- Jun 6, 2010
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i turned our 12 week old tophat chicks out into their new pen yesterday. they are sharing it with a (fiesty) banty momma, and her 3 americauna chicks. the littlest chicks are about 6 weeks old.. and we stood by to watch and make sure everything would be okay.... our little roo and the momma immediately went to fighting, and we watched for a minute, expecting it to break up, and it didnt, so we removed him... everyone else seemed to be doing good. . . .
it was kind of warm today, but just in the 90's... i went out there to check on them, and my "special" chick was in very poor shape.
a little back story: around 4 weeks we noticed she was a stargazer, she always had her head laid on her back, and waddled around watching the sky... we decided to watch it as she went, she didnt seem to be in any discomfort. . . a few weeks ago, that habit just went out the window, and you havent been able to tell her from the other chicks...
today when i found her, she was barely concious... a giant bald bloody spot on her head, and her neck just limp... her mouth full of sticky goop. we cleaned her mouth out, and i got some water in her via a syringe... she was looking better, not good, but better within five minutes...
my husband brought some pedialyte home on his way in, and i gave her some of that... she looked well, occasionally picked her head up a little, her eyes were open now and then, and she snuggled down in the towl i had wrapped around her for a nap...
i picked her back up about 30 mins later, and she was stretching her beak out and opening and closing it, i gave her more pedialyte.. she started sputtering and coughing, spitting up more slimey goop.... i gave her some water after that... she started making choking noises, and didnt pick her head up, so i turned her so she could face the right way... then gently laid her across her towel, and propped her head up... my husband and i were discussing what we should do (cull, try to save her, was she in pain?) she went stiff all over, stuck her wings out, her head out, and was quivering all over just a little, then let out a weak "squak" and laid back to rest....i wrapped her up comfortably....
and i just dont know what to do. it looked a lot like a seizure to my husband.
i dont want to cull her if she will recover, but i dont want her to suffer. i absolutely do not want to cull her, just because she wont be premium egg laying potential, she can be a little special... i just dont want to prolong her suffering if she wont make it...
i understand some of you are very "pro-cull" and some are very against it... someone please give me some guidance here? i would very much so appreciate it.
it was kind of warm today, but just in the 90's... i went out there to check on them, and my "special" chick was in very poor shape.
a little back story: around 4 weeks we noticed she was a stargazer, she always had her head laid on her back, and waddled around watching the sky... we decided to watch it as she went, she didnt seem to be in any discomfort. . . a few weeks ago, that habit just went out the window, and you havent been able to tell her from the other chicks...
today when i found her, she was barely concious... a giant bald bloody spot on her head, and her neck just limp... her mouth full of sticky goop. we cleaned her mouth out, and i got some water in her via a syringe... she was looking better, not good, but better within five minutes...
my husband brought some pedialyte home on his way in, and i gave her some of that... she looked well, occasionally picked her head up a little, her eyes were open now and then, and she snuggled down in the towl i had wrapped around her for a nap...
i picked her back up about 30 mins later, and she was stretching her beak out and opening and closing it, i gave her more pedialyte.. she started sputtering and coughing, spitting up more slimey goop.... i gave her some water after that... she started making choking noises, and didnt pick her head up, so i turned her so she could face the right way... then gently laid her across her towel, and propped her head up... my husband and i were discussing what we should do (cull, try to save her, was she in pain?) she went stiff all over, stuck her wings out, her head out, and was quivering all over just a little, then let out a weak "squak" and laid back to rest....i wrapped her up comfortably....
and i just dont know what to do. it looked a lot like a seizure to my husband.
i dont want to cull her if she will recover, but i dont want her to suffer. i absolutely do not want to cull her, just because she wont be premium egg laying potential, she can be a little special... i just dont want to prolong her suffering if she wont make it...
i understand some of you are very "pro-cull" and some are very against it... someone please give me some guidance here? i would very much so appreciate it.
