Injured Chickie

Dizzy, Hedwig, Mayhem (May May) and Maude

I love my chickens. I do. I really really love them. But they are not the brightest creatures and they get themselves into all kinds of precarious situations. Mostly, getting stuck behind a bush, flying into a roommate's closet when she leaves her window open, or trying and failing to fly up onto the deck and whacking into the railing instead, is amusing and harmless but sometimes - like this past weekend - they actually hurt themselves. One of the girls either a) impaled herself on some sort of sharp object and ripped a gash in her right side under the flap of her wing or b) was attacked by something that ripped a gash in her right side under the flap of her wing. Either way she was hurt, and still is hurting. Fortunately, I have a boyfriend and a father who are troopers and who, unlike myself, won't pass out anytime someone gets a paper cut (alright, I've never done that - but I did pass out at the optometrist once). Chicken medics to the rescue!

Holding my injured girl

Chickens in shock are much easier to handle than chickens in their normal state of being (what with the pecks at anything even remotely shiny or buggy-looking) which is simultaneously helpful and disconcerting. Our injured and shocked chickie was so cooperative as we poked and prodded her, trying to assess the damage, and then as we sprayed and gooped her down with anti-biotics and wrapped a bandage all around her feathery little body. (By we I mean my dad held her, and Colin assessed the damage and bandaged her up while I played nursing assistant and made sad little squeaking noises). After the medics had completed their work, I fed her some special treats (raisins and corn bread) and gave her some water laced with unflavored Pedialyte (to help her gain back electrolytes and ease her through the shock) and put her by herself in the coop for some recovery time.

Meanwhile my dad and Colin attempted to move a giant, broken television from the basement to the back of a mid-size vehicle so it could be donated to Goodwill. I don't know what Goodwill wants with it considering that as they moved it, the parts fell out all over the lawn. Television vomit. Literally.

By morning my sweet injured chickie seemed much more alert and responsive and she seems to be on the mend. I am keeping my fingers crossed for her and will update with her status. But I'm guessing she has many eggs left to lay in her lifetime. Which is great for me because they are the only eggs I will eat and look at the delicious creations that said male partner can make with them:

 This is an omelet in case you couldn't tell. And a BOMB one at that. Happy chickens make delicious eggs!!

Yay for chickens! They are the greatest.

Update: The wonderful house sitter that my parents hire when they go places like HAWAII (grumble) has been texting me with updates. The bandages on the injured chicken have been removed and it seems as though she's healing, although she isn't moving around much. She mostly just stays in her coop which could be either because it is painful to walk around too much or just because she is unbalanced because of her wing. But she's still hanging in there! Day 5 little girl! Keep pulling through!