happier than my last lot under lights.

Now two questions:

I candled my CNY eggs last night and was amazed to find I have more alive than I thought. Looks like 5 moving and one odd looking one I need advice. It looks dark and full but I see no movement and I can't see blood vessels or anything when I candle it. It's also a darker egg with a thicker shell than the others. I did wonder if it might be a stinker and sniffed it. It has a very slight 'eggy' smell. It doesn't stink, the smell is only slight but the others smell like nothing. So... do you think I could still have a chick in there or is it on the way to being an egg bomb? I really don't want to toss it if there might be a chick in there but at the same time I don't want it to explode in the hatcher if it's an egg bomb.

Other question is a lot sadder, one of my chicks can't walk properly. It tries but can't seem to straighten one leg. It hobbles on it's hock but looks miserable. I checked it over this morning and held it so it could drink and set it down with some food and a few min later it was on the food plate. I had to go out and when I got back I held it to drink again and noticed it seems very unhappy. The leg now seems to be at a much worse angle and the hock is enlarged.

I noticed the others picking on it and when I asked DH if anything had happened while I was out he said there was a LOT of high pitched screaming coming from there but when he looked he couldn't see anything (they were all under the brooder). I'm now wondering if the others could have tread on it and broken the leg? It is defiantly worse than it was this morning and it doesn't want to move now at all.

I guess I'm wondering if it could be anything else that it might have a chance of recovering from or if I should just put the poor thing out of it's misery.

I can't answer your question but I can give you a story.
Meet my speckled sussex, Hoppy, as a chick:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/46869_img_0212.jpg

I went through the same thing, should I cull her, should I not... she was eating and drinking (but I had to hold her to do it every hour or two) but couldn't walk. The other chicks picked on her so she got her own brooder. I ended up pulling her leg to stretch it and coban wrapped it (tape that only sticks to itsself to make a cast forcing her to stand on it (I think that was day 3 or so):
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/46869_cast.jpg

I left the cast on for a day or two, can't remember. Had her do some chicken physical therapy:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/46869_hoppy_today.jpg
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/46869_ruuuun.jpg

After awhile she began to heal, it took 2 weeks total:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/46869_hoppy_week2.jpg

And here's my beautiful girl:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/46869_fall_hoppy.jpg

I only continued with this because she wanted to. She was very energetic, and eating and drinking and pooing. If she wasn't, I would have culled her.

Have you seen https://sites.google.com/a/larsencreek.com/chicken-orthopedics/leg-braces

GOOD LUCK.

OH NO!!!

WHY didn't I see this last night!!!! It showed no new posts at midnight my time and you'd posted 3 hours before!!!

I culled my baby this morning because I thought I was being cruel. Now I feel like a murderer 'cause the leg looked exactly like your pics!

I feel so so so sad now

I should have given my baby longer and done more research.

My poor baby.

 

[debilorrah]

My friend's hubby wnet Home tonight at 7:23 pm. His birthday was 7/23.

 

[wolftracks]

Quote:
wow....

 

[RareBreedFancier]

Quote:
This is a great site, looks like my baby had a Slipped Achilles Tendon. I actually thought it might be a slipped tendon and did try to fix it similar to what it says but my baby was peeping and I thought I was hurting it so I didn't persist. I sure wish I had now

I have bookmarked the site so I have it now when I need it again. Thank you.

 

[RareBreedFancier]

Quote:

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Quote:
I can't answer your question but I can give you a story.
Meet my speckled sussex, Hoppy, as a chick:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/46869_img_0212.jpg

I went through the same thing, should I cull her, should I not... she was eating and drinking (but I had to hold her to do it every hour or two) but couldn't walk. The other chicks picked on her so she got her own brooder. I ended up pulling her leg to stretch it and coban wrapped it (tape that only sticks to itsself to make a cast forcing her to stand on it (I think that was day 3 or so):
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/46869_cast.jpg

I left the cast on for a day or two, can't remember. Had her do some chicken physical therapy:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/46869_hoppy_today.jpg
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/46869_ruuuun.jpg

After awhile she began to heal, it took 2 weeks total:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/46869_hoppy_week2.jpg

And here's my beautiful girl:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/46869_fall_hoppy.jpg

I only continued with this because she wanted to. She was very energetic, and eating and drinking and pooing. If she wasn't, I would have culled her.

Have you seen https://sites.google.com/a/larsencreek.com/chicken-orthopedics/leg-braces

GOOD LUCK.

OH NO!!!

WHY didn't I see this last night!!!! It showed no new posts at midnight my time and you'd posted 3 hours before!!!

I culled my baby this morning because I thought I was being cruel. Now I feel like a murderer 'cause the leg looked exactly like your pics!

I feel so so so sad now

I should have given my baby longer and done more research.

My poor baby.

I'm so sorry... you DID do the right thing, what was right for YOU. It was a hard road for my girl, that first week and a half I cried a lot watching her. I actually begged her to just die in the middle of the night a few times but the stubborn thing refused to cooperate. No judgment here and remember, you have no idea what the outcome would have been

 

[RareBreedFancier]

Quote:
I'm so sorry... you DID do the right thing, what was right for YOU. It was a hard road for my girl, that first week and a half I cried a lot watching her. I actually begged her to just die in the middle of the night a few times but the stubborn thing refused to cooperate. No judgment here and remember, you have no idea what the outcome would have been

Thank you.

I have calmed down a lot now and DH keeps assuring me I did the right thing because my baby isn't in pain anymore and that of course 'in the wild' it would have ended terribly for the poor little thing.

Your right that I don't know what would have happened but I'm glad to know what I can try in future.

I guess it's super hard because it's my first ever hatch, one of the first 2 out (not sure who was first out) and also the first ever chicken I've ever culled.

EDIT: Proofreading error

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I understand. I felt the same way about my girl and I had posted on the emergency board and overwhelmingly people said to cull. There were other stories shared, that people had tried and failed to fix it. The last thing I wanted was my chick in pain. I held her in my hands and was debating culling her but the way she looked at me with her little chick eyes I just couldn't do it. So I told my boyfriend HE had to do it and he refused and said give healing a try. Like I said, it was a long and tough road, and I had 2 weeks off of work to do it, or else it wouldn't have ended so happily, I don't think. She still has some issues, from being apart from other chickens for 2 weeks, she still lacks chicken social skills and admittedly stalks me (it's creepy in a hilarious way when you see her pace up and down the chicken run fence looking in the windows of the people house - then sees me and literally jumps up in the air squawking in happiness).
Also... and I'm only admitting this to you (LOL) when I cut her cast off she was wiggling so badly that I accidentally cut the tip of one of her toes off on her other (good) side... It grew back, partially, and now she has what we refer to as "the digger toe" (her nail kinda comes out the bottom of her foot and curls up) - it's horrid. Every day when I see her foot I feel bad.

 

[RareBreedFancier]

LOL! I can just see her jumping up squawking when she sees you. I have a kid goat that acts like that, even though I deliberatly got two so they are supposed to KNOW they are goats.

It does sound like a hard road, your girl is very lucky you could spend the time with her. Don't feel bad about the toe, without your dedication and care she wouldn't be here.