Dimondel
Songster
I recently got some young hens from someone online. We chatted fora bit and she seemed lovely, so we met up. Upon arriving, I could feel something was off. It was the way she grabbed the chickens, and the look of the smallest one, a frizzle. Now, I have severe anxiety and depression, severe enough to land me in hospital more than once, and I am a sucker for animals that need rescuing. This made me in that moment, somewhat “vulnerable“. The lady was blunt, pushy and really didn’t let me ask many questions. She said they were healthy, with nothing that needed to be looked at or treated. I saw this, but me being a vulnerable and stupid teen, just got the two I wanted intially, the frizzle and a Sussex, and got the heck out of there. Please don’t get mad at me.
Upon holding the frizzle, it was skin and bones, feathers covered in excrement and placid, too placid. It barely moved as I held it in the car. Upon arriving home, I put them both in seperate ones and got to looking after them. Fresh bedding, sugar water, food, mite spray, and I gave them a little rub down with warm water. Later on I also put some nutrient/vitamin thing made for chickens in some water for them. Sussex was lively, didn’t like me but that’s something I can live with, was eating, drinking and pooping fine, was fine once clean.
However the frizzle still has’t touched a thing, and I’m writing this over 24hrs afterwards. I’ve been feeding little droplets of water and eggyolk onto its beak, it rarely takes interest. It’s obviously been neglected or mistreated in some way, no animal should look like that. When put down on grass or other surfaces, it had no interest in anything, most of the time it stayed still and when it did move, it wandered slowly in a circular motion in the same metre squared.
The Sussex is now in a crate in the coop so it can get used to it’s surrounding while still being safe. It’s been running around the backyard today and other then a couple mishaps settling in with the other chickens, seems fine.
Frizzle is in my room with me and has a heat plate in the corner of its cage because it does not have an ounce of meat on it to keep it warm. I’ve tried feeding it crumble, moist crumble, tomatoes and a bit of cucumber, but it has not touched that or the water. Heck, I’ve even being playing classical music hoping to cheer it up.
I understand that by bringing these chickens into my flock I have endangered not only my other chickens, but myself and my other pets as well. It was an unwise decision that was a result of my inexperience and anxiety blocking my vision. It’s done now, and I just hope it doesn’t turn for the worst. Please feel free to yell at me in the comments, I definitely deserve it. Before you do that though, I know it’s unlikely but if anyone has ANYTHING that they think might help my frizzle out, please tell me.
And I’m sorry, I cannot and will not be returning the birds to that person, not that they would take them back, but anything is probably better then where they were.
Upon holding the frizzle, it was skin and bones, feathers covered in excrement and placid, too placid. It barely moved as I held it in the car. Upon arriving home, I put them both in seperate ones and got to looking after them. Fresh bedding, sugar water, food, mite spray, and I gave them a little rub down with warm water. Later on I also put some nutrient/vitamin thing made for chickens in some water for them. Sussex was lively, didn’t like me but that’s something I can live with, was eating, drinking and pooping fine, was fine once clean.
However the frizzle still has’t touched a thing, and I’m writing this over 24hrs afterwards. I’ve been feeding little droplets of water and eggyolk onto its beak, it rarely takes interest. It’s obviously been neglected or mistreated in some way, no animal should look like that. When put down on grass or other surfaces, it had no interest in anything, most of the time it stayed still and when it did move, it wandered slowly in a circular motion in the same metre squared.
The Sussex is now in a crate in the coop so it can get used to it’s surrounding while still being safe. It’s been running around the backyard today and other then a couple mishaps settling in with the other chickens, seems fine.
Frizzle is in my room with me and has a heat plate in the corner of its cage because it does not have an ounce of meat on it to keep it warm. I’ve tried feeding it crumble, moist crumble, tomatoes and a bit of cucumber, but it has not touched that or the water. Heck, I’ve even being playing classical music hoping to cheer it up.
I understand that by bringing these chickens into my flock I have endangered not only my other chickens, but myself and my other pets as well. It was an unwise decision that was a result of my inexperience and anxiety blocking my vision. It’s done now, and I just hope it doesn’t turn for the worst. Please feel free to yell at me in the comments, I definitely deserve it. Before you do that though, I know it’s unlikely but if anyone has ANYTHING that they think might help my frizzle out, please tell me.
And I’m sorry, I cannot and will not be returning the birds to that person, not that they would take them back, but anything is probably better then where they were.
