Silkie thread!

[jas humbert]

One crisis after another!. I guess I had beginner's luck last year with my shipped eggs. All chicks healthy last time. This year is not going as well. I mentioned yesterday, the funky side air cell silkie egg started pipping first. It took him all day but he got out. Kind of like a breech baby though. One foot out first,then the other. I could see his beak but he couldn't seem to get past that point so after a good while I chipped off a little shell around his beak and he got his head and neck out energetically but his butt and back were still inside. I left him a few hours and he managed to get out on his own. BUT one leg isn't right. Maybe the position he was in the egg or during the hatching or somethings else. Seems to be a hip issue- the whole leg kind of turned to the side. Other leg is normal. I looked up and tried the spraddle leg hobble thing with a bandaid this morning. I had left him in the bator all night last night with no interventions with the other two hatched chicks who seem fine. I guess I was hoping it would straighten out by itself if it was just a bad position during hatching . He seems loud and energetic this morning and can kind of sit up on hocks but falls over if he tries to walk. He's a little better with the hobbles on but I'm afraid this is not going to end well. What to do? I'm leaning toward leaving the hobbles on for at least a couple of days, handfed and hope for the best? I'm a softie but I can put him down if need be, I just want to try everything reasonable first. Any suggestions?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

One crisis after another!. I guess I had beginner's luck last year with my shipped eggs. All chicks healthy last time. This year is not going as well. I mentioned yesterday, the funky side air cell silkie egg started pipping first. It took him all day but he got out. Kind of like a breech baby though. One foot out first,then the other. I could see his beak but he couldn't seem to get past that point so after a good while I chipped off a little shell around his beak and he got his head and neck out energetically but his butt and back were still inside. I left him a few hours and he managed to get out on his own. BUT one leg isn't right. Maybe the position he was in the egg or during the hatching or somethings else. Seems to be a hip issue- the whole leg kind of turned to the side. Other leg is normal. I looked up and tried the spraddle leg hobble thing with a bandaid this morning. I had left him in the bator all night last night with no interventions with the other two hatched chicks who seem fine. I guess I was hoping it would straighten out by itself if it was just a bad position during hatching . He seems loud and energetic this morning and can kind of sit up on hocks but falls over if he tries to walk. He's a little better with the hobbles on but I'm afraid this is not going to end well. What to do? I'm leaning toward leaving the hobbles on for at least a couple of days, handfed and hope for the best? I'm a softie but I can put him down if need be, I just want to try everything reasonable first. Any suggestions?

I saw a post recently where another member was dealing with the same issue. They actually manipulated the hip back into the socket (with gentle pressure, said they heard it "click" back in) and then they wrapped the hip with vet wrap to keep everything in place. I can't remember which thread I saw that in, maybe the Incubating and Hatching w/Friends thread? It's worth a try

Here's what I'm dealing with today:

I happened to look out the window and saw my rooster, Joe, down in the corner of the run kicking at something. At first I thought he was picking on a baby or had singled out a hen (which is very unlike him). I opened the door to yell at him and he took off for the coop. He was kicking at a huge hawk

So, I took off running in my slippers to see who it had. It flew off before I made it there and this poor girl was laying in a heap looking like she was dead

When I reached for her, she popped up and ran in circles for a bit and then collapsed. After seeing the state of her eye, I'm guessing she took off in circles because that was the only direction she could see in. She's bleeding from the mouth a bit (which I'm hoping isn't an internal injury for the impact) and the hawk had plucked out all of her breast feathers in preparation for its meal. She's in the brooder right now resting and she's eating and drinking, which is a good sign she might be okay (

). She's obviously stressed (understandably) and I'm thinking she might end up loosing that eye. I did put a little eye ointment on it in hopes of preventing infection. Poor Winnie.

