Guess Who's Vacationing At Our House?

Not vacationing really, but recovering, yes.  Miss Corrie came home with us a couple of days ago.  She feels awful!  I mean awful.  Runny eyes and nose, lethargic, etc.  I'm sure it's something she got from the Cotton Club. 

We brought her home, and gave her a bath.  Yes, you can bathe chickens. Her feathers were full of snot and watery eye stuff and the only way she could get it off was to rub it on her feathers.  It smells really bad.    We put her in a large dog crate on the back patio to dry off in the sun.  At this point, she could not stand on her own, and when she tried either couldn't get her legs underneath her, or went backwards.  She also was not eating very well, or drinking anything.  Trust me, it's not that easy to get a chicken to drink.

The Moose decided to bring her indoors in the air conditioning, and less humidity.  He also cut her a piece of cold watermelon, one of her favorites and she backed up to it and did eat some.  I think it was the only way her body was getting water or food.  Since she wasn't drinking, she wasn't getting any of the antibiotic (tetracyclin).  So here's what we did.

I lightly sprinkled the antibiotic on the watermelon.  What did we have to lose at this point if we didn't try.  I'm serious folks, I think we would have lost her for sure if we didn't try.  So for you chicken lovers, this may work for you too.  By late in the afternoon one of her eyes had started looking better and she was eating more.

So, again last night it was another piece of cold watermelon (must feel good on her throat, and I'm sure she was running a fever being that sick) with some of the antibiotic sprinkled on.  This morning she's much more alert, still has a snotty nose, but the other eye while still red is not near as runny/bubbly.  Again, she got a dose of "pumped up" watermelon.  Along with dry food, cherry tomatoes, broccoli and corn.  All of which she is eating today.

Whew!  Keep your fingers crossed she continues to pull through.