- Jun 12, 2013
- 3
- 0
- 7
One of the classrooms in the school where I teach hatched eggs from 4H. Every year, they have some with splayed legs; I fix them and adopt them out. 4H usually culls them so I thought I'd give it a try.
This year, one is really messed up. It wasn't hatching, so the teacher poked a hole in the egg and left it that way (with the chick's beak out and peeping) for 48 hours. When it got to me, it was the same. I got her out and cleaned up but she had dried stuff on her, bloody eyes, wings and feet didn't work, squished beak, etc... Long story shorter, I force-fed hard boiled egg yolk mixed with Gatorade. Over the last week and a half I added her medicated feed to the mix. She was getting stronger every day and although her eyes were still swollen and not open far, she was walking around, eating off the spoon without force-feeding, preening, etc... Within the last 3 hours, she is blew a bubble out of her throat, threw up after drinking, eyes swollen more and acts like something is stuck. Shakes her head, acts like she's gasping, won't eat ANC barely drinks. Tried olive oil and massaging with no luck. Crop/chest area swollen but with air, not food. It's like a balloon and the skin is tight.
She was doing so well. I don't know what happened. Her eyes were even opening more after using vet eye ointment. Her feathers look like they are growing in her eyes, too, but the stuck food or whatever is more pressing. I use paper towels for bedding so it's not a pine shaving. I'm the orchestra teacher. I don't have it in me to kill her. She was doing so well and getting so big. *sigh*
This year, one is really messed up. It wasn't hatching, so the teacher poked a hole in the egg and left it that way (with the chick's beak out and peeping) for 48 hours. When it got to me, it was the same. I got her out and cleaned up but she had dried stuff on her, bloody eyes, wings and feet didn't work, squished beak, etc... Long story shorter, I force-fed hard boiled egg yolk mixed with Gatorade. Over the last week and a half I added her medicated feed to the mix. She was getting stronger every day and although her eyes were still swollen and not open far, she was walking around, eating off the spoon without force-feeding, preening, etc... Within the last 3 hours, she is blew a bubble out of her throat, threw up after drinking, eyes swollen more and acts like something is stuck. Shakes her head, acts like she's gasping, won't eat ANC barely drinks. Tried olive oil and massaging with no luck. Crop/chest area swollen but with air, not food. It's like a balloon and the skin is tight.
She was doing so well. I don't know what happened. Her eyes were even opening more after using vet eye ointment. Her feathers look like they are growing in her eyes, too, but the stuck food or whatever is more pressing. I use paper towels for bedding so it's not a pine shaving. I'm the orchestra teacher. I don't have it in me to kill her. She was doing so well and getting so big. *sigh*
