The last chick to hatch is a bit of a runt. The other hatchlings tower over her - the Cornish X chicks are giants compared to her.And she had a problem with poopy-butt. (Anyone who thinks chicken poop falls under the realm of TMI should feel free to skip down to the pictures.) New hatchlings can sometimes get stopped up and are unable to poop. Madman checks them several times a day, watching for signs of the equivalent of a cork in the works. (Never in his wildest dreams did he think he'd grow up to be a chicken butt-wiper...) Needless to say, being unable to poop is a serious risk to their health, especially since chickens don't urinate and defecate separately - it's all combined in one big juicy dropping. (I did warn you about TMI, didn't I?) Unless we can get them unstoppered, so they can poop freely, they'll weaken and eventually die. That first unfettered poop is a hallelujah moment.
So, the poor little runt wasn't doing well. She wasn't showing interest in food or water, and every time she tried to settle down for a nap she was getting trampled into the shavings by her ginormous binmates.I finally felt so sorry for her that I scooped her up and cradled her in my hands, just so she could have a few moments peace, without being booted across the floor.
She cuddled around in my hand, and promptly fell asleep.
Awwww...
She slept for about 5 minutes, then woke up, blinked her eyes a couple of times.
And pooped right in my hand.
Awwww...
sweetest poop story I've ever heard
ReplyDeleteCan't have animals without poop. Imagine the relief of that little chick.
ReplyDeleteAwwww!
ReplyDeleteThe first few times I had to deal with poopy butt, I used a pair of tweezers to pick it off, like Book #1 said to do.
The chicks were heartily relieved when Book #2 said a warm damp washcloth will soften it right off, no pulled feathers required!
No good deed EVER goes unpunished.
ReplyDeleteNot TMI, just another interesting facet of life.
We raised chickens when I was a kid, but I did not know this about the poop. I don't know if my parents knew, or we were just lucky, or what. This is the second time I read this in a few days, so it's fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI think holding the chick guaranteed that there would be poop. ;^)
ReplyDeleteawwww ... Dude jokes that we talk about poop far too much. I'm going to have him read this :)
ReplyDeletePoop and animals just seem to go together.
ReplyDeleteLove the happy *ahem* ending! Thanks for the laugh; nicely written.
ReplyDelete