I have not read the entire thread, but it seems to me that this is an ongoing condition, that will plague her for her entire life. By 'saving' her, you have no doubt prolonged her life, but also her suffering. I believe it is in the best interest of the chick's welfare to be put down. I know how hard this is, it's happened to me. But there comes a point in time where no matter what you do, it's not going to help. If your husband is layed off, do you really think you can keep buying antibiotics, vitamins, biotin, and the medication? I don't mean to sound discouraging, what you have done for this little chick is amazing. You are clearly devoted to her.
But she needs to know what it's like without pain. She's lived her entire life with this condition thus far, and likely she will continue to do so. If you don't have the time, money and other resources for a special-needs chicken, please consider humane euthanasia. As much as it hurts you to let her go, think of how much it would hurt if YOU had bleeding ulcers and seeping fluids from your ear. Think of how much YOU you enjoy life.
This has gone on long enough (in my opinion), and you must think about her now, even if it's painful to think about.
WORST DAY OF MY LIFE ALERT:
A tiny black kitten ran into our yard one morning, and we took her in. We named her Sheba. Sheba was my best friend. She hated all other people, but she would sleep in my lap at night, all curled up like she was in a basket. She was a terrible brat, and one time we forgot to let her out before we went to our aunt's house, and she pooped in all of our beds, even though we had a litter box for her. That cat could catch anything, and she thought she could take on anything too. One cool morning, I wake up to yowling, and we see my poor baby Sheba (whom is much older by now) COVERED in blood. SHREDDED from head to toe. She had taken on a raccoon. Those things are vicious, and can kill a dog by the way. How she survived I'll never know, but in any event, we took her to the vet. He fixed her up. Long story short, I came down with some sort of allergies or something, and the doctor said 'it's your cats'. In reality it wasn't, it was her flea collar. We had to give her and Oliver (an orange tabby) up to a guy my dad knew, and I never saw her again. One day we see this guy at the gas station, ask how Sheba's doing. Find out Sheba is dead.
I fell apart, basically screamed and cried for months. She had taken on a raccoon. The guy put her down because she was in so much pain, and didn't seem to have much of an outlook this time. I still miss Sheba. Will I ever forget this horrible event? No. Will I ever forgive the guy? Probably. Can I blame him for wanting the best for my precious baby? No. I know deep down in my heart that she was indeed suffering; that she was hurt. As much as it hurt me to find out she had been 'murdered' it hurt more knowing I wasn't there. You can be there.
As much as it hurts you, you can be there. You can make an adult decision, you can help this poor chick out. She will not understand what's going on, she will sit back and say "Ahh, my feet don;'t hurt. I'm sleepy." And she'll fall asleep. She'll go to sleep quietly, no longer in pain, and she'll be happy, if only for a second, that she wasn't in pain. And you'll have done that. Don't think of it as killing her or hurting her by not giving her a chance. You gave her more than a chance. You gave her a huge opportunity to recover, more so than most anybody would have for this little chick. Think of it as a release. A free ticket to enjoy but a moment hurt-free. Think of this chick's life before and after. Before was a mess, she had bad feet, her beak was rotting off, her ears were leaking... Now think after. She calmly walks on into the dark, a quiet solitude envelops her... She's finally not sore anymore.
Please, as much as it hurts to let her go, think of her quality of life.
This is the real issue at stake.
Not to mention that you said she was slow. How would you feel if her last moments were spent horrendously trying to beat off a savage predator? Intent on blood, trying to eat her? How would you feel, if one day, you walked out to the coop to find a bloody massacre, feathers spread all around, and only she was missing? Wouldn't you feel awful that you didn't quietly put her down? I know I would feel at fault for such a mess.
Don't think I'm accusing you of anything, or trying to guilt you into anything, but seriously. The reality is, she's not strong enough to go on. If she had been raised in the wild (which wouldn't happen because chickens aren't wild) she would have been eaten or died long ago. Be proud of yourself for doing what you have, she has come a HUGE distance!
But she needs to know what it's like without pain. She's lived her entire life with this condition thus far, and likely she will continue to do so. If you don't have the time, money and other resources for a special-needs chicken, please consider humane euthanasia. As much as it hurts you to let her go, think of how much it would hurt if YOU had bleeding ulcers and seeping fluids from your ear. Think of how much YOU you enjoy life.
This has gone on long enough (in my opinion), and you must think about her now, even if it's painful to think about.
WORST DAY OF MY LIFE ALERT:
A tiny black kitten ran into our yard one morning, and we took her in. We named her Sheba. Sheba was my best friend. She hated all other people, but she would sleep in my lap at night, all curled up like she was in a basket. She was a terrible brat, and one time we forgot to let her out before we went to our aunt's house, and she pooped in all of our beds, even though we had a litter box for her. That cat could catch anything, and she thought she could take on anything too. One cool morning, I wake up to yowling, and we see my poor baby Sheba (whom is much older by now) COVERED in blood. SHREDDED from head to toe. She had taken on a raccoon. Those things are vicious, and can kill a dog by the way. How she survived I'll never know, but in any event, we took her to the vet. He fixed her up. Long story short, I came down with some sort of allergies or something, and the doctor said 'it's your cats'. In reality it wasn't, it was her flea collar. We had to give her and Oliver (an orange tabby) up to a guy my dad knew, and I never saw her again. One day we see this guy at the gas station, ask how Sheba's doing. Find out Sheba is dead.
I fell apart, basically screamed and cried for months. She had taken on a raccoon. The guy put her down because she was in so much pain, and didn't seem to have much of an outlook this time. I still miss Sheba. Will I ever forget this horrible event? No. Will I ever forgive the guy? Probably. Can I blame him for wanting the best for my precious baby? No. I know deep down in my heart that she was indeed suffering; that she was hurt. As much as it hurt me to find out she had been 'murdered' it hurt more knowing I wasn't there. You can be there.
As much as it hurts you, you can be there. You can make an adult decision, you can help this poor chick out. She will not understand what's going on, she will sit back and say "Ahh, my feet don;'t hurt. I'm sleepy." And she'll fall asleep. She'll go to sleep quietly, no longer in pain, and she'll be happy, if only for a second, that she wasn't in pain. And you'll have done that. Don't think of it as killing her or hurting her by not giving her a chance. You gave her more than a chance. You gave her a huge opportunity to recover, more so than most anybody would have for this little chick. Think of it as a release. A free ticket to enjoy but a moment hurt-free. Think of this chick's life before and after. Before was a mess, she had bad feet, her beak was rotting off, her ears were leaking... Now think after. She calmly walks on into the dark, a quiet solitude envelops her... She's finally not sore anymore.
Please, as much as it hurts to let her go, think of her quality of life.
This is the real issue at stake.
Not to mention that you said she was slow. How would you feel if her last moments were spent horrendously trying to beat off a savage predator? Intent on blood, trying to eat her? How would you feel, if one day, you walked out to the coop to find a bloody massacre, feathers spread all around, and only she was missing? Wouldn't you feel awful that you didn't quietly put her down? I know I would feel at fault for such a mess.
Don't think I'm accusing you of anything, or trying to guilt you into anything, but seriously. The reality is, she's not strong enough to go on. If she had been raised in the wild (which wouldn't happen because chickens aren't wild) she would have been eaten or died long ago. Be proud of yourself for doing what you have, she has come a HUGE distance!
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