- Jan 26, 2019
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Hello everyone, NubbyRyuu here!
My neighbor, who I've become friends with, has a bunch of chickens, all used for egg laying. I've befriended a few over time, including one I've named my account after, Nubby.
She was a very sweet chicken who my neighbor took in from another person. Because she was raised on a farm, she always came up to my barn on a daily basis to lay an egg. She was the first who allowed me to pet her and hold/pick her up, and with the recent cold weather and snow, I'd carry her straight back to her coop.
Well, yesterday afternoon, she passed away without warning. According to my vet (who came out to look at my goat at the time), Nubby had experienced frostbite, which explained the missing toes. Hey, she still thrived!
I'm gonna say the last couple days, she had this weird lump on the underside of her foot. I didn't notice it until later that night after I dried her off with a towel and hairdryer (it was 50s, humid, and pouring; I kept the hairdryer at a good few inch distance, taking short breaks so she didn't get hot). After reading online about what it could be, becoming increasingly worried it was the dreaded Bumblefoot, I went out and checked, which Nubs let me do. No scratches, nics, cuts, nor blackness nor hardening was present: just a soft, squishy lump that was painful and kept her from walking. We agreed to let her stay the night in my barn where she was comfortable and not stressed (plus it was night at this point), and I gave her a 10-15 minute Epsom foot soak. I checked her twice before bed, making sure she wasn't too cold (I have no bird-bird accommodations, just hay), and confident she'd be fine, I went to bed.
Early the next morning, I checked on her and she was fine. Still eating, still drinking, just not too thrilled on moving around. She was still alert, and when her flockmate came by and saw her, they both went into their little "scream songs". I returned her to her coop once I was done with the barn, where she grabbed some water and food. I stood by a few minutes making sure none of her flockmates would pick on her. After a few minutes, Nubby flew up to a small perch and stayed there last I saw, no one going after her.
Well, later that night while I was at work, I got the upsetting news Nubby had mysteriously died, the Rooster staying with her. A vet appt was scheduled for her, but it was too late.
Looking around online, trying to wrap my brain around this (and my only experience with birds being a cockatiel), I'm not sure what this could've been. I learned Nub's previous owner just basically gave her up with no info on anything including age and the obvious deformity. The only thing I could narrow it to was an infection from the frostbite (sounds like gangrene), but it still doesn't sound right. The only other think I could think of is a possible injury she may have received when she fell in the coop resulting in a bald spot on her chest (kinda near the crop); she still seemed fine though.
We do have one positive take-away though: four eggs containing chicks!
Sorry this is so long, I wanted to provide as much info as I could. Would anyone out here know what could've caused this sudden death? Underlying issues? An infection we didn't know about? Age? It's all too strange.
My neighbor, who I've become friends with, has a bunch of chickens, all used for egg laying. I've befriended a few over time, including one I've named my account after, Nubby.
She was a very sweet chicken who my neighbor took in from another person. Because she was raised on a farm, she always came up to my barn on a daily basis to lay an egg. She was the first who allowed me to pet her and hold/pick her up, and with the recent cold weather and snow, I'd carry her straight back to her coop.
Well, yesterday afternoon, she passed away without warning. According to my vet (who came out to look at my goat at the time), Nubby had experienced frostbite, which explained the missing toes. Hey, she still thrived!
I'm gonna say the last couple days, she had this weird lump on the underside of her foot. I didn't notice it until later that night after I dried her off with a towel and hairdryer (it was 50s, humid, and pouring; I kept the hairdryer at a good few inch distance, taking short breaks so she didn't get hot). After reading online about what it could be, becoming increasingly worried it was the dreaded Bumblefoot, I went out and checked, which Nubs let me do. No scratches, nics, cuts, nor blackness nor hardening was present: just a soft, squishy lump that was painful and kept her from walking. We agreed to let her stay the night in my barn where she was comfortable and not stressed (plus it was night at this point), and I gave her a 10-15 minute Epsom foot soak. I checked her twice before bed, making sure she wasn't too cold (I have no bird-bird accommodations, just hay), and confident she'd be fine, I went to bed.
Early the next morning, I checked on her and she was fine. Still eating, still drinking, just not too thrilled on moving around. She was still alert, and when her flockmate came by and saw her, they both went into their little "scream songs". I returned her to her coop once I was done with the barn, where she grabbed some water and food. I stood by a few minutes making sure none of her flockmates would pick on her. After a few minutes, Nubby flew up to a small perch and stayed there last I saw, no one going after her.
Well, later that night while I was at work, I got the upsetting news Nubby had mysteriously died, the Rooster staying with her. A vet appt was scheduled for her, but it was too late.
Looking around online, trying to wrap my brain around this (and my only experience with birds being a cockatiel), I'm not sure what this could've been. I learned Nub's previous owner just basically gave her up with no info on anything including age and the obvious deformity. The only thing I could narrow it to was an infection from the frostbite (sounds like gangrene), but it still doesn't sound right. The only other think I could think of is a possible injury she may have received when she fell in the coop resulting in a bald spot on her chest (kinda near the crop); she still seemed fine though.
We do have one positive take-away though: four eggs containing chicks!
Sorry this is so long, I wanted to provide as much info as I could. Would anyone out here know what could've caused this sudden death? Underlying issues? An infection we didn't know about? Age? It's all too strange.
Such an ADORABLE photo of Nubby.
. She was clearly a well loved chicken and you must be really feeling her loss even if she was not your bird.
