well today's been an adventure. I met with someone today (not sure if she's on byc or not) and picked up a trio of Columbian bantam cochinss (very nice IMO) as well as 3 buff girls and 3 split silver/buff cockerels (from buff Columbian cock over silver Columbian hens). got them home and i'm putting them into their new pen and one of the cockerels managed to get away from me and ran/flew (with several other roosters on his heels) straight into my "pond". aka large kiddie pool everyone drinks from.
of course, not being familiar with it, he went straight over the ice and into the clear center section where my tank heater lives. bloop. his head didn't go under (thankfully) but in the time it took me to get the net to get him out, he looked dead when I got back. managed to get him out of the water, and no signs of life at all... something prompted me to rush him inside, I half filled a bucket with as hot water as our tap will do (not enough to burn, but uncomfortable at first) and dunked him in and just held his head out. nope. nothing. no blink response or anything.
I propped his head over his back (typical dead chicken limp neck thing) and left him like that for a few minutes. because I heard another baby in distress (lost my day old dorking chick to half an inch of water). went back and checked on the cockerel a couple minutes later, and still nothing. but his eyes caught my attention... the pupils were constricting and dilating very slightly. still no blink response. put my hand in the water and it wasn't so hot any more, so I pulled him out, dumped it and refilled again.
while I was holding him I noticed his body was warming up but not his head so I put him back in the hot water and laid his head on one hand since he wanted to droop forward now... after a minute, he gave a gasp and started breathing! within a couple more, his eyes were closed but the inner eyelids were blinking like crazy.
at first I thought it might be death throes or something, but he continued breathing. at this point I pulled him out of the bucket because i was getting tired standing there hodling his head up, and i was afraid to get him too hot, as that's probably as dangerous (or more so) than too cold... holding him in one hand, feet hanging and dripping, head hanging forward some, he started running and flapping slightly, like a dog having puppy dreams. got him wrapped in a towel and just set him on my chair so i could go outside and finish putting everyone in their new home, etc.
maybe 10 minutes later i came back in, he hadn't moved at all. but when i picked him up, he woke up. since then, he's been sitting, lightly wrapped in his towel, kind of nestled between my belly and left arm, while i sit here and type. the whole time talking to me lightly. a quiet little bokbokbok conversation that means nothing to me, except that it's music to my ears! he keeps nibbling at my wedding band and looking around but isn't making any effort to leave his warm nest right now...
i think his name is going to be lucky. (that was all typed up around 430-5pm) current status, he's alert and talkative, but his balance is shot. he can get around but wobbles front to back like a seesaw, so is tending to keep his butt in the corner of his tote. we'll see what the next few days bring.
of course, not being familiar with it, he went straight over the ice and into the clear center section where my tank heater lives. bloop. his head didn't go under (thankfully) but in the time it took me to get the net to get him out, he looked dead when I got back. managed to get him out of the water, and no signs of life at all... something prompted me to rush him inside, I half filled a bucket with as hot water as our tap will do (not enough to burn, but uncomfortable at first) and dunked him in and just held his head out. nope. nothing. no blink response or anything.
I propped his head over his back (typical dead chicken limp neck thing) and left him like that for a few minutes. because I heard another baby in distress (lost my day old dorking chick to half an inch of water). went back and checked on the cockerel a couple minutes later, and still nothing. but his eyes caught my attention... the pupils were constricting and dilating very slightly. still no blink response. put my hand in the water and it wasn't so hot any more, so I pulled him out, dumped it and refilled again.
while I was holding him I noticed his body was warming up but not his head so I put him back in the hot water and laid his head on one hand since he wanted to droop forward now... after a minute, he gave a gasp and started breathing! within a couple more, his eyes were closed but the inner eyelids were blinking like crazy.
at first I thought it might be death throes or something, but he continued breathing. at this point I pulled him out of the bucket because i was getting tired standing there hodling his head up, and i was afraid to get him too hot, as that's probably as dangerous (or more so) than too cold... holding him in one hand, feet hanging and dripping, head hanging forward some, he started running and flapping slightly, like a dog having puppy dreams. got him wrapped in a towel and just set him on my chair so i could go outside and finish putting everyone in their new home, etc.
maybe 10 minutes later i came back in, he hadn't moved at all. but when i picked him up, he woke up. since then, he's been sitting, lightly wrapped in his towel, kind of nestled between my belly and left arm, while i sit here and type. the whole time talking to me lightly. a quiet little bokbokbok conversation that means nothing to me, except that it's music to my ears! he keeps nibbling at my wedding band and looking around but isn't making any effort to leave his warm nest right now...
i think his name is going to be lucky. (that was all typed up around 430-5pm) current status, he's alert and talkative, but his balance is shot. he can get around but wobbles front to back like a seesaw, so is tending to keep his butt in the corner of his tote. we'll see what the next few days bring.
