What would you do?..

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Lokale90

Chirping
Apr 18, 2020
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Posted under a different category but going to give this one a go as well..

I posted on here awhile back about my Wyandotte pullet. I ended up finding an avian vet (we were her first chicken patient) somewhat close to me that I took her to. What I had thought was a crooked wing was actually her neck. The injury happened while away & watched by a friend. Since COVID began, money has been pretty tight for me, so I couldn’t afford all of the things she said we could do such as X-rays, laser therapy, etc. While I couldn’t afford the X-ray we were at least able to come to the conclusion that a traumatic injury had happened such as a fall or maybe she got her neck stuck in something. The vet tried to stretch us out & it is not possible with her injury & possibly how it healed. This all happened when my girl was maybe a month old, maybe 2 (she’s 4 months old now). I let the vet know that while I would be heartbroken putting her down, I don’t want to keep her alive for my own sake if she’s in pain. This injury also limits her quality of life since it has happened. I say this only by assumption considering everything is much more difficult for her to do than it is for other chickens. Her neck is basically stuck in a way that keeps it limited to one side. She can’t turn it & it can only move enough to reach part of wing right behind where her head is. Her balance is obviously not very good & she can’t move too fast or else she’ll start to stumble/lose her balance (especially if the ground isn’t even), she’s able to peck at the ground like the others but it’s much more difficult. I notice she stakes while standing sometimes & while bent over trying to reach/peck. I try to keep at least one water & feeder at her level since she can’t drink from anything where she may have to angle her head up. She can bend over as I mentioned but it takes more work & in order to balance as she leans down, she has to prop a foot on the bowl, so I try to make what I can easier. She doesn’t seem like she can fly but can at least flap her wings. I have her & the 5 others I got at the same time in a different coop from my older hens but they do all free range together during the day. The new coop has a roost that doesn’t require a hop up onto it like the bigger coop does which I don’t think she’d be able to do. She has a difficult time going down their coop ramp I’ve noticed & am considering some sort of guard rail. She does wander a bit with her group but there are times I have found her sitting in the small run area connected to her coop, alone. The first time I saw this, it absolutely broke my heart. While the others are enjoying life & getting more comfortable exploring further out with the older hens & just being chickens, she can’t do everything they can. I don’t think she has the same energy as them being she has to work 10x harder than everyone else to do the simple things we all take for granted. The vet sent me home with a 5 day supply of pain killers & that was that. I tried calling back with questions like what was I supposed to do after the 5 days were up & no one got back to me. Seeing her all alone the other day made me so sad & angry that my sweet girl doesn’t get to enjoy life the same & the quality of it has been taken from her. I don’t care if she looks funny. I could care less if she ever lays an egg. All I want is for her to be okay. I don’t want her to have to live in pain. The vet wasn’t very clear on what she thought about her pain level but I can’t imagine anyone would be very comfortable with their neck stuck the way it is. Also, I assume she must be in pain if the vet sent us home with the 5 day supply of meloxicam. I’m just looking for some advice on what you would do if she was your chicken & you can’t afford surgery. The vet didn’t make it sound like this was really something that could be fixed with surgery even if I could afford it. I love her but if this sounds like she’s being kept alive to suffer please tell me. I’m having a hard time with this decision & looking for some guidance.



I will post her vet pics along with her out with the chickens during the day & a video showing her shakiness, some coordination & just roaming with the other 5 if it’ll let me on here ..

okay so I posted a video but it doesn’t seem to play them on my end. If that’s the case can you let me know if it is the same for you as well & what I can do to post a video that actually plays on here rather than just seem like another still image.
 

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Posted under a different category but going to give this one a go as well..

I posted on here awhile back about my Wyandotte pullet. I ended up finding an avian vet (we were her first chicken patient) somewhat close to me that I took her to. What I had thought was a crooked wing was actually her neck. The injury happened while away & watched by a friend. Since COVID began, money has been pretty tight for me, so I couldn’t afford all of the things she said we could do such as X-rays, laser therapy, etc. While I couldn’t afford the X-ray we were at least able to come to the conclusion that a traumatic injury had happened such as a fall or maybe she got her neck stuck in something. The vet tried to stretch us out & it is not possible with her injury & possibly how it healed. This all happened when my girl was maybe a month old, maybe 2 (she’s 4 months old now). I let the vet know that while I would be heartbroken putting her down, I don’t want to keep her alive for my own sake if she’s in pain. This injury also limits her quality of life since it has happened. I say this only by assumption considering everything is much more difficult for her to do than it is for other chickens. Her neck is basically stuck in a way that keeps it limited to one side. She can’t turn it & it can only move enough to reach part of wing right behind where her head is. Her balance is obviously not very good & she can’t move too fast or else she’ll start to stumble/lose her balance (especially if the ground isn’t even), she’s able to peck at the ground like the others but it’s much more difficult. I notice she stakes while standing sometimes & while bent over trying to reach/peck. I try to keep at least one water & feeder at her level since she can’t drink from anything where she may have to angle her head up. She can bend over as I mentioned but it takes more work & in order to balance as she leans down, she has to prop a foot on the bowl, so I try to make what I can easier. She doesn’t seem like she can fly but can at least flap her wings. I have her & the 5 others I got at the same time in a different coop from my older hens but they do all free range together during the day. The new coop has a roost that doesn’t require a hop up onto it like the bigger coop does which I don’t think she’d be able to do. She has a difficult time going down their coop ramp I’ve noticed & am considering some sort of guard rail. She does wander a bit with her group but there are times I have found her sitting in the small run area connected to her coop, alone. The first time I saw this, it absolutely broke my heart. While the others are enjoying life & getting more comfortable exploring further out with the older hens & just being chickens, she can’t do everything they can. I don’t think she has the same energy as them being she has to work 10x harder than everyone else to do the simple things we all take for granted. The vet sent me home with a 5 day supply of pain killers & that was that. I tried calling back with questions like what was I supposed to do after the 5 days were up & no one got back to me. Seeing her all alone the other day made me so sad & angry that my sweet girl doesn’t get to enjoy life the same & the quality of it has been taken from her. I don’t care if she looks funny. I could care less if she ever lays an egg. All I want is for her to be okay. I don’t want her to have to live in pain. The vet wasn’t very clear on what she thought about her pain level but I can’t imagine anyone would be very comfortable with their neck stuck the way it is. Also, I assume she must be in pain if the vet sent us home with the 5 day supply of meloxicam. I’m just looking for some advice on what you would do if she was your chicken & you can’t afford surgery. The vet didn’t make it sound like this was really something that could be fixed with surgery even if I could afford it. I love her but if this sounds like she’s being kept alive to suffer please tell me. I’m having a hard time with this decision & looking for some guidance.



I will post her vet pics along with her out with the chickens during the day & a video showing her shakiness, some coordination & just roaming with the other 5 if it’ll let me on here ..

okay so I posted a video but it doesn’t seem to play them on my end. If that’s the case can you let me know if it is the same for you as well & what I can do to post a video that actually plays on here rather than just seem like another still image.
I’m so sorry that happened to her! Hugs 🤗 from one chicken lover to another!
 
This is a tough one, but I would give her the coup de grace, and put her out of her misery. I would expect her to start losing weight. She will probably has difficulty eating enough to support her size as she becomes full grown. As you free range, she could easily be set upon by a predator.

Once I kept a cross-beak chicken, and later on, decided my being too soft hearted, caused her to starve to death. I regretted that, and since then, take care of an issue like this.

Just my 2 cents. And not my decision. Good luck to you and her.

Mrs K
 
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