Have your chickens ever eaten screws????

[Acefit411]

Llandry, thank you for the ((Hugs))

She made it through the surgery, and is coming to now..

The doctor said that only time will tell, and THEY will monitor her carefully.

I asked what the protocal would be from here going forward, and she said; "water with probiotics in it." "No food for a few days."

The Doctor also found some glass in the gizzard, but she wasn't that concerned about finding that (I can thank the pile of dirt outside my house).

I'm sending good thoughts and prayers your way now...

~anna

 

[Kim95037]

Wow I hope your chicken recovers fully! I ended up buying a foot wide magnet to scan the ground with. I lost my buff orp Annie (my Avatar) to a screw, it was a 3/4 inch wood screw. I find myself now constantly scanning the ground and picking up anything that doesnt belong there. Chickens truly will eat anything, its amazing. We're all pulling for you!!

 

[Acefit411]

Thank you Kim,

Well, my Beatrice pulled through the surgery and is home with me now... She amazed the Doctor!
I have to say she looks marvelous

I was afraid that I would never see her again...it will be touch and go ~ the Doctor says we have to see how much damage was done to her organs.

The items that were taken from her gizzard were glass (not that much of a concern), and a igniter from a bullet! Can you believe that? The piece of metal was leaching into my Bea's little body. YES, I will be going out first thing in the morning to get a magnet scanner for my yard.

The Good Doctor said she may not want to eat for a couple of days, feed her soft food (sprinkle Fortiflora on food) and canned cat food. I said "OKAY", anything that will put some weight back on her! A month ago she weighed 7lbs. and today clocked out at 3.5lbs. It's really true that chickens will hide their illness until it's almost too late. I noticed 10 days ago something was not right. I only have 7 chickens, what if I had 2 dozen more? I would have never picked up on as soon...So scary.

4 hours driving, Vet bill $300 = PRICELESS if she comes through this....

I have learned a lot, feel bad it was at her expense.

At 6:30 pm she is eating grapes and drinking water. Hasn't touched anything else that I put out for her. But I will take what I can get for now.

Until tomorrow morning, good night.

~anna

 

[Acefit411]

I forgot to mention...


Gunpowder contains sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter (potassium nitrate) and is not safe for humans or animals to consume.

 

[llandry]

So far it sounds like she's doing great! I can't wait to get an update tomorrow. On the road to recovery...........

 

[Kim95037]

Wow 300 bucks is pretty good! Molly was almost 500 bucks, and that was just removing some fluid and 2 xrays. I dont even want to think about what surgery would cost.
But whats a mother to do? All the guys at work are laughing at me but I dont care, I love my chickens. Im so glad your girl made it thru the surgery, that is awesome. Keep us posted! Glad things are working out for you. Home Depot has all kinds of magnets. I saw one on line that even had wheels on it so you could just roll it around like a lawn mower. I find myself constantly scanning the ground for stuff. Its weird, its like stuff just bubbles up from nowhere. Ive found 100 year old square nails and other parts and peices of stuff that is really old. Things will just appear on the surface that werent there the day before. I wish something valuable would pop up!!

 

[Acefit411]

Good Morning,

Bea is only drinking water and not much from what I can see. A sip now and again. Hasn't touched anything I made her this morning. Scrambled eggs, left over spaghetti, grapes, and even some small pieces of bread. All her favorites.

She is under a heat lamp, sitting on her perch. Her eyes look good, combs and wattles are still nice and rosie.

All worried again...

Kim, I know the frost on the East coast will turn things up from the ground all the time. I guess we have to stay vigilant!

 

[llandry]

I'm so glad she did ok overnight. That's a good sign. Hopefully she gets a bit stronger each day. I'm sure she got some pain meds for the procedure and some for afterwards which would explain why she may have looked brighter yesterday. It doesn't surprise me that she's not eating much today. I'm sure she's a bit uncomfortable. Hopefully each day she's a little better.

Till tomorrow.............

 

[Kim95037]

Have you tried meal worms? You can get some smaller ones at places like Petco. Even the dried ones will provide some protein. There for a while that was the only thing I could get Donald to eat. Anyway I will keep you guys in my prayers, keep us posted!

 

[Acefit411]

KIM, thank you

7:30am : I mashed up some meal worms this morning ~ she chowed down!!!. I managed to grab some clover (another favorite) from under the snow... she takes the time to eat the tops off right away, spits the stems out. She is drinking... instinctively I think she knows what her body wants...

I have made her everything, I have even given her wet and dry cat food. She pushes everything around the cage!

I'm very impatient about wanting her to eat like she always has ...How long will it take for her to get back on her feet?
Will her favorites still be her favorites?

Today will be day three on Metronidazole (the vet decided to have her on this for 7-10 days), but it's only day 2 post-op.

Still so worried ;(
She is so thin, but alert, with rosie comb and waddles. Her tail isn't down when she stands.
These few signs is all I have that she is still with me!

I will check in later tonight, Thank you all for taking the time to read my story It really helps me.

~anna