I am having a hard time deciding what to do about my hen, Scarlet. She is a 3 year old blue laced red wyandotte and has been struggling for almost a week with a prolapsed vent.
I removed her from the flock as soon as I noticed and have been, to the best of my ability, following advice on how to cure the problem. I have bathed her, bought her the ointment, applied it to the affected area and tucked it back in. I have bandaged her, kept her in the dark, tried to feed her recovery foods (though she refused everything but the crumble she eats normally). She seems to want to live (still feisty) but she is eating and drinking less each day. The inside-out part appears to be slowly shrinking, but it won't stay in, she seems to be actively trying to keep it out.
I have minimal help with her treatment (I can barely stomach it myself!) and I have a huge amount work to do (I am self-employed and must take work when I get it) so her timing is terrible. I know it isn't her fault and she would rather not have this problem either, but it is true.
My concern here is, having heard that this is likely a recurring issue even if she does recover, that she will suffer from this issue again in the future. Is it fair to her... is it worth it... to continue to try to help her? I am stressed and busy and she is suffering, but she is fighting and she has done nothing to deserve being culled. She has been a good hen. I love her. I love all my chickens. That said, we do eat surplus roosters. My chickens fall into a strange grey area between pets and food and I am conflicted enough about this in regard to roosters, but a hen who has no social problems and might have years of happy life ahead of her is harder.
I really don't have the time or drive to deal with a special needs chicken, nor do I want to keep her suffering... but she might get better, right?
I need to figure out if I should cull her. Advice? I know the Chickens-are-pets crowd would say save her at any cost, the Chickens-are-food crowd would say cull her. I am on the fence... I cannot decide!
I removed her from the flock as soon as I noticed and have been, to the best of my ability, following advice on how to cure the problem. I have bathed her, bought her the ointment, applied it to the affected area and tucked it back in. I have bandaged her, kept her in the dark, tried to feed her recovery foods (though she refused everything but the crumble she eats normally). She seems to want to live (still feisty) but she is eating and drinking less each day. The inside-out part appears to be slowly shrinking, but it won't stay in, she seems to be actively trying to keep it out.
I have minimal help with her treatment (I can barely stomach it myself!) and I have a huge amount work to do (I am self-employed and must take work when I get it) so her timing is terrible. I know it isn't her fault and she would rather not have this problem either, but it is true.
My concern here is, having heard that this is likely a recurring issue even if she does recover, that she will suffer from this issue again in the future. Is it fair to her... is it worth it... to continue to try to help her? I am stressed and busy and she is suffering, but she is fighting and she has done nothing to deserve being culled. She has been a good hen. I love her. I love all my chickens. That said, we do eat surplus roosters. My chickens fall into a strange grey area between pets and food and I am conflicted enough about this in regard to roosters, but a hen who has no social problems and might have years of happy life ahead of her is harder.
I really don't have the time or drive to deal with a special needs chicken, nor do I want to keep her suffering... but she might get better, right?
I need to figure out if I should cull her. Advice? I know the Chickens-are-pets crowd would say save her at any cost, the Chickens-are-food crowd would say cull her. I am on the fence... I cannot decide!
Scarlett is eating and drinking enthusiastically every time I let her out and has even begun to explore the bathroom a bit.
