Okay! So I got to meet Sasha and her daughter
It was fun to say hi to you two! Thank you again for helping with the Chicken Shuttle, haha. And thank you, too, Lisa!
So I loooove these babies! (Well, I love all my babies) Oh my word, these Icelandics are so darling and tiny. I've already named the suspected girl Gerti, and the suspected boy Sven. I'm just so excited to have them. Thanks, Birdguy!
I noticed when I picked up the babies that Sven had a pasty bum. When I got him home, I was worried about him. He seemed very lethargic and wasn't standing up or using his one leg much. I thought, "Oh no, is this what spraddle leg looks like?" Well, first things first, I dipped his little beak into the water dish a couple of times and made sure he got a drink, then got a warm n' wet rag to clean his vent. It was plugged good.
Sven mostly slept in my hand while I worked on him, and after a few minutes, he kind of woke up and gave this little "Chip chip!" Out came a load of poo, and I cleaned it off right away. It was white and smelled strange, so I imagine it had been stuck for a bit. I kept cleaning him off, and he gave me another really good round of poo, at which point I had to get a new rag. I got his bum cleaned all the way off, daubed on some balm, and then made sure he got a drink of the new vitamin water I'd refilled their bottle with.
He's now walking around in the brooder and chirping more, picking at things, and even eating some food. He still seems kind of wobbly, so I'll be keeping a close eye on him for the next couple of days, but I can already tell that he's feeling a lot better. Phew! Glad I caught that when I did. Sometimes these things just happen, and I'm glad I could help my baby.