So Sad - posted by courtney at 6:50 PM in Courtney Spies . . . | Comments (0)
On Sunday, I let the chickens roam the yard all day. They had a good time scratching and pecking. I picked them up that morning to check their health because I have been a bit worried about Rose. She's still molting and looks awfully mangy. They both checked out fine.
After a few hours, I noticed they were not out anywhere, and I found them in the coop. What I know now is that Rose was looking over Eulalia while she tried to lay her first egg. Unfortunately, it turned out badly. I found Eulalia about an hour later with pink showing through her feathers--it was a prolapse.
I immediately brought her inside, put her in the Wabbitat, and searched online for what to do. I fixed her scrambled eggs and yogurt, but she wouldn't touch it. I went to Walgreens and bought Tums, witch hazel, and Preparation H. I crushed the Tums and mixed it with yogurt and squeezed it into (mostly onto) her beak, because calcium is supposed to help muscles push through a bound egg. I put Preparation H on the prolapse to keep it moist and to reduce the inflammation. (I didn't end up using the witch hazel, but it is supposed to do the same thing.) I put a heating pad in her cage. I gave her a warm bath and cleaned her up and then blew her dry. I pushed the egg back in, hoping it would find the right way out, and she made the most pitiful noises when she pushed it out again, the same condition.
I called the vet school and was told it would be $150 to bring her in for the special time (Sunday evening) and at least $300-$500 to treat her, and there was no guarantee anything would work, as this is a dangerous and complicated condition. I paid $20 to talk to the "Chicken Doctor," who told me to do what I'd already done and also to find the egg, break it, extract it, and rinse her out with sterile solution, like eye wash. I couldn't find an opening to get to the egg. I applied more treatments, covered the cage with towels to block out light, turned up the heat in the house, and let her rest. I got up early the next morning and tried the hot bath again, but she was quite uncomfortable and didn't want it. I was able to reach a vet that my friend Jenny told me about, and thank goodness they fit me in early. I dried Eulalia, gave her more Tums yogurt, and took her in.
The vet felt around Eulalia and said there was something quite wrong, not a simple bound egg or prolapse. There wasn't really a hole or passage for the egg at all. He said he could perform surgery, but there was no guarantee it would work, and she already had some necrotic tissue. I didn't want her to suffer and decline anymore. It was so awful. So I opted to have him put her to sleep. That wasn't the easiest thing to watch, but I am very very grateful that it could be done and that I didn't have to decide between a hatchet and her continued suffering.
Eulalia seemed fine that morning. This happened so suddenly. Sometimes this fate befalls young birds starting to lay. I knew about it from reading BackyardChickens.com. I was glad I was home to spot it and try to give her the best care I could. I was glad she got to spend the day out in the yard playing until she was ill. And I'm glad she came into my life. She was a really sweet little chicken, and I am very sad she is gone.
Rose is a bit upset too. She's been calling more and pacing. Now I need to decide if I will try to get another hen or try to find a home for Rose. I am not sure what to do with her and any other chickens when I go on the long honeymoon and move to Atlanta and whatever else is coming down the road. Also, I am afraid I'm a hazard. Will take some time to grieve and pamper Rose and then decide what to do.
