one legged chic

[gryeyes]

You should have seen the way he would get a flapping start and send that cart rocketing down the walk. The Fed-Ex carrier nearly got a hernia from laughing.

As did I, just now!!!

And then I got all warm and fuzzy from the sheer fortitude of a handicapped rooster. Not "Just a chicken" by any means!

 

[chickenhead1]

That is hilarious! Before I saw this we did some soul searching and decided to let mother nature take its course. She eats and waters okay, and none of the other chics bother her in fact, we hae one that just follows her around and waits for her to settle and then settles beside her. We're keeping her!!!

 

[chickenhead1]

Well, after several days of watching this one legged chick hobble and flap around, hiding, disassociating itself from her brooder mates, and one chic constantly pecking at her, I finally got up the courage to cull her. It took more self strength than I thought it would. Don't get me wrong, I didn't cry or anything but I still have a heavy heart this morning. RIP Lucy, we did our best.

 

[KBlue]

It's a tough descision, but she is no longer suffering.

 

[Syharrison]

i am in stitches at your picture hahaha, sorry for your loss but wow....hahahahah

 

[Barrdwing]

I'm sorry to hear how things turned out with Lucy, chickenhead1. It can be really hard to work with a chick that flops around and can't take care of itself, especially when its erratic movement and behavior draw aggression from the siblings. Chickens aren't very forgiving of a flockmate who acts like a wounded bird--I think it's because their instincts tell them that that bird will attract predators. The decision to cull is a really important one when it is an end to suffering, and it was good of you to give Lucy so much time to prove which way things were going to go. In the end, I think it's best to go with your gut feeling: nobody knows your birds as well as you do, and when your gut tells you that things are too bad to continue, it's usually right.

Also, I want to apologize for leaping into your thread with quite so much enthusiasm, and bringing my own bird into it. I meant to limit my post to comments on what might have been wrong with Lucy, but I got a little carried away and chatty. Sorry about that.

 

[chickenhead1]

Barrdwing, Thanks for your kind words of support and encouragement. When the daughter and grandson came out this weekend to check on 'his and pappas chitens' he asked whwere Lucy was. I assured him that Lucy is doing just fine and is all better now.

I am new to chickens so any input is appreciated. No worries about posting to anything I write.