Tilly56
Chirping
- Mar 14, 2017
- 47
- 60
- 69
I came home last Thursday from a week away in London, to find that my husband had (two days before) hatched an egg that had been abandoned by its mother, in our little incubator.
All was well until this morning - he was running around, feeding well, enjoying an outing in one of my flower beds, he liked to be held in my hands and would drop off to sleep, chirped very loudly - altogether hunky dory.
Then this morning, he seemed a bit dodgy. Wasn't walking or chirping, seemed very weak. I lifted him out of his little cage (a former hamster cage that I put next to the boiler, with water and feed and things to keep him warm). He gave one peep, and then went rigid - legs stuck out straight behind him and eyes wide open. I stroked him, but no reaction - so I was sure he was dead. I put the poor little thing back in his cage to bury him later.
I then went out to walk the dog and when I came home about two hours later, got ready to bury the still rigid and unresponding chick, lying inert in his cage . BUT as I picked him up, he moved!!!!!!! Couldn't believe my eyes!!! I quickly put him in the incubator to really heat him up and he is now back in the cage, with the incubator lamp to heat him up - chirping as loudly as ever! He still seems a bit wobbly on his legs.
My worry is that he isn't drinking enough and that is the cause of his "near death experience". I have tried dipping his beak in water, I've put water onto a little cotton bud and dripped it into his beak. I've also put food in his water and water in his food, so that when he takes on or the other he gets both (if you see what I mean!).
I really hope he is going to survive (he's half Marans and half Orpington)..... any ideas or hints would be really welcome!
Many thanks
Tilly
All was well until this morning - he was running around, feeding well, enjoying an outing in one of my flower beds, he liked to be held in my hands and would drop off to sleep, chirped very loudly - altogether hunky dory.
Then this morning, he seemed a bit dodgy. Wasn't walking or chirping, seemed very weak. I lifted him out of his little cage (a former hamster cage that I put next to the boiler, with water and feed and things to keep him warm). He gave one peep, and then went rigid - legs stuck out straight behind him and eyes wide open. I stroked him, but no reaction - so I was sure he was dead. I put the poor little thing back in his cage to bury him later.
I then went out to walk the dog and when I came home about two hours later, got ready to bury the still rigid and unresponding chick, lying inert in his cage . BUT as I picked him up, he moved!!!!!!! Couldn't believe my eyes!!! I quickly put him in the incubator to really heat him up and he is now back in the cage, with the incubator lamp to heat him up - chirping as loudly as ever! He still seems a bit wobbly on his legs.
My worry is that he isn't drinking enough and that is the cause of his "near death experience". I have tried dipping his beak in water, I've put water onto a little cotton bud and dripped it into his beak. I've also put food in his water and water in his food, so that when he takes on or the other he gets both (if you see what I mean!).
I really hope he is going to survive (he's half Marans and half Orpington)..... any ideas or hints would be really welcome!
Many thanks
Tilly