Sad little chick** Pics added **

[Baralak]

I had a little chick hatch today with it's egg sac external. I generally cull, but my 5 year old nephew was with me, and my wife. I got the big puppy dog eyes, so I wrapped it in a warm damp washcloth and put it back in the bator. I checked on it about an hour after the hatch expecting to find it expired, but it was still up and running around. Sadly while it was running around, it had pulled some if it's intestine out. I at that point decided to cull but was once again over-ruled, so I cleaned it with betadine, cliped and catuterized the yoke sac, carefully pushed the intestine back in, then packed the navel area with a topical antibiotic. I covered with a small home made compression dressing. I gave it a mixture of Poly-Vi-Sol and Amoxillien and mixed a dulited amount in a bottle top. I dipped his little beak into the mixture and it drank some. I put her back in another bator I had already cleaned out. My little chickie NICU.

I checked on her a couple of hours later, and she's bouncing off the sides of the incubator. The navel has closed up, now if I can keep infections down, she just might have a chance. I don't know. Of course she had worked the dressing off. I will post some pictures tomorrow, but it looks like she might just have a shot if she doesn't have an infection. Right shes eating, and drinking, I put a friend in there with her so that she wouldn't be alone.

We shall see...

 

[kvmommy]

Ohh...poor thing...she sounds like a survivor though. Does it make you re-think your culling? It does me...even though I've never culled one yet.

 

[ThaJuicyJuice]

Please keep us posted. I am interested to see where this goes.

 

[macdoogle]

Good luck to the little one. Some are not but maybe she is just ment to be.

 

[Baralak]

Your right.. I completely believe in nature running her course.. but if the little thing acted sick, there wouldn't be any hesitation at all!.. And I've seen some really sickly looking hatches pull through, and I've culled because of problem far less than this one. But it was sooo active from the get go. It never gave that failure to thrive attitude at all. With out the yolk sac, she looked quite thin, but she's fluffed up, and has eaten like a horse so she's put on some volume. I have to give her some more antibiotic here in a min so will give an update then.

 

[mlove]

I hope it pulls through for you. Keeping my fingers crossed for the chick.

 

[Baralak]

I opened the bator.. and she hopped in my hand.. Ok. I can't name her yet... but she is VERY active.. had to make her some more antibiotic/poly-vi-sol/water solution. Geeze... Chicken Dr.

Here are a couple of shots.. One is of course of the chickie... The bottom is the navel area.. it looks bad, but that's the topical antibiotic on it, It looks 100000 precent better than the before shot. BTW it's a Black Australorp.

 

[thndrdancr]

I have had some that were like that, just put a bandaid on them and they were fine. Of course, remember to tak the bandaid off in a day or two. I forgot to do it to my lil guinea like that an poor guy couldnt poop as I had that taped too by accident. Took me awhile to figure why he was declining. Dummy me!

 

[SunnyCalifornia]

Well, I was trying to be indifferent, and not feel the whole heartstring tug....( as I get hooked on these kinds of stories way to easily) .....

But then you said the magic word

"Australorp". ....I love those Australorps. Now I'm hooked, and I'll have to subscribe to this thread, to find out how the little chickie is doing. Don't leave me hanging!!

Hope it turns out like a good John Hughes film.... hero/heroine prevails!

 

[kvmommy]

How's the baby doing? You really are a doctor! That's some amazing surgery you've done.