I thought someone else might be interested in this little story as an addition to their mental lexicon of chicken health...

Over the years Ive had alot of chicks. On occasion one of the chicks would become stumbly, head lolling about, sometimes with its neck bent in some wierd contortion. I usually chalked the condition up to an illness taking one of the weak ones or a congenital problem and, since they were unable to feed properly, nature soon took its course.

One day I noticed that one of these little chickens had a bruised eyelid. I realized that these little ckicks were being injured in the occasional brooder stampedes or accidentally being jumed on while at rest by some feisty chicks working out the pecking order. A neck/head injury could cause those problems and more because of course those nerves in the neck run everywhere and could easily cause problems elsewhere in the body. I got to thinking, what could I do for a chicken with an injured neck?

The Mrs had recently had a neck problem and had temporarily required a neck brace. That was the ticket! So I brought the chick in and placed it in our poultry hospital (lavish private quarters overlooking our dining room). I then went and retrieved a length of black foam waterpipe isulation and cut a piece to the length of the chickens neck and opened it and slipped it over the chicks neck. I temporarily fastened the newly made chicken neckbrace with tape. Soon, with a bit of hand feeding and watering each day, and a resizing every 3 days and some intermittant time without the brace, the chick was healthy and returned to the flock.

We have not lost one of neck lolling chicks since. It was cheap and didnt take any real extra time to take care of the injured ones.

-- William in WI (thetoebes@webtv.net), June 30, 2000

Answers

William: Neat idea! I will add this to my list of first aid tips for chicks--currently have one pullet with a splint on her leg, which should be ready to come off. She broke her leg a month or so ago, and rather than follow the general concensus that she should be put into the freezer, I felt sorry for her, and splinted the leg. She is eating fine, and seems to have healed just great! Have another that I didn't notice when it was young, but the top beak crosses over the bottom, severely. She manages to eat fine, and is the same size as the others, so I will let her lay eggs as long as she can manage ok. Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), June 30, 2000.

What a great idea. I'll remember that. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), July 03, 2000.

While the chick was recouperating in the dining room, I surely hope you didn't serve any of its relatives.

Sorry for the wickedness. It's a great idea.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), July 04, 2000.