- Jan 21, 2012
- 13
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Cw: graphic images of wound included
I've been meaning to make this post for a while, but this is the story of my one winged Ayam Cemani/d'uccle chick, Bethany Hamilton. Otherwise known as Ham. I want to share it in case someone in the future is wondering what to do with an injury like Ham's.
She was found partially hatched with her wing completely torn off just past the joint. We assumed a hen had noticed her hatching while the nest was unattended and pecked at her. Her egg had dried up so much and she was so cold that my sister ended up removing the egg shell, unsure if the chick was even alive or not. She was placed under heat but was pretty comatose and limp. I had an ethical battle with myself about whether to euthanize her or not - it was a lot of suffering for such a small creature. But her wound wasn't bleeding actively and the heat was making her twitch and start to move a little so I decided to wait. We applied Blue Kote. No vets in my region would see her.
Ham - Right after "hatching"
The heat helped a lot but she really only perked up once she started hearing other chicks. I knew it wouldn't be safe to leave her unattended with them but it seemed like time and a social setting was the best healing for her. I put her in a box with the other chicks nearby but unable to reach her.
Ham - still day 1
The first few days she was pretty unstable on her feet and spent a long time sleeping- more so than the other chicks. She had also been pecked on the head at the time of her hatching and I worried that this had caused neurological issues. One days 3-4 she seemed to go a little bit downhill - making me worried about infection. Once again I considered euthanizing her, and once again something made me wait. I kept applying wound care.
Ham- Day 3 after fresh wound care application
After about a week she was a lot more peppy and I let her play with the other chicks in a supervised setting. Luckily her wound was relatively hidden in her feathers, and soon she was able to be unattended with them. Whenever possible I avoided handling her because it seemed like whenever she tried to catch her balance, it caused her wing nub to hurt. She remained a little unsteady on her feet for another month or so, and her feathers were a bit bedraggled and dull. Around 1 month old her wound nub turned from reddish black to pink and smooth.
Ham - maybe around 1 week?
Ham around week 4 with a nice pink nubbin
At around 3 months, she really flourished! She is now almost 8 months old and has become quite a sleek and pretty pullet. She's quite skittish but I don't blame her. There was a slight learning curve where she learned that she couldn't fly like the other chickens , and to this day she tends to fall and trip on herself if she does a big leap in the air. But she is surprisingly good at jumping onto low perches, and ends up on the roost with the rest of the crew every night like clockwork. She is on the bottom of the pecking order, but stands her own in a fight and the others leave her alone for the most part.
Euthanizing a chick with her injuries is a very valid choice to make, and I wouldn't begrudge anyone for making that choice, but if anyone out there is wondering if a chick could survive after something like that then Ham is a good example
Ham at 8 months - this is her nubbin / wingless side but it really blends in
Ham and associates
I've been meaning to make this post for a while, but this is the story of my one winged Ayam Cemani/d'uccle chick, Bethany Hamilton. Otherwise known as Ham. I want to share it in case someone in the future is wondering what to do with an injury like Ham's.
She was found partially hatched with her wing completely torn off just past the joint. We assumed a hen had noticed her hatching while the nest was unattended and pecked at her. Her egg had dried up so much and she was so cold that my sister ended up removing the egg shell, unsure if the chick was even alive or not. She was placed under heat but was pretty comatose and limp. I had an ethical battle with myself about whether to euthanize her or not - it was a lot of suffering for such a small creature. But her wound wasn't bleeding actively and the heat was making her twitch and start to move a little so I decided to wait. We applied Blue Kote. No vets in my region would see her.
Ham - Right after "hatching"
The heat helped a lot but she really only perked up once she started hearing other chicks. I knew it wouldn't be safe to leave her unattended with them but it seemed like time and a social setting was the best healing for her. I put her in a box with the other chicks nearby but unable to reach her.
Ham - still day 1
The first few days she was pretty unstable on her feet and spent a long time sleeping- more so than the other chicks. She had also been pecked on the head at the time of her hatching and I worried that this had caused neurological issues. One days 3-4 she seemed to go a little bit downhill - making me worried about infection. Once again I considered euthanizing her, and once again something made me wait. I kept applying wound care.
Ham- Day 3 after fresh wound care application
After about a week she was a lot more peppy and I let her play with the other chicks in a supervised setting. Luckily her wound was relatively hidden in her feathers, and soon she was able to be unattended with them. Whenever possible I avoided handling her because it seemed like whenever she tried to catch her balance, it caused her wing nub to hurt. She remained a little unsteady on her feet for another month or so, and her feathers were a bit bedraggled and dull. Around 1 month old her wound nub turned from reddish black to pink and smooth.
Ham - maybe around 1 week?
Ham around week 4 with a nice pink nubbin
At around 3 months, she really flourished! She is now almost 8 months old and has become quite a sleek and pretty pullet. She's quite skittish but I don't blame her. There was a slight learning curve where she learned that she couldn't fly like the other chickens , and to this day she tends to fall and trip on herself if she does a big leap in the air. But she is surprisingly good at jumping onto low perches, and ends up on the roost with the rest of the crew every night like clockwork. She is on the bottom of the pecking order, but stands her own in a fight and the others leave her alone for the most part.
Euthanizing a chick with her injuries is a very valid choice to make, and I wouldn't begrudge anyone for making that choice, but if anyone out there is wondering if a chick could survive after something like that then Ham is a good example
Ham at 8 months - this is her nubbin / wingless side but it really blends in
Ham and associates
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