In the midst of settling our new chook in, we have discovered that our top hen, Fly, has an impacted crop. Pre-surgery (lets hope we don't get there) treatment is to pump her crop full of warm water and liquid petroleum as much as she can stand it (it requires swaddling her in a blanket and easing an 8" tube down her throat!) and then massage it all to, hopefully, break down the impaction.
It is a little like having a sick child. Certainly felt familiar, stood in my kitchen at 8.30am on a Sunday, in my pyjamas, with washing up to by done, rocking side to side to calm her down and warming another jar of baby food! But, having looked thoroughly miserable last week, her comb is coming back into colour and I think she trusts that all the interference is our trying to help.
I, in the meantime, have fallen utterly in love with my stoic little red hen.
I just love what you have written here along with these pictures, this is some beautiful compassion!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this with me!!!