A chicken Question -

**kimmee** · 10-06-2004, 06:03 PM

I bought all of my chicks from McMurray hatchery this year - One - (a black star female) shakes and shivers and has no balance. she'll stand up fall forward and go high speed across the crowd with her head like a little bulldozer (an unsteady one). I have checked her legs and wings. They seem to be fine no breaks or bulges. Her feathers on her breasts are all worn away from her face planting activities. She eats fine, and drinks fine and no one picks on her like she is the dying bird or anything. She loves to be held close. I am not into the whole culling thing - yeah, I know, some farmer!! What do you think might be her deal??

**forestdale** · 10-06-2004, 07:01 PM

Kimmee, I've kept chooks for yonks but I've never seen one like yours. But if I had a guess I'd say she has a damaged spinal cord or a brain injury. I have seen cats and dogs like that and that's what they had. It's good the others aren't pecking her. I love the eggs I get from my chooks but I really have mine as pets and I pick them up and pet them all the time, they love it. I'd just keep your chook as a pet special, I hate the idea of them being killed too. Chooks are like kids, they don't have to be perfect to be wonderful.
BTW, I wrote a series of posts on raising chickens - it's somewhere in Homesteading.

**Kindred-Spirit** · 10-07-2004, 04:01 PM

I don't know what is wrong either, but agree that animals can be disabled too. Maybe it is her spinal cord?

**kimmee** · 10-23-2004, 01:35 AM

Well - she finally passed on - it looks like she just didn't get into the brooder one night and froze too death - just like my dad - probably with no pain at all - I just couldn't cull her - I am sorry -Girl.