I am sitting around trying to be patient with my foot surgery recovery and on Wednesday, May 23rd, Steve comes back from his morning trip to the coop and says one of the chickens is sitting down and not able to get up.
So, he drives me down there in our Kawasaki “Mule”. It’s Dolly, sitting in the corner between the coop and the wood step to the human door. I gently lift her up and she has no ‘legs’ to stand on.
Steve gets the chicken hospital out of the storage area and up we go to the house.
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| A Healthy Dolly |
Dang, dang, dang! She has many of the same symptoms as Fearless had back at Thanksgiving.
Her wattles were really warm, her toes were curled under and she kept trying to flap her wings to stand up. Poor darling!
And she can't speak....Fearless at least could coo.
It's so discouraging to have an animal get sick: I have new local friends who never have problems with their flock, so I just don't understand with all the good care I give them...why does it happen to my girls?
I immediately make up my standard molasses, cayenne and garlic flush mixed with some food pellets and try to get her to eat.
As of today June 1st., she’s had a pretty good appetite all along, mostly wanting ‘scratch’ [crushed corn with some mixed seeds/grains], lots of water mixed with Pedialyte and she seems to crave mealworms [at least she gobbles them up, so I am thinking she needs protein]. She is also gobbling up a fresh strawberry or two from our garden.
It’s been ten days and she isn’t worse; maybe a tad better: the fever is gone at least.
And, whatever it is makes the worst, stinky poops - at least she can ‘go’ once a day, but whoa-boy it’s nasty!
As I do more research I found a couple of web sites describe the same symptoms attributed to scorpion bites or stings; with general recovery in about 5-7 days. We do have scorpions, so this is a distinct possibility. Maybe she was trying to eat one and it stung her somehow, somewhere. It would be hard to see a bite mark under all the feathers. But, I would think I’d see more improvement by now.
Clearly something neurological to affect motor skills of the legs, and one side being worse than the other. Could she have had a stroke?
It’s interesting to note that both Dolly and Fearless are the same breed. Makes me wonder.....
Wednesday, the 30th, I put her in the cat carrier and took her down for a visit to her sisters to see if it would cheer her up. Dolly was clearly interested and tried to stand up and visit her buddies.
After Curious’s initial peck on the comb, they basically looked at her and the “ignored” her in the way of “We know something is different, just not what it is.” We visited for about 40 minutes and came back for the afternoon rest.
And then I got to thinking that, if it was contagious, maybe I just spread it to the others. Now I am watching them for signs, too.
I am still holding out for good signs of recovery in the next few days! [chicken-wise, that is as my foot is doing great: stitches out and I can start range of motion on the big toe and walking ‘normal.]
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| Dolly's Hospital Suite |
Here's Dolly
in her deluxe Hospital Room
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