Now I am looney, I took a chicken to the vet.

[MomLovesClassics]

Today has been one of those days, it did start out good though. We had errands to run, so it has been a little busy. Sometime this afternoon, I decide to take leftover bread from lunch out to the chickens. Our little pullet Clover was laying over like she was dead. My son was with me, picked her up and said she was alive. It appeared she was breathing her last breath. What is so special about Clover is that my daugher loves her dearly. My daughter puts clover in her wagon and pulls her around the yard. The kids insisted that I take her to the vet. I didn't realize I could have possibly taken her to the university avian department, my brother mentioned I should have done that instead. Luckily my vet is understanding, but the others in the office really looked at me like I had lost my mind. The kids are sitting by the phone just waiting for the vet to give us a call. We have other chickens, but Clover is the one that is special to my daugher.

[Heather in AL]

If you are loony, then so am I. Last month, I took my dd's $10 gerbil to the vet.... it cost $80. :001_huh:

 

Also, my dh loves to tell the story of when he was a kid in France, his dad had to take their goat to the vet.... in his little car. He said his dad got some strange looks from other drivers. :lol:

 

I hope Clover will be OK. She sounds precious.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I hope Clover is ok.

[Parrothead]

Ever try to take a gold fish on a three day road trip? Yeah, I did that.

 

You aren't loony for taking the bird to the vet.

Edited June 9, 2010 by Parrothead

[Pippen]

If you are loony, then so am I. Last month, I took my dd's $10 gerbil to the vet.... it cost $80. :001_huh: .

 

I know what you mean. The free kitten I found in my backyard has cost me a bundle.

[Liz CA]

Any animal that will politely put up with being drug around in a wagon deserves vet care when needed.

 

Any word on Clover yet?

[MomLovesClassics]

The vet visit was free. We had to bring clover home in a box. She is now buried in the back yard next to our cat.

I am so embarrassed to say this. Somehow Clover did not get enough to eat and did not gain weight like she should. We feed them plenty, so I never thought twice about it. I did not realize the big ones would be too greedy and not let the little ones eat enough. Everyone got enough to eat except her. I feel horrible, I never thought to make sure they were growing and gaining weight properly. The vet did come out to look at the others and they are all fine. I am not sure how we failed Clover but we did.

They get food, and are free range. I am feeling a lot of guilt at the moment.

[Jean in Newcastle]

:grouphug:

[*Jessica*]

Any animal that will politely put up with being drug around in a wagon deserves vet care when needed.

I agree!

 

The vet visit was free. We had to bring clover home in a box. She is now buried in the back yard next to our cat.

I am so embarrassed to say this. Somehow Clover did not get enough to eat and did not gain weight like she should. We feed them plenty, so I never thought twice about it. I did not realize the big ones would be too greedy and not let the little ones eat enough. Everyone got enough to eat except her. I feel horrible, I never thought to make sure they were growing and gaining weight properly. The vet did come out to look at the others and they are all fine. I am not sure how we failed Clover but we did.

They get food, and are free range. I am feeling a lot of guilt at the moment.

:grouphug:

[joannqn]

Poor Clover.

 

It sounds like you have an awesome vet, though.

[Starr]

:grouphug: So sad.

[Tree House Academy]

The vet visit was free. We had to bring clover home in a box. She is now buried in the back yard next to our cat.

I am so embarrassed to say this. Somehow Clover did not get enough to eat and did not gain weight like she should. We feed them plenty, so I never thought twice about it. I did not realize the big ones would be too greedy and not let the little ones eat enough. Everyone got enough to eat except her. I feel horrible, I never thought to make sure they were growing and gaining weight properly. The vet did come out to look at the others and they are all fine. I am not sure how we failed Clover but we did.

They get food, and are free range. I am feeling a lot of guilt at the moment.

 

If they are free range, this can not be the reason she died. Yes, the big ones will take from the smaller ones, but chickens lose interest in food pretty quickly and the little ones do get to eat when the bigger ones are done. When chickens free range, it is even better because they have yard of their own to hunt. There are a lot of things that can kill a chicken and it is not always obvious what that is. Vets who do not specialize in chickens may not really know the cause, but only speculate.

 

Did she have any weird symptoms? How old was she? Sometimes chickens just literally fall dead. There isn't a good reason why. I have a book called, "The Chicken Health Handbook" and you would be AMAZED at what all can happen to a chicken.

 

I am very sorry you lost your chicken. I know how hard that can be. I am very close to mine as well.

[Corraleno]

If they are free range, this can not be the reason she died. Yes, the big ones will take from the smaller ones, but chickens lose interest in food pretty quickly and the little ones do get to eat when the bigger ones are done. When chickens free range, it is even better because they have yard of their own to hunt. There are a lot of things that can kill a chicken and it is not always obvious what that is. Vets who do not specialize in chickens may not really know the cause, but only speculate.

 

Did she have any weird symptoms? How old was she? Sometimes chickens just literally fall dead. There isn't a good reason why. I have a book called, "The Chicken Health Handbook" and you would be AMAZED at what all can happen to a chicken.

