I wish I could have shown you all everything I was trying to explain. That and the smell! Ick!!! Well let's just say after I was done getting her out yesterday I looked down at may hands and nails and saw I had yolk goop that stunk caked under several fingernails!!! Icky icky icky!!! Lol I can't tell you how many times I washed my hands off.
Everyone please stay safe with all this awful weather everyone is having!
So today's update whoch originally was the noon update and has now become the update for the whole day because I've been busy. Miracle is alive. I was really worried this afternoon and have started dipping her beak periodically in a electrolyte, probiotic, antibiotic water mixture. Overkill I'm not sure.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Last night was rough her feet were a mess and the yolk oozing from her tummy was worrying me a lot! The yolk kept sticking her down to the dry paper towels and literally gluing her in place. Face palm! I did then wrap her in a warm wet paper towel. I've never had that happen where a chick gets glued in place. I felt terrible. I put her in warm wet paper towels the second time I found her glued down in which she had not one but both feet glued down and had stuck her face in it. While her face wasn't stuck down it did glue an eye nearly shut and goop up her whole right side of her face. I cleaned her up and placed her in the dark wet paper towels and back into her strawberry box. My hope was that if more yolk came out it wouldn't turn to glue because of the damp paper towels. It worked. Last night at bed check there was no more yolk oozed out that I could see and she was left in her damp paper towels overnight. They seemed to soothe her. I had put her brother in for a short time but removed him again when I had found her stuck. She had not been able to get up so he was removed to the strawberry box next to hers. This way they can see and talk but she is safe.
This morning when DH2B got up to head to work in the fields(note he still hasn't gotten home yet to show the length of his harvest day- about 6 am is when it starts) I asked him to check on her. Bless his heart he did. She hadn't oozed any more yolk and he placed her on dry folded paper towels to sleep and dry some more. Unfortunately she managed to scoot under the towels and that's how I found her this morning. No idea how or why she wanted to be under them but she did it again after I found her and placed her back on top. That time I really stuffed the paper towels down in there and added more. So because she needed more to deal with she is now splay legged and hobbled. She didn't seem to be able to use her left leg at all but I believe it may just be from the splay leg and needing boots. It was also her left that got glued down BC of the yolk the most. Her stomach is a mess from the last yolk that oozed out of her. I need to clean her up again.
She's slept most of the day. However I have been trying to get her to drink a mix of water electrolyte and probiotic powders and antibiotics. I'm not sure if the antibiotics is right or not its also certainly not measured out to her proper dose but it's the only water soluble antibiotics we have on hand. She hasn't been able to stand or support herself very well so I have been periodically taking her out and pricing her up and dipping her beak. She has been drinking when I do this but only just a tad.
She seems a bit better right now than most of the day. She's adjusting to her hobble I think. She seems more steady and is also sitting up and trying to stand, although she does topple over again. Still I'm proud of her she's such a little fighter.
I've been praying God let's us keep her unless it means a life of suffering for her.
I'm trying to remain guarded but I can't help but have a little hope right now. She's such an incredible little chick. She knows that I'm Mommy a swear that she imprinted on me but more than that she seems to know as animals do that I want to help her and that I'm trying to. This afternoon she wouldn't sleep and was seeming kinda weaker. So I picked her up and held her singing softly. Wouldn't you know her screams and peeps turned to murmurs and purrs and she fell asleep. Right as my lunch was ready. Lol who thinks I are right then? Lol I didn't I gave her about ten minutes of snuggle time before succumbing to my hunger. Also worried about her getting chilled I told her she needed to go back to bed. Man I felt guilty about that.
Ugh I know you can't help it or at least I can't. I always become attached to the ones that I give special care to but gosh does it make it hard if they don't make it. Miracle though she's special. She really seems like a little miracle to me. I have no other idea for how she survived and has made it this far.
I'm hoping and praying I get to keep her and that someday she will be a big beautiful hen and I can cheer when she lays her first egg.
Also she is moving both her legs more and her toes even seem much better boots will be put on tonight. She has pooped twice and loves to snuggle. No if only our dogs would shut up and let her sleep. Every house and they think Daddy is home.
@chickendreams24 I think you got this. Grind up some chick starter soon and start "pecking" at it while you have her out and doing the water thing. If she's really losing yolk, she'll need energy sooner than most chicks... hope bacteria don't find their way inI had a special Wyandotte hatch a week ago that was flopping all over, swollen feet, looked mushy, had a splay leg, and star gazed...seemed it should have died really... did like you are, except it kept getting out of anything I rigged for it's leg...Houdini is doing great, looks smaller than 2 other Wyandotte chicks I have and its fuzz is shaped a little different...but gets around great, splay leg seemed to fix itself and he's keeping up. He wanted to fight, so I helped him.
Whyyyyy?!
Absolutely I will be giving her starter probably beginning tomorrow morning maybe tonight. She is now up on her feet although still unsteady. She hasn't been stargazing more falling over sideways. I'm so glad to see her up and wanting to fight. I don't think she's suffering and as long as I don't think so and she wants to fight I will fight with her. I didn't want to start her on feed until I could get her drinking a bit. She is such an amazing little chickie. She is a big chick and she looks healthy if a little thinner in spite of her ordeal. Still a bit goopy and her tummy is a bit oddly shaped I imagine from her yolk sac oozing and all. I really think she wants to live and barring massive infection or an other unknown problem I think she will.
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Congrats on the chicks and the continuous supply of broodies!
