Utah!

[ElkMtnCove]

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Did you see her first thing this morning? My guess would be that she fell off the roost last night and either sprained or broke her neck. I think you are worrying too much about respiratory diseases or botulism. My vote is freak accident.

i saw her late last night and my wife called me at work around 11am to tell me about it. my first assumption was that she got spooked while under the roosts and may have flown into a 2x4.

she came out of the coop on the morning with a hung head. when i got home she wouldn't even move and appeared to be suffering. her head was going from in the pine chips to about two inches off the deck, slow and shaky.

I always try to give nature all the help I can. I bring them in the house, in a dog crate w/shavings for warmth (any injured animal has a hard time generating their own heat), I feed them hot mash, etc. to entice eating, usually top coated with some flax seed, electrolytes in the water, etc. And then I just hope for the best.

I had a buff orp roo that was on his side and no clue what happened, acted paralyzed. Did as above and then started little leg exercies (ah 1, 2, 3, 4, reverse legs, repeat lol). Before long he could manage to balance on his chest, using his wings. The day by day grew stronger, I'd sit with him outside on sunny days. That was the year I sold my chickens and he really bonded to me by the time he healed. During the night while watching TV and could call "Mrrrr Chickennn" and he'd talk back. Very cool roo, I miss him.

 

[srolle1lsu]

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i have a hard time watching animals suffer. if i feel like an animal can be rehabilitated, then i'll do what it takes. if not, then i'll help nature along. this seemed like a non recoverable injury or illness.

 

[Cynthia12]

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i have a hard time watching animals suffer. if i feel like an animal can be rehabilitated, then i'll do what it takes. if not, then i'll help nature along. this seemed like a non recoverable injury or illness.

I agree that you did the right thing. I had a chick do a very similar thing..only it was walking with it's head sideways. I hadn't even noticed it the day before! My husband and I watched it off and on for a while. Within a few hrs..it couldn't even get up and walk, it was belly walking and flopping to it's side. So, if we had similar things happen here, an accident..you did the right thing fast. I waited, and wished I hadn't. I felt terrible going back out there and seeing it flopping to it's side and trying to get up. It was definitely getting worse, not better.

 

[ChopperLinc]

Sorry about the bird! I hope she turns out OK.

I got my first scare today. We left the 8 week old chicks in the bottom of the unfinished coop (surrounded by chickenwire), but came home to find one of the four missing.

My 7-year-old was really sad, and oddly enough, so was I. Didn't expect to get attached when I got them.

Anyway, I got home and searched with a flashlight and found her roosting in a small space on a plastic, foldable sawhorse I'm using to build the coop.

Needless to say, I was very relieved!

I hope your BR turns out OK. How many birds do you have over in Cottonwood?

 

[srolle1lsu]

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we have 8 now since our BR is gone. 6 is permitted but the neighbors around us don't mind since the coop is clean and relatively quiet.

 

[ChopperLinc]

Sorry about the BR. That's never a good feeling. How big is your lot? I have a 7000 sqft lot and am allowed to have 4, but am already thinking about pushing my limits!

 

[ElkMtnCove]

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I almost hate to ask...

but how did you "help her cross"? For my horses & dogswe've used the vet and we did the chicken processing thing once with axe, but I was hoping there might be a better way for those you are attached to. I read earlier that some use drowning or scissors w/chicks and so far I haven't had to approach that... but I would like to know what to do for a big chicken should I need to.

BTW... Free -- I still have 3 banty EE roos, an OEB roo, a barred rock cochin roo and a beautiful partridge cochin roo if anyone wants them for breeding. Not much meat on these guys but if you can figure a way just don't tell me. All are not aggressive, the partridge cochin is especially beautiful w/a very nice personality.

j.

 

[srolle1lsu]

Quote:
I almost hate to ask...

but how did you "help her cross"? For my horses & dogswe've used the vet and we did the chicken processing thing once with axe, but I was hoping there might be a better way for those you are attached to. I read earlier that some use drowning or scissors w/chicks and so far I haven't had to approach that... but I would like to know what to do for a big chicken should I need to.

we used a heavy set of game shears. i was going to do the whole head in a funnel thing to keep the gore to a minimum but time didn't allow for me to go get one. instead, i held the bird and my wife used the scissors. i'm glad that she's tough enough to do the deed when the time comes.

 

[PacsMan]

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Not that many want to know how to dispatch a chicken (at least in this thread), but I'll give my experience.

I've had to do 2 chickens. 1 roo, and 1 sick one.
It's easier the 2nd time.

Rather than the quick 'off with the head' (can be messy, seems cruel), I opted for the 'vein-drain while they sleep' method.
There is also some theory on toughness of the meat compared to stress of the bird while being dispatched.

 

[Cynthia12]

Ok, I am sooo hoping someone wants to do this!

I hatched out some pure Nankins, yes, they are pure, go to www.rdrfarm.com This is where I got my eggs from.

He shows his Nankins, is in Nationals with them.

Sweetest, tiny little things. They don't mind me coming around...have to watch out where I step when I go into the pen.

I need someone that is willing to pen a couple up, let them be together only to breed. I want so for this breed to do well..look it up, they are on the highly endangered list. So, anyone out there, near by that would be interested in helping keep a breed going, let me know.
Really really interested in breeding them. I can't keep a roo here. I thought I had someone close by that wanted to do this, but they don't want to now. At least they are being honest in saying that they don't want to have a separate pen for them.
Someone! They are sooo adorable, will post a couple of pictures. Sweet birds! One of the only "true" bantams to be known at this time. Didn't come from a large fowl to start with.