 

[jessivogel]

I saw a post recently where another member was dealing with the same issue. They actually manipulated the hip back into the socket (with gentle pressure, said they heard it "click" back in) and then they wrapped the hip with vet wrap to keep everything in place. I can't remember which thread I saw that in, maybe the Incubating and Hatching w/Friends thread? It's worth a try Here's what I'm dealing with today: I happened to look out the window and saw my rooster, Joe, down in the corner of the run kicking at something. At first I thought he was picking on a baby or had singled out a hen (which is very unlike him). I opened the door to yell at him and he took off for the coop. He was kicking at a huge hawk :/ So, I took off running in my slippers to see who it had. It flew off before I made it there and this poor girl was laying in a heap looking like she was dead When I reached for her, she popped up and ran in circles for a bit and then collapsed. After seeing the state of her eye, I'm guessing she took off in circles because that was the only direction she could see in. She's bleeding from the mouth a bit (which I'm hoping isn't an internal injury for the impact) and the hawk had plucked out all of her breast feathers in preparation for its meal. She's in the brooder right now resting and she's eating and drinking, which is a good sign she might be okay fl ). She's obviously stressed (understandably) and I'm thinking she might end up loosing that eye. I did put a little eye ointment on it in hopes of preventing infection. Poor Winnie.

Oh my goodness!!!!! Wow!! I hope she heals swiftly and well!! That's a good rooster you have there!! ETA- you can string fishing line across the top of your run. If a hawk sees anything they won't dive down.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Oh my goodness!!!!! Wow!! I hope she heals swiftly and well!! That's a good rooster you have there!!

ETA- you can string fishing line across the top of your run. If a hawk sees anything they won't dive down.

Thanks, me too. He is a good boy

I did have fishing line and CDs strung up everywhere over the run. But, the outside of the run is lined in Beech trees, they're always dropping limbs and it got wiped out :/ I may try tying some of that orange surveyors tape around the top of the fence. Maybe the flapping in the breeze would work as a deterrent (maybe).

 

[Lamaremybabies]

Does anyone know why one of my silkies has a thin comb coming in and the other is getting a really thick comb?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Does anyone know why one of my silkies has a thin comb coming in and the other is getting a really thick comb?

Could be an indication of gender. Or, just a matter of genetics.

 

[Lamaremybabies]

Could be an indication of gender. Or, just a matter of genetics.

maybe.

 

[jas humbert]

Oh, your poor baby!. Hawks are a never ending battle for me too here in TN. Hope she mends soon. Optomistically if she's well enough to eat and drink she will recover.

 

[nuklee0]

I saw a post recently where another member was dealing with the same issue. They actually manipulated the hip back into the socket (with gentle pressure, said they heard it "click" back in) and then they wrapped the hip with vet wrap to keep everything in place. I can't remember which thread I saw that in, maybe the Incubating and Hatching w/Friends thread? It's worth a try Here's what I'm dealing with today: I happened to look out the window and saw my rooster, Joe, down in the corner of the run kicking at something. At first I thought he was picking on a baby or had singled out a hen (which is very unlike him). I opened the door to yell at him and he took off for the coop. He was kicking at a huge hawk :/ So, I took off running in my slippers to see who it had. It flew off before I made it there and this poor girl was laying in a heap looking like she was dead When I reached for her, she popped up and ran in circles for a bit and then collapsed. After seeing the state of her eye, I'm guessing she took off in circles because that was the only direction she could see in. She's bleeding from the mouth a bit (which I'm hoping isn't an internal injury for the impact) and the hawk had plucked out all of her breast feathers in preparation for its meal. She's in the brooder right now resting and she's eating and drinking, which is a good sign she might be okay fl ). She's obviously stressed (understandably) and I'm thinking she might end up loosing that eye. I did put a little eye ointment on it in hopes of preventing infection. Poor Winnie.

Omg poor girl! So sorry! Glad the hawk didn't make off with her. Hope she recovers quickly.

 

[jhopp6]

This one is blue

I thought so. Thanks