THE SWEET CHICK WITH THE FLOPPY NECK
A new batch of chicks showed up at the end of the week. There are now
twenty three little yellow fluff balls stumbling around, chirping wild
under the heat lamp.
One of the birds has a floppy neck. As I write this, she is curled up
on the blanket, resting gently against the side of my arm. I've been
with her for most of the day, much as I could. She was separated from
the flock and given special attention because of her obvious physical
deformity. We felt she needed help to get a fighting chance at
life. So that's why I have been feeding, watering, and cuddling her in
an effort to help her grow.
Her deformity is interesting. Her neck doesn't point up and extend out
of her body like a healthy chick's would. It stays low and kind of
curls towards her right wing (looking at her head on). Her head
usually remains in alignment with her neck or else it bends to the
right, becoming in effect upside down. With encouragement or by her
own will, she is capable of erecting her neck so it extends up as it
should. It remains biased to her right side, though. But it is
promising to see that she appears comfortable in this position.
IMG Chick sleeping, showing her deformity
Her movements are affected by her deformity. She's not as agile or
rambunctious as the other chicks. She doesn't move around much, but
when she does it is usually in a backwards direction. With her head
hung on her right side, she backs up into whatever vertical surface is
available---a wall, an arm, etc. This makes me think she is a little
scared about what's going on and wants to feel safe. Enclosing her in
my palms also seems to give her a feeling of safety, as she calms down
quite a bit when I hold her gently.
She took a little poo while she was up and about earlier. That's a
good sign that she's getting food in her. I have been feeding her a
mush of her food and water, as well as water and little honey. It has
been difficult to get her to eat or drink. She's either unable or
unwilling to do it herself. I've been getting sustenance into her by
periodically dipping her beak into her bowl, or else putting some mush
in my palm and holding it near her beak.
She responds to interactions well. She can be startled alert, or
coddled into rest. Mostly she will close her eyes and appear to
sleep. Oddly, she won't do this unless she is in one of her "safe"
positions, backed up into a vertical surface or enclosed in a nest of
blankets. At rest, I sometimes hold her with my thumb propped between
her neck and her right side. This puts her neck closer to an upright
position, which I hope will encourage her to do so on her own.
IMG Chick in her special care box outside
I have wondered about the possibility of rehabilitating the sweet
girl. If her neck muscle grew strong she might gain mobility like a
normal chick's. As mentioned, she will sometimes stand with her neck
partially erect. I haven't discovered the prompt, but it is
encouraging to see her stand up by her own will and capability. I
wonder if some kind of suspended food or play thing would encourage
this further. Or maybe, she simply needs safety and strength from
sustenance.
I will continue to encourage and monitor her vitality. With these
interventions, it's possible she will grow up. If not, then I will be
grateful for the small connection I lived with her, and the little bit
more of life she got to live.
Updates and after feelings
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Happily, the chick's condition has improved! She holds her neck up
without intervention. She eats the good I place in her dish, and sips
water. She has taken many poos. These are all positive indicators. Far
as I can tell, she has regained her vitality and will lead a full
life.
IMG Chick showing lots of improvement
Brenda, as we've called her, has been returned to the flock. Watching
her successfully reintegrate filled me with such joy! She was quick to
establish herself in the pecking order. I giggled as I watched her
barrel around the other chicks, head-butting them to clear her way for
food. She's a tough girl, a fighter, and I'm very proud of her for it.
IMG Chick reintergrating into the flock
I banded Brenda with a pink anklet. I want to be able to identify her
over the coming weeks as she grows up from a tiny yellow fluffy to a
big, hungry bird. Like the rest of the flock, she'll be fed feed,
clover, kitchen scraps, some fruits, and bugs. Eventually, she'll be
processed to become food that I can eat! To be honest, I feel all
sorts of strange and curious feelings about this eventuality. I'm
looking forward to it, all the same.
This experience has left me with some really big feelings, like how
good it feels to have purpose, how precious it feels to bear
responsibility, and how paranoid I was about embarking on this act of
care. It seems weird, but in the beginning I felt I was doing an
abnormal thing by trying to save this chick. I guess I sometimes feel
that our society punishes people for showing care and sincerity. In a
factory farm or elsewhere this chick may have been simply discarded
for her deformity. And that would be the "normal" thing to do. So I
guess I kind of felt abnormal for caring, and for wanting to help
Brenda. But in fact, that should be the normal thing to do!
I'm also left feeling my lifestyle has been validated. Everything is
simple and predictable enough that I can suddenly allocate time to the
task of caring for a bird over the weekend. What a luxury! I wish to
continue simplying my life to allow space for unpredictable
diversions.
Another update
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Two weeks later and gosh, Brenda looks great now. Except for her
banded leg, she's impossible to identify among the flock. I'm so so so
happy that she has regained health.
IMG Brenda looking good
IMG Brenda!!