Hello BYCers
Looking for some help/advice. Four days ago I found one of my favorite pullets "Poppy" on her side unable to really move. I though for sure she was going to pack it in, her neck was going everywhere, it looked like she had very little control of her motor skills. I am somewhere between a crazy chicken lady and a realist so these situations are hard for me. I giver her some egg yolk ( I know cooked is better cooked but there was no way she would be able to eat a solid) and she drank a very small amount of water, I probably did this 3 time on day one. Day two was pretty much the same, by evening I am thinking there is likely no hope and it seems cruel to let her suffer. I offered her more yolk and she was actually able to eat a small amount, she was improving. Day three she pecked at some apple and now I could say for certain that her legs wings a neck were not paralyses but it looked like she couldn't balance. Yesterday with some help she ate plenty of her chick food drank lots of water and tried to balance by herself... very unsuccessfully. I felt I needed to give her a very thorough look over and I found a very soft, probably fluid filled lump on her upper right breast, about the size of a ping pong ball (half). This morning to my happiness she was balancing in front of the water dish drinking. She is still spending the majority of her time on her side trying to get her legs under her. She diffidently cannot stand or walk but she has improved dramatically in the past few days. I know I probably should have separated her but I figured if it was contagions the others would have had it already, and the crazy chicken lady in me didn't want her to die alone. That was my decision and hopefully no one else is affected, They are all fine for now and I am watching very carefully. Any ideas or suggestions? Is her improvement just false hope? Poppy is a roughly 7 week old FBC Marans.
Thanks in advance
Looking for some help/advice. Four days ago I found one of my favorite pullets "Poppy" on her side unable to really move. I though for sure she was going to pack it in, her neck was going everywhere, it looked like she had very little control of her motor skills. I am somewhere between a crazy chicken lady and a realist so these situations are hard for me. I giver her some egg yolk ( I know cooked is better cooked but there was no way she would be able to eat a solid) and she drank a very small amount of water, I probably did this 3 time on day one. Day two was pretty much the same, by evening I am thinking there is likely no hope and it seems cruel to let her suffer. I offered her more yolk and she was actually able to eat a small amount, she was improving. Day three she pecked at some apple and now I could say for certain that her legs wings a neck were not paralyses but it looked like she couldn't balance. Yesterday with some help she ate plenty of her chick food drank lots of water and tried to balance by herself... very unsuccessfully. I felt I needed to give her a very thorough look over and I found a very soft, probably fluid filled lump on her upper right breast, about the size of a ping pong ball (half). This morning to my happiness she was balancing in front of the water dish drinking. She is still spending the majority of her time on her side trying to get her legs under her. She diffidently cannot stand or walk but she has improved dramatically in the past few days. I know I probably should have separated her but I figured if it was contagions the others would have had it already, and the crazy chicken lady in me didn't want her to die alone. That was my decision and hopefully no one else is affected, They are all fine for now and I am watching very carefully. Any ideas or suggestions? Is her improvement just false hope? Poppy is a roughly 7 week old FBC Marans.
Thanks in advance