Found this beauty splayed out on the floor of the coop when I opened them up one morning on the weekend.
He’s a bantam Blue Cochin, very sweet natured and one of our favourite breeds of chicken.
Despite his having no apparent strength in his legs his eyes were bright, his appetite good and his neck and wings strong.
We’ve had chickens limp and muscularly flaccid before and they’re usually dead in a short while — no water or food will entice them. The symptoms don’t resemble avian flu so I haven’t been particularly worried. If you keep animals, some are going to die.
But this guy was so perky, it was worth doing the research to find out what was ailing him.
Enter the internet: Turns out he’s contracted botulism — and a very mild case from which he can recover. The bacterium lives in soil, water, dead mice — anywhere in the great outdoors — so it’s not a huge surprise that one un-medicated chicken in a free-range flock will come down with some challenging ailment.
You can see here how he’s pitched forward to balance on his legs — he’s able to stand but has no real strength in his lower limbs.
In time, his liver with break down the toxin and life will be back to its routine of wandering, roosting and dust baths.
In the meantime he’s enjoying life in the basement. His space is bright and airy, N&L hand-feed him tomatoes and cucumbers, and he clucks and cackles every time we walk by.
It’s a good life!
I would like to have chickens.
I fear I would be no good at this.
Yours are just loverely.
I am so glad he is destined to recover.
Mary
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