:iagree:

I don't think she died because she didn't have access to food. It may be that something else stopped her from eating or caused her to lose interest in food, and lack of food may have been a secondary issue. Was she laying yet? Sometimes hens get "egg-bound" and die; it's more common in young pullets laying their first egg. Sometimes chickens just suddenly keel over dead for no apparent reason. I've had a fat, happy, apparently healthy chicken who was scratching and pecking in the morning drop dead a couple of hours later, without a mark on her. I had a hen die while sitting in the nest, again for no apparent reason.

 

Honestly, you shouldn't feel guilty, I think it's extremely unlikely you starved her to death!

 

Jackie

[elise1mds]

:grouphug: My kids would be upset, too, if we lost one. I'm so sorry.

[lllll]

..

[Denisemomof4]

The vet visit was free. We had to bring clover home in a box. She is now buried in the back yard next to our cat.

I am so embarrassed to say this. Somehow Clover did not get enough to eat and did not gain weight like she should. We feed them plenty, so I never thought twice about it. I did not realize the big ones would be too greedy and not let the little ones eat enough. Everyone got enough to eat except her. I feel horrible, I never thought to make sure they were growing and gaining weight properly. The vet did come out to look at the others and they are all fine. I am not sure how we failed Clover but we did.

They get food, and are free range. I am feeling a lot of guilt at the moment.

 

I have 5 ducks, 4 black or black and white, 1 white. The white one is picked on and not allowed to eat. I put down the food and keep everyone away until he's had his fill. I also leave free range food so that when the other ducks have had their fill and then go roaming around in the yard, the white duck can go back and have food.

 

I feed my llamas the same way. They're all in the center aisle and when the first ones finish I make them go outside. I have one llama that's naturally skinnier than the rest, but they used to steal his food. I no longer allow it.

 

I know you feel bad. I accidentally killed the only chicken my kids named. I was trying to get them inside during a violent storm and dropped something on her. I cried like a baby I felt so bad and guilty. What you need to do is remind yourself that you're a newbie (I'm assuming?) and learning. My entire farm experience has been Learn As You Go and there's been quite a learning curve. Don't beat yourself up. We ALL learn from our mistakes.

:grouphug:

[Spy Car]

:iagree:

I don't think she died because she didn't have access to food. It may be that something else stopped her from eating or caused her to lose interest in food, and lack of food may have been a secondary issue. Was she laying yet? Sometimes hens get "egg-bound" and die; it's more common in young pullets laying their first egg. Sometimes chickens just suddenly keel over dead for no apparent reason. I've had a fat, happy, apparently healthy chicken who was scratching and pecking in the morning drop dead a couple of hours later, without a mark on her. I had a hen die while sitting in the nest, again for no apparent reason.

 

Honestly, you shouldn't feel guilty, I think it's extremely unlikely you starved her to death!

 

Jackie

 

 

:iagree:

[In The Great White North]

Dd's noticed it was swollen and the chicken was dying, so they operated on it, pulled out a bunch of hair, and sewed her up.

 

Dd's!!!!!! Operated on the chicken?!?!?!? That is way more biology than I was planning to do!

[JFSinIL]

I am sure it provided needed variety for the vet!!! Hey - a pet is a pet.

[Country Mouse]

Sorry about Clover! :grouphug:

[Soph the vet]

I've had clients bring in pet chickens, geese, hedgehogs, you name it. Don't ever feel funny about what you consider to be a pet...it is a free country!:001_smile:

Sorry about your loss of Clover.

[cbollin]

:grouphug:

 

 

 

-crystal

[Impish]

:grouphug:

[Heather in AL]

I'm sorry to hear that Clover didn't make it. :grouphug::grouphug:

[MomLovesClassics]

Thanks for all the hugs. It must just be one of those things that happen. She was only a pullet about 12 weeks old, not yet big enough to lay eggs.

I got 2 pullets from my brother this morning. While he was out of town last week some vultures killed off more than half his flock. My nephew let them out of the pen to roam and that is when the vultures got them. Now my brother has to keep his flock penned up because of the vultures. They even saw a vulture get one. His neighbor also lost several to the vultures.

[LauraGB]

Sorry Clover didn't make it. :grouphug:

 

And I don't think you were crazy for bringing her in. I once took a parakeet to the vet after our cat knocked over its cage and chased it up into the ceiling fan. It was not at all pretty. $200 + later, and an angry dh (and it was his bird!), the bird survived another 4 years.

 

By bringing clover to the vet, you understood what went wrong. That's a good thing.

 

Sorry again. :grouphug:

[TXMomof4]

Alright, I've got looney for ya -

 

My sister was driving down the road and hit a bird. It bounced off her windshield. She looked in the rearview mirror and could see it flopping around in the road. She drove around the block thinking, surely, it would die before she got back around to it. Nope, it was still alive. She picked it up in her jacket and took it to the emergency vet. It died right after she got there, but she couldn't leave it hurting in the road. I don't think they charged her for the visit. They were too busy laughing.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Alright, I've got looney for ya -

 

My sister was driving down the road and hit a bird. It bounced off her windshield. She looked in the rearview mirror and could see it flopping around in the road. She drove around the block thinking, surely, it would die before she got back around to it. Nope, it was still alive. She picked it up in her jacket and took it to the emergency vet. It died right after she got there, but she couldn't leave it hurting in the road. I don't think they charged her for the visit. They were too busy laughing.

 

:blushing: I ran over a squirrel's tail once. I saw it bleeding there and backed up to go rescue it and ended up running it over for good.:ohmy: At least your sister was better than I was.